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“Yes.”

“This is insane.”

“This is my job.”

Her hands land on her hips.

“Your job three years ago seemed to involve disappearing without a word.”

That one lands.

Hard.

I don’t react.

Can’t.

Instead, I gesture toward the bathroom.

“Shower’s in there.”

She stares at me like she might actually throw something.

“Get used to it, Rusty,” I tell her quietly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I close the bathroom door behind her before she can argue again.

I lean back against the hallway wall and exhale slowly.

From the other side of the door, I hear her voice.

Soft.

Bitter.

“Yeah, right,” she mutters. “I believed that once.”

Damn, if that doesn’t cut deeper than anything she’s said so far.

Water starts running a few seconds later.

And all I can do now is wait.

Chapter 5

Amanda

The dress is doing its job.

Which is good because I desperately needed the confidence boost.

It’s pale green, strapless, and elegant without being too revealing—exactly the kind of gown that photographs well under stage lights.

The bodice hugs my curves while the skirt flows softly down to my calves, brushing against my legs when I walk.

Pretty.

Sophisticated.