Page 108 of Gold Rush

“Aww,” Wren coos. “He finally got a son.”

“No, he didn’t. Flynn and I are never getting married.”

“Well, you never know⁠—”

“I do know.”

My sister’s voice softens. “Don’t let the past affect the present. Your relationship with Flynn is totally different from what happened with Carson.”

“I know.”

Wren nods, looking relieved. “Good.”

“I know it’s different because it’s not real. We’re pretending to be together.”

Rapid blinking is Wren’s only reaction.

“Wren?” I ask uncertainly.

She slides off her bed, standing straight and starting to pace. “This must be a terrible cross-Atlantic connection. I could have sworn you said you’re pretending to date Flynn.”

“The connection is fine. That’s exactly what I said.”

“Florence Cynthia Kensington. Holy shit!”

“You cannot tell anyone, Wren. Not Mom or Dad. Not even Sawyer. No one.”

Wren stops walking. “Is this a prank? Or some sort of loyalty test? Is someone filming this?”

I flip the camera, panning it around my dim room so she can see it’s empty.

“Holy shit.” Wren sits down on her mattress again.

“You’re really surprised.”

“Of course I’m surprised. This is totally unlike you!”

“I know. But aside from that, it makes way more sense. I mean, imagine me and Flynn dating for real? Crazy.”

“Uh, not that crazy,” Wren states. “Considering everyone believes that’s exactly what’s happening.”

“I know.” I blow out a long breath. “It was supposed to be simple and straightforward. But it wasn’t supposed to be so easy to pretend. Be this hard to remember it isn’t real. It feels real, Wren, but it’s … not.”

“Oh, Rory.” My sister’s voice is overflowing with sympathy.

I swipe angrily at a tear that’s forming. “He’s always irritated me. He’s narcissistic and arrogant and silly, and I should not want his opinion on my cases or miss him while he’s at a baseball game or worry Finch will want to live with him and I’ll be alone here again. I’m trying not to care, I want to not care, but no matter what I do, it won’t go away.”

Wren’s quiet for a few seconds. “Okay. Remember when we went bluffing with Sawyer and his friends?”

I nod. “Of course.”

“There’s that split second, before you hit the water, when you’re falling. And it’s scary and wonderful and you can’t really focus on anything else?”

I nod again.

“That’s what being in love is like. At first, at least, it’s like that all the time. Then you start to feel normal. Although Sawyer and I have been together for months, and my stomach got all fluttery when he called earlier, so some symptoms might be semi-permanent.”

I gape at her. “I’m not in love with Flynn, Wren.”