COCONUT BEACH’S BEST-KEPT SECRET: A CEO, A B&B, AND A LOVE STORY
It has a photo of me and Wendy on the Fourth of July, talking close with Coconut Crushes in our hand. One of my fingers is locked with hers. The event was open to the public, and I should’ve been more aware of people around me. The countless photos are continuing to fuel the fire. Our secret romance is on full display for the world to read about and rip apart.
The comments are split between people who think it’s romantic and those who believe I’m dating her to help make me seem more relatable, like I’ve ever given a flying fuck about that.
WHO IS WENDY WINSLOW?
EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT DYSON BANKS’S ISLAND GIRLFRIEND.
They use her full name, and it makes my nostrils flare. I’m tempted to reach out to my contact to have every single one of these fucking sites shut down, but it would do no good. It took one week for the sleuths to learn everything they could about her and the B&B. The entire world knows I’m staying here, which isn’t ideal. All of it is completely out of control, but it’s only temporary. The press cycle has a shelf life. People get bored. A senator does something stupid, or a pop star gets divorced, and the attention shifts away from me. Patience and silence are the only tools that work. React, and I feed the beast. Ignore, and I starve it.
The freedom of no one knowing who I was lasted forty-two days. I’m grateful for every single one of them.
My phone rings while I’m eating. It’s Jameson, so I answer.
“How’s being in the spotlight again? Are you making it?” he asks.
“Thriving,” I say dryly.
Wendy shifts behind the counter but continues typing.
“The articles are relentless. But you know what they say? All press is good press.”
“Whoevertheyis has never lived my life.”
“Seriously though, you okay?” He switches from sarcasm to seriousness.
Jameson spent ten years getting chased by hockey fans and paparazzi. He knows what this life costs.
“Define okay.”
“Your girlfriend is pissed, isn’t she?”
I like how everyone is calling her my girlfriend. I honestly fucking enjoy it. The silver lining is, the world knows she’s mine.
“Oh, yeah.Very,” I tell him.
“Fuck, man. I’m sorry. If it matters, I could tell you were happy in those pics. Haven’t seen you smile like that in …never.”
“I’m still happy,” I say.
He laughs. “Good. Don’t let the press take it from you. That sensation is few and far between for assholes like us.”
“Zero lies detected. I’m doing my best. It will work out.”
“Are you planning to extend your stay, like the rumors say?”
“I’m still scheduled to return to the city on August 3.”
Wendy doesn’t miss a single key as she types.
“Great. Let’s get a drink when you’re in town. Got a lot of catching up to do. Thinking about taking a vacation and getting away.”
I chuckle. “It’s been incredible. I highly recommend it.”
The call ends.
I finish eating and move out to the balcony to stare out at the ocean. It’s a beautiful day.
