“Oh really? I haven’t heard much from him.”
“Mmhmm.” He sips his coffee again, eyes on me. “Talked to his dad yesterday. Said Keith’s ready to get serious about things again. Wants to pick back up where y’all left off.”
My lips force a smile I absolutely don’t feel. “Wow. That’s good for him.”
Daddy eyes me curiously. “Anyways. Everything okay at Holloway’s? You picking up on anything interesting for the business?”
“Um. What?”
“Intel,” he says. “Like we talked about. That expansion project. Any whispers? Is it going through? You’ve got a front row seat now, honey.”
Right.That was supposed to be my job—spy on the Holloways, find out what was happening with the land deal. Make sure Keith and I still had a place in the family future.
But now?
Now that’s the furthest thing from my mind, and I just want to scream.
“Honestly? Not really hearing much,” I say. “I mostly roll silverware and serve overpriced cocktails.”
He laughs. “Well, keep your ears open. This next couple weeks could be big. Especially with Keith coming back. We might finally be able to make something happen.”
I force another nod. “Sure, Daddy.”
He walks off, humming something to himself, and I finally let myself collapse onto the garden stool.
Everything is spinning.
Keith is coming back.
Daddy still thinks I’m on the family plan.
And the man who rocked my entire world last night just turned out to be someone I swore I couldn’t stand.
I yank the lavender back out of the pot and start again.
I toss the ruined lavender in the compost, wipe the sweat from my neck, and head inside.
A hot shower doesn’t help. Neither does the softest towel or my favorite lotion or the playlist I put on to distract myself.
By the time I’m standing in front of the mirror, towel wrapped around me, I’m still vibrating.
I dig out my phone and hit call.
“Girl,” April answers after half a ring. “You sound like someone who just committed a felony or had sex with someone who turned out to be related to them. What happened?”
“I slept with Hunter Holloway,” I blurt.
Dead silence passes for a moment.
“Wait. What? What are you talking about? You slept withHunterHolloway? What happened to Thor?”
“HunterwasThor.From the club. The mask? The truck? All of it.”
“Wait…wait.Are you telling me the masked truck god you’ve been sexting with for days is your boss? The guy who tried to fistfight your father at church? Not to mention a freaking NFL football player?”
“Yes. That’s what I’m telling you.”
April screams. Like, actually screams. I hold the phone away from my ear.
