Page 103 of Secrets in the Deep
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Preston rose from the booth, hands up. “Come on, Em. You’re being a bit rough on poor Faye.”
“And Preston, we’re not doing those ridiculous photos for fans anymore.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about. The ones where you put your arm around my shoulder and make it seem like we’re dating when we’ve never dated. No more photos. No more kissing me on the cheek to perpetuate a lie that we’re anything more than coworkers just because you love the spotlight and notoriety.”
His jaw dropped.
Ryan had to hold back the laugh. The guy probably wasn’t used to being spoken to like that. Ryan liked it.
Then Emily spun and stormed from the bar.
23
“Are you okay?”
Emily sucked in a long breath, trying to create some space in her chest for air. There was none. She was furious.
“No. I don’t think I am.” She walked quickly down the sidewalk, not only angry, but also sad. “Do I have some kind of sign on my forehead that says, ‘Go ahead—earn my trust, then shove me over the edge’?”
“I’m sorry.”
“It was stupid of me to think Faye could be my friend.”
The town gazebo and all the businesses were coming into view. The community center, which had cleared out. Everything just looked so ideal. The small-town streetlights. The couples eating inside The Pancake Bar. “It’s not easy to make real friendships in my world. Not like here, in this perfect little town.”
“Deep River is far from perfect.”
“Okay, maybe not perfect. But it’s real. Real people. Real relationships. This morning, a kid stopped an elderly man to tellhim he’d dropped a five-dollar bill. And tonight, Maureen, a lady I’d never met, told me she’d do a reading for me.”
“Maureen would offer a reading before she learned your name. She also won’t charge you for the first session.”
“See? That’s kindness. That’s kindness without strings attached.”
“Emi, you’re limping.”
“It’s the cold. The cold makes me stiff.”
“Stop.”
“No. I have to move. I have to?—”
“Stop.” He grabbed her arm.
“I’m not ready to go home yet. I need to walk this off. I need…I don’t even know…something.”
He glanced around, gaze landing somewhere behind her. “How about drinking it off?”
“What?”
He took her hand and pulled her toward a shop.
Deep River Liquor Store.
“Ryan, if your plan is to get me drunk so I forgive Faye, you’re going to need to buy a really big bottle.”
He went straight to the fridge and grabbed a four-pack of Blue Moon.
