“Lina!” Ivy gasps, blushing crimson.
“What? I want to know if it was worth it!”
I cover my face.
“Yes, okay? YES. It’s huge. He’s good. He’s… devastating. The best orgasm of my life. Again. Happy?”
“Very,” Lina beams. “So you’re together? That’s what all this yelling means?”
“No!” I practically cry. “I would never date Cohen-pain-in-my-ass-Becker. But there’s more.”
Ivy emits a terrified little squeak.
Lina looks gleeful.
“My dad obviously saw the article and all the posts. He lost it for forty minutes straight.”
I pause dramatically.
“And he didn’t know Cohen and I already made a deal, so… I had to lie.”
“What deal?” Ivy asks, worried.
“We’re competing in the Valentine’s reality show,” I say flatly. “Together.”
Ivy and Lina freeze.
Look at each other.
Look at me.
Then Lina starts laughing again—hysterical, almost admiring.
“Sloane, sweetheart,” she says, shaking her head, “you are screwed. Completely, utterly screwed.”
“You’ll have to spend days glued to each other,” Ivy murmurs dreamily. “You’ll have to kiss on camera. You’ll have to share a room…”
Pretty sure she’s reliving her own autumn reality show with Cam.
“No thanks. This is not the same,” I mutter.
“You’ll have to pretend to be in love,” Lina adds, grinning wickedly. “And considering he removes your makeup when you’re drunk and fucks you in the shower like a Greek god… how long before you fall for him for real?”
“I’m not falling for him!” I protest, slamming my fist on the table. “He wants to stay single, I made the deal to win and because he helped me with Secret Santa. That’s it.”
Lina raises her coffee in a mocking toast.
“Sure, babe. Keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you’ll believe it.”
The bell above the door jingles.
“Oh shit,” Ivy whispers. “The rest of the book club is here.”
I turn. Four girls walk in, laughing, holding romance novels. They spot me instantly. Their eyes widen.
They already know.
All of Elm Hollow knows.
