Page 104 of Love Expert

Stunned, I narrow my eyes. “What?”

“What?”

“How did you know about Stuart?”

“You told me.” Panicked, she spins on her heels and snatches up the coffee pot to keep her hands busy. “You mentioned it a bunch of times.”

“Uh… no. I didn’t.” I glance down at a trying-too-hard-to-be-invisible Devina and glare as she flips her phone over. “What’s going on?”

“What?” She hunches over her coffee and takes a frantic sip. “Nothing’s going on.”

“I didn’t mention Stuart!” I swing my gaze back to Brienne. “I was humiliated, so I didn’t tell anyone. How the hell could you possibly know about him? In fact, how could you know his name,andhow many nights he came to my home?”

“Pretty sure you told us,” Devina mumbles, shrugging. “Let’s talk about your mom again.”

“Absolutely not.” I choose our shyest, sweetest link—not Brienne—and glare at the side of her face. “Spill, sister. Now.”

“Don’t you dare spill!” Brienne crosses the diner at a near sprint. She grabs on to Devina’s stool and spins her around, then poking two fingers back at herself in that ‘I’m watching you’ way, she snarls, “No! Stay strong.”

“What are you two talking about?” I grab Devina’s arm and attempt to turn her, but Brienne’s grip stays strong, which makes us a weird tug-of-war trio, and Devina is the piggy in the middle. “What’s going on?”

“Magnolia?” Billy’s gruff voice pulls me up short. He steps into the diner ahead of Ramone, pausing on the threshold and staring into my eyes despite the dozen sets staring right back.

Squeaking, I release Devina and jump to my side of the counter, dropping to my ass, slamming my back against the shelving, and jacking my shoulder blade up in the process. It’s fine. He totally didn’t see me… in an apron. With a name badge pinned to my shirt.

“Er…” Brienne leans over the top of the counter, her fingers and half of her face exposed above my head. “He saw you, babe.”

“No.” I shake my head and furiously swipe humiliated tears from my eyes. “Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Tell him to leave. Right now.”

“Magnolia Sava!” Billy’s footsteps are slow and measured, each heavy stride loud enough to create a mirroring boom in my chest. “Come out and talk to me.”

“Please,” Ramone coughs. “Say please, dipshit.”

Billy clears his throat. But he adds an awkward, “please.”

“He said please,” Brienne quips. “That’s kinda special, no?”

“Brienne…” Billy huffs. “And Devina. In the same damn diner at the same time?”

Devina releases a squeak of panic.

“We’ll talk about this real soon,” he growls. “Where’s Cassidy?”

“She had to work,” Brienne responds, completely at ease. “Said she’ll come by later, though.”

“Wait! You know each other?” Ramone releases a dramatic gasp. “Whattttt?”

“Oh, be quiet,” Devina laughs. “You know we do.”

“Wait?” I bound up from the floor and face them all. “You know Ramone?”

“Magnolia.” A slow grin works across Billy’s face, transforming his grumpy exterior into something else entirely. He presses a palm to his heart and releases a happy sigh. “Hi.”

My hands shake. My heart thrums. My knees knock.

Jesus, my entire soul trembles.

“W-what are you doing here?” Hurt sizzles in my veins as I shift my gaze three feet to the left and stop on Ramone. “Why would you bring him here?”