“Who’s McKayla?”
“She’s Brett’s girlfriend. So anyway, McKayla overheard us talking about you, and she had an idea about what you might’ve done in the past.”
“Oh? She did?” Olivia tried to play it cool, but I could see her body tensing up.
“The term she used was, ‘professional companion.’”
She fidgeted with her hair. “A what?”
“A professional companion.” I shot her a glance. “So … is it true?”
“I dunno, I’ve never heard that term before,” she said nervously. “W-what is it?”
I had an unsettling feeling in my stomach.Please don’t be true.
“I guess it’s another word for escort? Or like, a specific type of escort? I’m not exactly sure. McKayla owns Good Vibes Only, which is this sex store right next to Brett’s brewery. So she knows all about ‘sex work’ type stuff.”
“Oh.” Olivia let out a heavy breath, and the tension left her body. “No. I’m not an escort.”
“Ah.” With a grin, I quietly added, “Too bad.”
“Too bad?!” she shrieked. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“I mean, if youwerean escort.Y’know. I might have to ask how much for a—”
She cut me off, her voice firm. “Dakota, don’t you dare say it.”
“Can you blame me?! You’re fuckin’ beautiful!” I laughed. “I called it, by the way.”
“Called what?”
“That you’d be drop-dead gorgeous.”
She tutted. “That’s not the wayIremember it.”
“No?”
“No, because you also said I might be a bridge troll. You hedged your bet, so I wouldn’t say you ‘nailed’ it at all.”
“Nah, I nailed it,” I said with a wave of my hand. “The only reason I made that joke is because I was one hundred percent confident you were smoking hot. I could hear it in your voice.”
“Oh my God, Dakota,” she murmured, her palm meeting her forehead. “We’re almost to Summerlin, and I’ve learned basically nothing about you. Can wepleasetalk about tonight and get our stories straight?”
“Sure. What do you want to know?”
“So you got caught in this video,” she said. “Where does that leave me? Do I know about it? Or am I in the dark?”
“Oh, youdefinitelyknow about it,” I said with a nervous laugh.
“So what does that make me? Your naive, doormat girlfriend who’s too stupid to leave your cheating ass?”
“Okay, maybe not adoormatas much as you are the understanding and trusting girlfriend, because I’ve been such a great boyfriend and you’ve got no reason to ever believe I’d treat you wrong. Everyone else might think I cheated on you, but you trust me, your loving boyfriend, and you know I’d never stray.”
She let out a cynical snicker. “Sure. Right.”
But when Olivia spoke a second later, her voice, her posture, her mannerisms—everything, even her facial expressions—instantly transformed intoJane.
“Does Dakota like to have fun? Of course! But he’s a good man. And he would never cheat. I know that in my heart.” Reaching over the center console, she placed her hand on my thigh. “In all our time together, Dakota has been nothing but loyal and loving with me.”