“Well, I’m certainly freaked out now!” she shouts a little louder than either of us expects.
I wince, raising my hands in surrender to Beverly’s concerned look from across the diner as I mouthsorry. She shakes her head and goes back to work, releasing me so I can turn my attention back to the most beautiful, angry woman I’ve ever seen, waiting for her to breathe fire from those gorgeous lips I can’t stop thinking about and burn me alive.That actually might be less painful at this point.
“Maybe…” she speaks softly as she stares into her drink, her eyes not meeting mine. “Maybe we should just end this fake dating thing. Stage our breakup now, and this will all go away. Right?”
My heart stops, and it’s a few moments before it finds its rhythm again.She’s right.
“Yeah. If that’s what you want, we could do that,” I whisper. I’ve got to find a way to convince her this isn’t the answer.
She nods, her gaze still locked on the steam rising from her mug. “It’s probably for the best.”
Call the coroner. My life is over.
Unless I can miraculously think of a way to keep her.I can’t lose this.I tap my foot furiously on the floor like Elle Woods before the drinking fountain scene where the pool boy gets irritated for stomping her last season Prada shoes at him, and then she asks douchebag Warrner what brand her shoes are, and he doesn’t know and…oh my God. That’s it. The douchebag!
“But…” I singsong, “it still doesn’t solve the other problem we have—Chadd McTwatWaffle. And despite him having a new girlfriend, who apparently has a fear of fluorescent lights, I think he’ll continue to be an issue even if we break up.”
I hold my breath as her eyes pop up to mine, an intrigued look in them I haven’t seen before. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess you’re right. That doesn’t solve the Chadd issue.”
“I say we just stick with the plan to at least keep that asshat away from you.”
“Okay.”
I exhale, the tension slightly melting now that she’s not leaving.Thank fucking God.
“Okay.” I nod. “And we’re going to get you security until we find out who is doing this.”
She glares at me. “Security? No. I don’t think so. How about we just call thepolicelike rational people?”
I scrunch my face. “I know this probably sounds like another rich people thing you won’t like, but I know what is going to happen if we involve the police. We’ll file a complaint that will sit on someone’s desk for months, and nothing will happen. Then, if there’s a snoopy person at the police station looking to score some extra cash, they’ll leak the report to the media. I’ve been dealing with things like this my entire life, and my family realized it’s better to control things ourselves as much as possible. And before you ask again, no, we are not Mafia, and we do not ‘off’ people.”
She huffs a slight laugh, lifting some of the weight off my chest. “So…how many texts have you gotten from whoever this is?”
Dammit.I swallow the lump lodged in my throat.Fuck.I don’t want to tell her this, but there’s no more avoiding this. “Maybe once or twice a week.”
“Everyweek?!” she whisper-yells, forcing a smile as she sees Beverly coming over with our order. Kennedy leans across the table. “Holy shit, Jordan. For how long? When did these start?”
“Here we go!” Beverly comes over with a tray full of plates, just in time to help me stall and think about how to tell Kennedythat I’ve been pining after her for months and that someone figured out I was sending her gifts and wanted me to stop. At least when Kennedy places me in her own personal death row, I’ll go out with a great last meal.
“Thanks, Bev,” I say, grateful for the welcome interruption.
“You two need anything else? Do I need to grab syrup for the lady?”
“Oh no. She’s Team No Syrup.”
She smiles with a wink. “Holler if you need anything and I’ll be back with some coffee refills in a bit. Just gonna make a fresh pot.”
I slowly turn toward Kennedy, who, shockingly, is not staring at me, but at the breakfast for dinner laid before us. “GoodGod,this looks and smells amazing. Are those hash browns with cheese and onions?”
I smile, knowing I picked correctly once more. “Yep. Do you like them that way?”
“Smothered and covered is the only way to eat them.”
Be still, my heart.“Right?!”
She takes a bite of the delicious potatoes, and we, once again, bond over carbs. And dammit, I’m so here for it.
“Listen, I’m still mad…like,reallymad, but…Grilled Cheesus, this is delicious. You weren’t kidding about the food here.”
