“He is no longer at the job he left Barnes-Fleetwood for,”Olivia explained.“He claims he wanted a new challenge, so he is now our repfrom Organic Foods.He was waiting for me at the airfield.I would like to knowhow he knew I was coming in.”
“No one posted about it on socials.”Gigi stared at thescreen of her phone.“I mean he could have asked at the airport.It wouldn’t betoo hard to figure it out, but I can ask my cousin to look into it.”
Gigi’s cousin was Harlow Dawson.She and her partner, RubyLockwood, ran a private investigation firm.It wasn’t a terrible idea.
“Ask Harlow if she and Ruby wouldn’t mind looking into Scottand what he’s been doing since he left,” Olivia offered.“I would like to knowwhy he gave up that VP job he wanted so badly.”
Gigi typed out a text and sent it off.“Done.Do you wantthem to look into what happened to Jessica?”
“I don’t think she matters much.”No woman mattered toScott.He simply used them while they were helpful and disposed of them whenthey weren’t.“I want to know what I’m getting into.”
“Wait.”Miranda’s head tilted.“If Garrett and Keane arehere in Willow Fork, where are they?”
This was the part she didn’t want to admit.“Uhm, back at myhouse.”
Gigi and Miranda stared at her for a moment.
“You didn’t tell them you were leaving,” Miranda pointedout.“How did they handle meeting Scott?”
Olivia winced.“Well, I might have insinuated that we arecloser than we really are.”
“Oh, shit.Did you fake fiancé the new guys?”Gigi asked.
“I didn’t fake fiancé them.I fake boyfriended them.Sortof.”She let her head fall forward.The humiliation was overwhelming.“Okay,not sort of.I introduced them to Scott as my boyfriends.I don’t know it willhelp.He told me he wants another chance.”
“Another chance to what?Break your heart again?”Mirandaasked.“Does he think you’re a fool?”
“Well, yes, that’s exactly what he thinks.”Because she’dbeen so foolish once before, and she didn’t need to do it with Garrett andKeane, too.
But she couldn’t stop thinking about what they’d offeredher.Garrett, with his smooth charm, and Keane, with his dark, broody sexiness.
“So let me get this straight.You slept with them and thensnuck out before you could talk, and then figured out you’re about to spend alot of time together.Then you see them on the plane.How did that go?”Mirandaasked.“Did you pull the professional, we need to stay apart so the businessdoesn’t die card?”
Put like that it sounded over dramatic.But also true.“Yes.”
Miranda simply nodded and continued.“And then you land andget out of the plane and there’s asshole and you introduce the two dudes yourejected as your boyfriends to save face.”
“It wasn’t about saving face.”Maybe a little.“It’s aboutensuring Scott doesn’t make this whole week difficult.I thought if he believesI’m involved he might back off.I think he sees it as a challenge.”
“And how did the guys take it?”Gigi asked.
“Surprisingly well.They didn’t miss a beat.I thought Keanemight react poorly, but he was right there with me.”Keane felt things deeply,and she was pretty sure he was hurt by her rejection.Which made her heartache.The last thing she wanted was to cause him more pain.“Then I had to callGwen out because some jerk blew all four of my tires, so we needed a ride.”
“You put them in her station wagon?”Miranda asked,obviously horrified.“At least tell me she didn’t bring the dog.”
“I think the dog is in love with Keane.”It had beenslightly funny to watch him try to deal with an elderly Chihuahua when heclearly didn’t have much experience with pets.Then she remembered why hedidn’t and it made her sad.
“You are lucky they’re still around,” Miranda announced.“Unless they aren’t.Did you already scare them off with Willow Forkweirdness?”
“Bet she didn’t.”Gigi leaned over.“Think about it.Why didshe run out of the house the first chance she got?And left her purse behind.And didn’t lock the door.”
“Livie, did you leave those two men at your house without asingle good-bye?”Miranda asked.
Shame heated her cheeks.“Yeah.I did.”
“Why?”That question from Miranda’s lips made her guttighten.
If she couldn’t talk to her friends, who could she talk to?She wished Bobby was here, but he would almost certainly try to push her intothe nice, hot men’s arms.Miranda and Gigi both understood what it meant to bewomen in the dating world.“Because when we got there, Garrett wanted tonegotiate.”
