I actuallygasp.
Mr. Twizzlers was my code name for Kurtis, our local chiropractor, and yes, I said he had a body shop business on Main Street.
Fine.
That one was probably easy.
But Ms. Red Robin was my code name for myself. The only time I used it was when I told him about the time I hid all of the flyers for the annual rodeo because I was mad that Addison was going to be crowned Rodeo Princess. And I changedallof those details. Something about an art festival and the Crochet King.
“Zen found all of the rodeo posters in a cubby under the desk,” Grey adds like he’s reading my mind. “I looked it up. Your friend Addison was crowned Rodeo Princess the same year as the flyers. You said you didn’t tell me anything about her, but this paints a picture that suggests she’sMs. Taco Bellwho might or might not have used blackmail to be crownedMs. Crochet Kingat an art festival.”
“Oh, god,” I squeak. I’m not hungover anymore, but I wish I was. “That’s—that’s—”
“Genius?”
“Diabolical.”
One corner of his mouth lifts, and god help me, I want to kiss it.
I want to climb him, wrap my arms and legs around him, and kiss that corner of his mouth.
He can expose me.
He can telleveryonewhat he’s figured out, and he can probably put more pieces of gossip together.
And I want to kiss him for it.
“You can make the chiropractor move and re-open your café there,” he says quietly. “Then we both get what we want.”
He doesn’t promise to keep all of my secrets as his own.
He also doesn’t offer up anything else he might’ve figured out and pieced together.
He’s dangerous. And he definitely hates Chandler.
“Are you blackmailing me?” I ask. “Buying my compliance with your knowledge?”
He meets my gaze again, and this time, there’s zero mistaking what I’m reading in there.
It’s worse than blackmail.
Worse than tearing apart my café.
Worse than his anger and irritation with me.
It’sforgiveness.
I blink and try to make myself believe it’s something else, but I can’t.
Not when he opens his stupid sexy mouth again. “I’m not mad at you.”
Fuck. “You should be.”
“I get it. I would’ve ghosted me too.”
“I was an asshole.”
“You were brutally honest until the very end, and you did what you thought you needed to do to protect both of us.”
