“I’m going after her. Did you see the lies she told? She can’t do this. What do we know about her? Do we have a name?” Lisa asks, sounding frantic.
“She’s Holt’s sister, that’s all I’ve got,” I reply. “We’re heading to the rink in a few minutes to talk to him.”
“Do you think this is Holt’s way of getting to you? You said before he seemed jealous, right?” Lisa asks.
“That hasn’t really crossed my mind, but I’ll ask him. Blake’s waiting for me at the rink, he’s joining too.”
“Ok, good. What are you waiting for then?” she presses, and I don’t have an immediate answer.
“Leo, talk to your crisis team,” I say, shifting focus. “Tess and Gwen, why don’t you go do something fun? Take your mind off all this for a bit.”
“I need new clothes anyway,” Lisa adds. “There’s nothing I can do until we know more. Do you girls want to go shopping?”
Both Tess and Gwen agree almost instantly.
“I love Ella Langley,” Gwen says, music playing faintly in the background. She must be on the same station Blake was listening to earlier.
“You’re dealing with a crisis, and you’re thinking about country music?” I laugh.
“I’m there in ten,” Lisa says before ending the call.
Leo agrees to drive me to the rink while Gwen and Tess wait for Lisa to pick them up.
“Thanks for another chaotic date,” I say, pulling Gwen into a quick hug. “I don’t think I can ever go back to normal again.”
“I don’t think we know how to do normal,” she laughs.
“Good. Normal is boring. I’ll call you later,” I tell her before kissing her goodbye. “Promise me you’ll still have some fun today.”
“I promise,” Gwen replies with a smile.
We head out quickly, and I follow Leo down the hall to his car.
“Do you really think Holt has something to do with this?” he asks as we walk.
“I’m not sure anymore. It feels like it could go either way. We’ll find out soon enough,” I say with a small shrug.
“The team is handling the online side and will call me if they need anything,” Leo adds. “Mind if I come with you to the rink?”
“Not at all,” I reply. “The more the better.”
Chapter 17
Gwen
“So it’s official now? Girlfriend?” Tess asks while we wait for Lisa to arrive. Standing out on the street makes me uneasy, like someone might recognize me from the picture and the story that’s been spread. It’s a new kind of anxiety I’m not entirely comfortable with.
“It’s official,” I reply with a small smile, avoiding eye contact with a couple walking past. They glance in our direction but keep moving without saying anything.
“Maybe putting your name in the bowl for that ice skating thing wasn’t such a bad idea after all,” Tess shrugs.
“Just like hiring a bakery intern wasn’t such a bad thing either,” I chuckle.
“That must be her,” Tess says, pointing to a silver car pulling up beside us. Music is playing loudly from inside.
“Get in, ladies,” Lisa calls as she rolls down the window. “I brought coffee. Figured that wouldn’t hurt.”
“Thanks,” I say as we get in. “And thanks for picking us up. I could definitely use the distraction.”
