The girl with the shiny brown hair and understated makeup gives him an equally warm smile. “It has, Ry. Way too long.”
I must make some sort of sound. Maybe it’s my heart crashing to the floor. Brendan, Shelby, and Ryder turn toward me, in one movement, as if they choreographed it.
And that’s when everything I felt and everything I thought rearranges in my brain. My perspective flies across the room and shifts to see me as they do. My wild hair has only been finger-combed. My smudged eye makeup refused to scrub off entirely. Ryder’s shirt that made me so joyful to have on earlier now just feels tawdry. And to add insult to injury, I notice thatShel Belliswearing the sold-out It shoe of the season. I’m doing the walk of shame barefoot. And she’s wearing my dream Louboutins.
I lift my chin. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned over the years, it’s that when you’re caught out, toownit. So I do.
“Good to see you again, Daisy,” Brendan says smoothly.
I smile. “Same.”
“This is Shelby Winters. She’s an old friend who’s interested in purchasing Piper’s Peak. Or at least, she might be, unless the damage from last night’s storm deters her.”
“Did you inspect the pool house yet?” Ryder asks.
Brendan shakes his head. “Not carefully, but we saw the tree through the roof. Was anyone hurt?”
“No,” I say.
At the same time, Ryder interjects with, “Daisy could have died.”
“That’s terrible!” Shelby exclaims. “What happened?”
“I was staying there when the branch came down,” I rush out. “But I was fine. Ryder’s making it sound more dramatic than it was. All’s well that ends well.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.” Brendan’s concerned look is sincere.
“Wow,” Shelby says. “You’re really lucky. That must have been so scary.”
Oh, great. Shelby seems lovely inside and out. Fabulous shoes. Shiny hair. Nice. Childhood friend. It’s a lethal combination. I hope she doesn’t like good-looking, award-winning, super-rich indie-folk-rock stars. Who am I kidding? Everyone likes that.
“The yard’s also a mess, and the power is out now,” Brendan says. “But at least the main house doesn’t seem to have sustained much damage.”
“The power’s out? Huh. I wonder when that happened.” Ryder rubs his stubbled chin.
“You didn’t notice?”
“No.” Ryder slants a look toward me. “We—uh—I was busy.”
I cough back a laugh.
“Brendan says you’re the pet sitter? This must be the little guy.” Shelby points to Archie, who’s sitting patiently by the door that leads outside.
At finding all eyes on him, he barks. I hurry over and open the door. He scampers out without a backward glance. The poor dog’s bladder is probably about to burst. I usually let him out far earlier. He’s going to want breakfast next.
“Yep. The pet sitter. Just the pet sitter,” I say, awkwardly adjusting Ryder’s shirt on me. I really need coffee. I’mdesperatefor a cup. I eye the doorway that leads into the kitchen. But Shelby seems to be the chatty type. This doesn’t bode well for making my escape.
“So, Ryder, is this what the life of a celebrity is like?” Shelby asks. “All those paparazzi outside. It was quite an experience driving past them. I might end up in a tabloid.”
“There are a few more than usual,” he hedges.
“It’s because of me,” I admit. The almost-death, night of orgasms, and lack of caffeine have combined to make me even more recklessly honest than usual. “I caused a minor scandal by getting filmed in a viral video proclaiming myaffectionfor Ryder. So now we have ‘shippers.’”
Shelby’s brows come together in a cute little frown. The mobility in her face means her perfect complexion probably isn’t coming from Botox. Darn her. “What are ‘shippers’?”
“Fans of a relationship. Ryder and I have fans. And haters. And paparazzi camped out to find out what we do.”
“Do?” She looks back and forth between the two of us. “Are you together?”
