Why wouldn’t he wait for us?
Chapter Twenty-Three
It’s notthe time to tell Ariana that Derrick left, but she’s looking at Grant and me through narrowed eyes, knowing there is something on the paper from the producers she’s missing.
We’re done keeping secrets from her.
When Grant hands her the letter, I brace myself for more tears.
But there are none.
She looks almost relieved. She folds the paper with a gentle hand and places it on the table.
“Well, it’s nearly three. I suppose we should get started on this scavenger hunt so we have time to enjoy our reward, right?”
Grant’s jaw is a little slack as he stares at her. He looks as surprised as I am that she isn’t torn up about Derrick leaving the property. It makes me nervous to think that it may be because she doesn’t care about him.
But she has to, right?
Feelings like that don’t go away overnight.
After a moment, I clear my dry throat. “Yeah, I’m curious what they hid, and how they got it.”
“I bet they got mine from Marlie, since she’s the one who applied for me. And now I’m worried about what she could have given them.” She jumps to her feet, eyes wide. “Shit, what if she gave them my vibrator or something?”
“I doubt it. That doesn’t feel like something you’d need to explain to us. Now, if you wanted to give us a demonstration…”
Grant smacks me on the chest. “Don’t be gross.”
I hold my hands up in defense. “I’m just saying!”
And to my surprise, Ariana laughs.
I’m gonna be smug about that laugh, too.
“I’m sure both of you are well aware how they work, but if you want a demonstration, Ivan, I bet I can rig a strap out of something…”
Grant’s ears perk up. “Was that a pegging joke? Don’t tease me, Ariana.”
She tosses a saucy grin over her shoulder as she walks away. “Wasn’tnota pegging joke.”
My Beta clutches his chest, dramatically falling out of his chair like she shot him with Cupid’s arrow. “I knew you were the girl of my dreams, but this just proves it!”
I lean close to him and keep my voice down. “She seems like she’s in a good mood. It was a good talk?”
“It got heavy for a bit, but I think she’s starting to understand how we ended up here. And that she knows us better than she thinks.”
I am of the opinion that if you cook, you shouldn’t have to do the dishes, but I still stand and gather the lunch plates so I can toss them in the dishwasher. “Do you think this is going to work out?”
Ariana shouts from the other side of the house. “Hah! Found it!”
Grant’s smile is blinding. “Yeah, I think it will.”
It didn’t take longfor Grant and me to find the items the producers had hidden once we started looking. I don’t know how we missed them. They didn’t try very hard to keep them out of sight.
Unless they snuck in here while we were sleeping to hide them.
They’re not that creepy, are they?
