Page 86 of A Simple Love

I grabbed my phone, no longer wanting to be part of this conversation. “I’ll leave this up to you three to figure out. You know my thoughts.”

Annie nodded. “Go home, Oliver. I’ll be in touch.”

That suited me just fine.

Kassie was out when I was dropped off. I was restless and the grass was getting long, so I got out the lawn mower and started cutting.

I felt myself being watched, but I ignored it. I kept cutting the grass, even as I saw him approach. It wasn’t until I stopped to wipe my brow that I looked up.

“The big film star cutting grass?” he asked snidely.

“Helping out a friend,” I replied. “And you’re on private property,” I added dryly. “You should leave.”

He ignored me. “Since when do you help anyone?”

I frowned as I lifted a bottle of water to my lips and drank. I wiped my mouth before replying. “What do you really know about my life, Flynn? You think you know me, but you don’t. You hate me for no reason.”

“You killed Ed.”

I snorted. “Ed did that to himself. Driving too fast, the way he always did. And he stole from me. From others. Took money I earned and lost it. Almost bankrupted me. It’s all documented. If you’re such a great reporter, why don’t you check on those facts?”

He shifted, looking displeased with my calmness.

“I’m going to dig into your little friend here.” He snorted. “More than a friend, from what I saw.”

I refused to let him get to me. His world was going to come crashing down in a few hours. Once the paper saw the lawsuit we were going to threaten them with, they would cut him. For good. When Annie released her well-planned smear campaign, he would never again be able to corner someone with a camera shoved in their face as he drove them toward insanity with the constant flashes and screaming in their direction. He would be a pariah no one would touch.

And I would carry on with my life.

“Nothing to dig into. I’m renting a room from an old friend while I’m working here. She helped me when I was hurt. Nothing to get excited about.” I clipped the water bottle back onto the bar of the lawn mower. “But you do what you gotta do. Make yourself feel powerful by tearing other people’s lives apart.” I paused before I restarted the motor. “Just remember what goes around, comes around, Flynn. And you have a lot coming at you.”

The engine roared, cutting off anything he had to say. I ambled by him, not giving a shit. He’d have nothing to report on Kassie in the next few hours. He wouldn’t have a job by tomorrow. Tonight, probably. I had checked, and the story wasn’t generating much interest online. Networks weren’t picking it up. His attempt was failing.

And soon, he would be history.

I headed to the garage, him still standing on the lawn. I turned. “This is private property,” I pointed out again. “Get off.”

“Make me.”

I shrugged and flicked on the in-ground sprinklers. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what was happening, then he yelled and attempted to dodge the cold water as he raced off the lawn, screaming about his cameras and suing me.

“Good luck with that, asshole,” I muttered. “You first.”

22

OLIVER

Iwent inside and showered at Kassie’s, knowing she wouldn’t mind. Flynn had screamed all the way to his car, shouting curses and promising payback. It amused me.

He had no idea what sort of payback he was about to get.

I dried off and flung myself onto Kassie’s welcoming mattress, burying my face into her pillow and inhaling deeply, her soft scent washing over me, calming me. I was tired. That bone-deep, emotionally depleted sort of tired. I shut my eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

At some point, I felt the bed dip beside me, and without opening my eyes, I reached out and dragged Kassie nearer, nestling onto her lap—crowding myself onto her completely. I needed to be close, and I needed her.

She ran her fingers over my head and down my back in long, gentle strokes.

“Mine,” I muttered, tightening my arms. “All mine.”