My hand was still on the door handle as the sound of his voice—low and familiar—knocked the air from my lungs.
I turned slowly, heart hammering.
Dean stood at the edge of the driveway, barefoot, hands tucked in the pockets of his hoodie as though he’d come out in a rush.
“Sorry,” I said, trying to sound casual. “You and Jake were deep in conversation. I didn’t think you’d notice.”
He moved forward, stepping under the streetlight so I could see his face. “I noticed.”
Just two words—but the way he said them. Quiet. Certain. They slid under my skin and settled beneath, warm, rich, unwelcome.
He kept walking toward me, unhurried, and I froze in place. I couldn’t move, not even when he leaned against my car like he belonged there.
“I’ll make this trip as painless as possible,” he said, voice soft.
I let out a dry laugh. “You say that now.”
“I mean it. Then you’ll never have to see me again.” He tilted his head, his gaze steady. “I’m not the bad guy you think I am.”
I lifted my chin. “I didn’t say you were.”
His eyes searched mine. “Then why have you avoided me all night?”
“I didn’t avoid you.”
“You could’ve fooled me.”
I reached for the car door and pulled it open, needing space, needing this conversation to end before I gave away more than I wanted to. “I’ll text you tomorrow with my terms.”
His mouth curved—slow and crooked, like I’d said something funny. “I’ll be waiting.”
“Okay then.”
He took a small step back, hands sliding into his pockets again. “Goodnight, Em,” he said, barely above a whisper.
I hesitated. Just for a second.
“Goodnight.”
Then I closed the door, turned over the ignition, and drove away.
I didn’t look back, even though every part of me wanted to.
Ten
The café was small,tucked between a boutique bookstore and a florist that smelled like fresh-cut stems and soil. This was the kind of place where people sat with their laptops, sipping oat milk lattes and pretending not to eavesdrop on the conversations around them.
I curled my fingers around my coffee cup, my stomach a knot of nerves. Was playing the part of Dean’s fiancé even worth it? I could tell them. I could tell Jake, John, Katie, and Tuesday—if I wanted to…
I could sit them all down and tell them the truth—that I had a side business escorting rich, powerful men to events. That it helped me make enough money to live comfortably, to save, to never rely on anyone but myself ever again.
But then… I’d have to explain. To answer a million questions. To convince John and Jake that I could take care of myself if anything turned down a path that wasn’t good.
And that…
That was the part that felt too heavy right now. Because part of me knew I was playing with fire. Part of me knew it was only a matter of time before I met the wrong client. Before I tooksomething I couldn’t handle with measly pepper spray and the self-defense class I’d taken at the Y.
So instead, I would go on this retreat.
