"Cheesechop? Seriously? Youdoknow, these nicknames just keep getting worse, right?"
Hell yeah, I knew.But right about now, I'd say almost anything to make her smile. "If you thinkthat'sbad, you should hear what I call my lawyer."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure I want to."
"Youdefinitelydon't want to." But then, I gave her a look that said joke-time was over. "But I still want the story."
"But why? It's not like you can do anything."
I grinned, making it extra-cocky to ease her mind. "The hell I can't." But inside, I sure as hell wasn't grinning.
43
Weather Girl and the Truth
Ryder
Abruptly, she turned and started walking. I didn't know where home was, but we'd turned away from Main Street and were heading inland, leaving the hotels and shops behind as the area turned residential.
Keeping pace, I said, "Youdoknow that if you reach home without telling me, Iamcoming inside."
With something like a laugh, she said, "Just like I did." She gave a quick shake of her head. "Do you know, I basically showed up on Maisie's doorstep and barged my way in?"
This wasn't the story I'd asked for, but that didn't mean I wasn't interested. "Oh, yeah? How'dthathappen?"
"Maisie – that's my roommate."
"I know." I forced myself not to push.
"Right." Her fingers fidgeted with the zipper of the hoodie. "Of course you do. I mean, your friendisworking for her. How'd that happen, by the way?"
I scoffed. "Nice try."
"What do you mean?"
"You'rethe one who's supposed to be talking, not me."
She made a sound of protest. "But Iamtalking."
"True. But when you get to the traffic and weather, we're gonna have a problem."
"Oh, yeah? Well,somebodysaid it's supposed to rain tomorrow."
I smiled. "Try again, weather girl."
She went quiet for a beat, and then said, "Look…that whole flameout? It wasn't the beginning of anything. That was the end. The trouble started earlier."
She was walking slower now, and I adjusted my pace accordingly. "So whendidit start?"
"First, I should tell you...Carver Health…you know…Evan Carver's company…"
I snorted. "You mean Daddy's company."
"Not the way Evan tells it."
"Yeah, because he's full of it. But you were saying…?"
Suddenly, she announced, "Carver Health isn't what it seems."
