“You definitely have people intrigued.” Cassie flashed her phone at me.
My stomach twisted into a giant pretzel.
“What does that mean?”
I didn’t want to know, but I had to.
Cassie read aloud the following headlines, her voice dripping with drama:
“Demi Blake Breaks Her Silence, but Is She Ready to Love Out Loud?”
“Hello, Demi Blake! Are We Looking at This Year’s Next Top Model?”
“Olympic Darling Turned Reality TV Enigma: Where Has Demi Really Been?”
“Why Did Niko Themelis Keep His Daughter Hidden from the World?”
“From Gold Medals to a Guarded Heart: What Happened to Demi?”
“Does Roman Archer Have a Soft Spot? Fans Speculate About His Unexpected Interview Tone.”
“Ugh.” I buried my face in my hands and muttered through my fingers, “Maybe I said too much last night. I should’ve just pretended to be my old perky self. Though I’m not even sure I remember how to be perky.”
Cassie set her phone down on the rustic side table beside the plaid couch she’d claimed.
“I think you played it right,” she said. “People can tell when you’re faking it. You were real.”
I lowered my hands. “Yeah, I guess.”
Cassie tilted her head, a mischievous smile curling her lips.
“There were several photos of Roman during the interview plastered all over. Why didn’t you mention how enamored he was with you?”
“What?” I spat. “He wasn’t enamored with me.”
I knew that for a fact. He’d felt torn. I didn’t get specifics—just this low hum of consternation. Like he was warring with himself.
The usual hate I felt rolling off him whenever I was near? It wasn’t as present. At times it had vanished altogether. And that unsettled me more than the hate ever had.
I wished I couldn’t read his feelings at all.
Or anyone’s, for that matter.
Seriously, Miles and Jazzy probably needed to each take a cold shower. Their very graphic longing had nearly pushed me to send out a love pulse yesterday—just to quiet the noise and reclaim a sliver of peace.
But their relationship? So against my guidebook.
No doubt my father would be approving their union any minute now.
Workplace romance was a dangerous game. One I didn’t wish to watch this summer.
“Well, he looked pretty smitten to me. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.”
“Who else thinks that?” I snapped—sharper than I meant to.
Cassie didn’t seem bothered. Her Cheshire Cat grin only widened.
“Oh, so many people. Shall I read the comments?”
