“I’ll do French toast with Italian cream,” Paige says, licking her chops.
“Perfect, I’ll be right back with the drinks.” The server walks away.
“Where were we? Oh yeah—whose idea was this secret tryst?” Paige asks again, not skipping a beat, leaning forward with her chin perched on her hands.
I purse my lips. “I—well, the relationship just happened.”
She nods. “Of course. You wanted him from the second you met.”
“Did not! I spit on him, Paige, remember?”
She raises an eyebrow. “Did your mama ever tap the enemies to lovers trope? That’s you and Mr. Sex-In-A-Suit. You hated each other’s guts and now you’re knocking boots. How’d you reel him in?”
I roll my eyes so hard it hurts.
“I didn’t seduce him in the office like a bad adult flick if that’s what you’re thinking. I played it cool. He actually pissed me off to the core for a long time after that Arizona kiss...”
“Dude. You have no cool.”
I laugh at her deadpan delivery.
“Okay, well, it just happened. Organically. We tried to keep apart, but it was magnetic...then this big crisis came up, the one I mentioned to you before, and after that...” I trail off, my mind reeling.
How do I even explain my whole universe shifting in just two months?
“Blah blah blah, crisis. And then?” Paige asks.
“And what?” I squint in confusion.
The waitress comes back and sets a bottle of sparkling water next to each of us, and this time, I really hope she’ll distract Paige. I’m done with the interrogation.
I can’t help thinking I’ve done something wrong.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asks.
I shake my head.
“We’re good,” Paige says.
“Your food will be out shortly.” She moves to the table behind us.
“So you slept with him when he was all wounded beastie. That’s hot.” Damn. The girl has a mind like a steel trap. “Was it like, a one-time thing?”
I glare at her. “I wouldn’t have said boyfriend if it was a fling. Going to his place was all necessity, at first. He needed me.”
“What? That kid you mentioned?” Her eyes go wide.
“Yeah. Mag’s half brother’s mother was attacked. She’s been in ICU the whole time, in a coma. We’ve been taking care of his little brother, and I’ve been covering for him at work.”
“And covering his dick at home?”
I scowl at her.
“I mean, really. You take care of him at work and at home. I hope you’re getting paid double in more than just Romeo dick,” Paige says, her smile telling me her fantasies are off the hook.
“It’s not like that. He’s coming into the office most days now. He just leaves when Jordan gets out of school, which I understand. I only had to be him all day for about a week, and my salary is two hundred thousand dollars a year, so I’m okay with stepping up.”
“You’re basically living with the guy and taking care of his kid—”
“It’s not his kid,” I say. “And it’s temporary. His mom’s waking up at some point...so they say.”
A knot tightens in my stomach. Every week that passes without her snapping out of the coma worries us a little more, and worries the doctors, even if they don’t say it.
What if this is forever?
What if Marissa Quail never comes back?
“It might as well be,” Paige insists. “He feels responsible for the mess, so he brought his little brother home, and you’re taking care of him now. I hope the—” She notices people around us and stops mid-sentence. She forms an O with her right hand and pokes the index finger of her left hand into it several times. “I hope it’s worth it. Is he good?”
“Paige! That was so eighth grade.” And I should know because I live with an eighth grader. “Yes. Mind-blowing. Everything you can imagine and more—and you’re gonna be stuck imagining because a lady doesn’t kiss and tell.”
“Aw, you’re no fun.” She flicks her blond hair behind her ear as she scowls. “So, why the big secret, then? You two sound happy and right on track to wedding bells. Except for the coma thing, I mean.”
Her question hangs between us.
“You promise to keep a secret?” I put up a hand, waiting until she nods. “We have a plan. So, Jordan’s mom was an intern at the company a long time ago. It caused a huge scandal, and Mag had to rebuild everything. He wants to avoid future scandals and he’s a stickler for HR policies he helped design. Once Marissa, Jordan’s mom, wakes up from her coma, I’m going to move to a consulting role. I’ll no longer be his direct employee, and everything will be out in the open then. It’s getting serious.”
I think.
I hope it’s as serious as I want it to be.
“Wow,” she mouths silently, before her face shifts neutral. “Magnus Heron wants to avoid a scandal? Since when? He bats around the press like a cat with a mouse.”
“Yes,” I say. “But not this kind. He’s been seriously burned by his dad’s bad reputation and doesn’t want it happening again. Never, ever.”
She closes her eyes, lets out a breath, and blinks her eyes open.
“Paige? What’s wrong?”
“So, I really don’t want to be the one to do this, but it’s probably better you hear it from me...Brina, maybe you should go back and read that influencer’s posts online. Remember that whole big fake engagement lie? That was low. And dirty. And just plain wrong. Your Magnum man doesn’t really seem like the sorta guy who avoids scandal unless he has something to gain.”
My eyes dip to the table.
“Who knows,” I mutter.
Deep down, I think she’s wrong. I saw how hurt he was when he opened up about the past, about his abusive prick of a father leaving so much wreckage in his wake.
“Will you be home tonight?” she asks, staring at me like a puppy.
“Not sure. I said I’d be back at his place later and...well, maybe I should at least talk to him about it.”
She shrugs. “I hope he’s honest.”
Our food comes. The fettuccine here has always been my fave, but her words won’t leave my head. Today’s scrumptious fettuccine is tainted by the ugly possibility that Paige could be right.
Mag did lie about being engaged for good PR.
Why did his fake fiancée, Mariska Crista, call him King Asshole after they parted ways? Was she that scorned, thinking it was real?
So many questions stab away like spinning knives.
For all I know, his interest in me could be a front for dealing with Jordan in the easiest way possible. It’s no secret I’ve gotten through the kid’s wall in ways he can’t.
But he kissed me in Phoenix before Jordan was an issue.
And then he told me to forget about it.
Shit, I’m confused.
“Are you okay?” Paige asks, frowning.
She can’t help but see the game of he loves me, he loves me not playing out in my eyes.
I look up, realizing I’ve been quiet for too long.
“You’re not talking, but you’re not eating much, Brina.”