We met during a shoot, but she somehow hit it off with my older sister, who had tagged along for the day out of boredom. Now, every time I drag myself home – which is rare – Julie won’t shut up about how Lacey’s too busy to hang out with her.
Still, I refuse to play into her hand. “Which of them?”
Lacey sways slightly, and for a second, I consider steadying her. Then I remember Julie and Maya complaining about how she’s been drinking way more since the divorce.
“I’ll tell Julie you said that,” she huffs.
I roll my eyes but let my voice soften as I place a hand on her shoulder. Not to steady her, of course. “Sure. Did you actually come over here for something?”
She’s not an idiot – despite what her ex–husband might’ve thought. She sees right through my concern and slaps my hand away, frowning.
“Yeah, I wanted to ask if you’ve seen Celine.”
“She might be in another orgy.”
“That was my first guess, too,” Lacey sighs, rubbing her temples. “But usually she tells me about it first.”
That gets my attention. “Since when do you lose track of Celine?”
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“Ever since she got that part–time job. She’s been disappearing on me.”
I raise a brow. “A job? She doesn’t even look like she enjoys her current one.”
“I know, right? But turns out Celine’s actually hardworking – when she has a goal. She’s been saving up for a new Ferrari for ages. Not sure what kind of part–time job gets you that kind of money, though.”
Lacey pats my shoulder in farewell before turning on her heel, still drinking straight from the bottle, and I hate the way my stomach twists at the sight.
I should probably tell Julie.
Before I can follow her and force her into bed, my phone buzzes. I glance at the caller ID and grin.
“Hey, Tessie Bear.”
“I’m really feeling the love with how often you call to check in,” Tess deadpans.
In the background, I hear papers shuffling and the scratch of her pen. I pull my phone away from my ear to check the time.
12:09 AM.
My lips press into a frown.
frown.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m an asshole for not calling more. I’ll do better.” I sigh. “Oh, and tell Cam I’m ignoring his messages. But, Tessie… why the hell are you still at work?”
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The scribbling doesn’t stop, so I know she’s only half–listening. A few beats pass before she finally catches up.
“Been on Legal’s ass since yesterday. Trying to get those articles about Em taken down, but it’s a nightmare. They’ve gone viral, and even if we remove them, it won’t change much. Best we can do is copyright the family photos they used.” She pauses, frustration creeping into her voice. “For some reason, Legal’s dragging their feet on pressing charges. But did you read that article? It’s a blatant invasion of privacy. God knows where they even got those pictures from. Either Em’s family sold her out — which is so fucking unlikely – or someone broke into their house.”
–
“Which is also unlikely.”
—
“Still, if we can prove it, we’ve got them on breaking and entering.”
I exhale through my nose, shaking my head. “Okay, I get it. But that still doesn’t explain why you’re working this late. None of that is in your job description.”
At my annoyed tone, Tess just laughs, soft and teasing. I can practically see her running a hand through her hair.
“Do you ever hear yourself? You’re freakishly protective,” she muses. “Probably from growing up with ten sisters or something. It’s kind of adorable.”
I roll my eyes. “Five sisters. And stop avoiding the question.”
“Are you this protective of Em, too?” Tess ignores my question completely. “I hope not. Careful there, Liam. She’s not my favourite person right now, but I don’t play when it comes to
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her. Break her heart, and I’ll cut you into tiny pieces, stuff you in a duffel bag, and drop you somewhere in the Pacific.”
“Yeah, message received loud and clear. Are you done now?”
“Kind of.” She pauses. “How’s Em taking everything?”
–
I let her dodge the question — just this once.
“She didn’t take it well at first, but everyone here is being very careful not to bring it up.” Not that they had much of a choice.
I don’t think too hard about that. Or why I did it.
“Good,” Tess mutters. “One wrong word from anyone, and I’ll have Legal tear their pretentious asses apart, too.”
I huff out a laugh. “Yeah, sure. Would’ve been nice if her best friend actually checked in, but hey, what do I know?”
Silence. A long one.
Then, Tess sighs. “Low blow,”
“You deserved it.”
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