Page 98 of Twisted Beauty

Running late, babe. Still signing autographs. See you there.

Signing autographs. What a douchebag.

So frustrating too. She’d had the best weekend ever, and now he was here, ruining everything. Intruding on her perfect escape. He couldn’t possibly think she wanted anything to do with him after what he’d done, could he? Or was he really so full of himself that he assumed she’d take him back?

“Did I tell you he’s started calling me Red again?” Liv said. When she looked up, she was standing alone in the driveway. The taxi was already gone and the front door to Katie’s was wide open. Liv carried her duffel in and dropped it on the entry floor. She found Katie already in the kitchen, filling two shot glasses with tequila. “Oh my god. Seriously, no. I told you, I need a clear head when I tell him to go to hell.”

“You don’t. You know why? Because you’re not going. Problem solved.”

Liv dropped her head into her hands and groaned. They’d been over this several times on the cab ride home already. “What if I put on a sexy dress with a low-cut neckline and make him grovel before I turn him down?”

Katie stopped and stared at her for a moment. “You might be on to something. But no. Forget it. You know how he’ll make you feel. Just ignore him. There’s no law that says you have to even reply.”

“I want this over with. At some point I need to return his ring and tell him to fuck off. It might as well be today.”

Katie let out an exaggerated sigh. “Explain to me how he even knows you’re here. I mean, you haven’t been keeping in touch with him, have you?”

“No, of course not. But I got a text from my mom yesterday and she knows too.” Liv rubbed her hands over her eyes and pressed on her temples. “How is that even possible? I didn’t tell anyone. And it’s not like I’m posting pictures of myself in front of that huge Puerto Vallarta sculpture on the Malecon or anything.”

Katie slapped a hand over her mouth and looked a little pale.

Holy shit. “Katie? What did you do?”

She ran a hand through her short hair, which slid back into place like a curtain of silk. “Um…”

Liv folded her arms. “Spill it.”

“I might have posted a picture or two on Instagram.” Katie winced. “From my barbecue. And from our lunch with Nate and Garrett. ” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Livvy. I’m an idiot. I wasn’t thinking. I mean, if they’re looking for you, it makes sense that I’m the first one they’d think of.”

Liv took a breath and tried to calm down. This wasn’t the end of the world. She hadn’t planned to disappear forever, she’d just wanted a small reprieve. And she got one—for a few weeks anyway. She could handle this.

“Do you hate me?” Katie asked with a hopeful look on her face.

“No, you dork. It’s not like you messaged them directly. Besides, it didn’t occur to me either that they’d be searching for me online. Or at all, really. Supposedly the whole of Los Angeles hates me, and those two are leading the cause.”

“I bet the whole of Los Angeles is looking for you too.”

“That doesn’t make sense at all.”

“Does to me.” Katie shrugged. “I mean, you’re Grant Connelly’s runaway bride. Think about it. You’re kind of a celebrity.”

“Please don’t say that.”

There was a reason Liv stayed behind the lens instead of in front of it. She was so not into the whole Hollywood celebrity thing. That was Grant’s jurisdiction, egotistical prick that he was. The idea of being a pseudo-celebrity made her stomach hurt.

“Well, at least we know how Grant found me. He sent me a text yesterday telling me to show up for his segment today.” She glanced up when Katie made an exasperated grunting sound. “I may or may not have forgotten to tell you about that.”

Katie raised her eyebrows and glared at her over the two shots of tequila she held, one in each hand. “You’re holding out on me.”

Liv tossed her phone onto the countertop and rubbed her palms against the hem of her shorts. God, she was sweating, like she’d done something wrong. She hadn’t. Not yet anyway. But she was about to meet the asshole himself for lunch. There was no way that would go well.

She’d actually gotten over Grant’s texts and had been trying to figure out how to squeeze in one more quickie with Matt before going back to Katie’s condo, when Katie told her who it was on stage. And now? Crap, what was she supposed to do? Matt was texting her, Grant was expecting her at lunch, and Katie was solving things the only way she knew how. Tequila Therapy.

Liv hung her head, wishing she didn’t have such shit luck.

Finally, she looked up to see Katie staring at her like she’d grown two heads. “What? I was planning to tell you about all of this. I was just kind of…preoccupied at the time.”

“Yeah you were. And I want details about that too. Okay, here,” Katie held out a glass. “Drink this. Maybe it’ll knock some sense into you.”