Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“It’s one of our most popular ones,” Brady said, unaffected by her sarcasm. He moved behind the bed where we’d stashed a basket out of sight of the camera. He put Lila’s eReader, electric toothbrush, and shaver in it and then gathered up the toys.
“Wait, you’re really taking all my stuff?” Lila asked, sounding surprised.
He paused, looking absurdly casual while holding a fake pink penis. “Didn’t we just go through this?”
“I thought that was just for the camera.”
“Livestreaming is your reason for being, Princess, not ours.” Gideon was leaning against the dresser, his arms crossed.
“I thought that was the whole purpose of your insane plan—to somehow drum up some interest for this dump.”
“This was my grandparents’ house,” I said quietly but firmly.
My tone gave Lila pause, but then she soldiered on. “As a house, it’s fine. Full of character. And memories. And… sticks. But you have to admit that as a tourist destination, it leaves a lot to be desired. You said you closed up shop for this week, but were there even any reservations to cancel?”
“Yes,” Brady said. Luckily, he didn’t mention that it had just been a two-night stay by a couple on a road trip up to the Great Lakes.
“Okay, fine, whatever. Look, I’ll be good on camera, but when it’s not on, there’s no reason for me to live like a cavewoman all week.”
“That was the deal,” Gideon said.
“I need my stuff.”
Gideon scoffed, but for just a second, I caught a glimpse of something in Lila’s eyes. Something hopeless. Something that made me think this wasn’t just about personal care items and sex toys. But no one else seemed to notice.
“You can last a week,” Gideon said, and Lila’s gaze hardened and the emotion I’d caught before was gone. “And if you can’t,” Gideon continued, “that’s a win for us as well. Everyone will book a room to see the place that finally conquered Lila James.”
“Not going to happen,” she said. The air between them seemed to solidify as they stared each other down. I exchanged a quick glance with Brady. We both knew we weren’t part of this.
They might’ve glared at each other forever, if a sound hadn’t intruded. It was faint at first, but then it grew louder. And more dissonant.
“What the hell is that?” Gideon said, finally breaking eye contact with our guest.
“A train?” Brady asked as the unholy noise grew louder. We weren’t that close to the tracks, and we did hear freight trains now and then—but never this loud.
“A train with emphysema, perhaps.” Gideon strode to the window, nearly knocking over one of the light stands Lila had set up before we started recording. “What the hell is that?”
Lila steadied the light and went to join him at the window. “That…” she began, a trifle dramatically. I supposed it was an occupational hazard in her line of work. “That would be my assistant’s car.”
10
LILA
Penny’s room was the mirror image of mine, but the bed was a double, not a queen. The mattress still sagged in the middle, though.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here,” she said as she put a sweater into a dresser drawer. Unlike mine, her luggage hadn’t been searched by the wardens. “But just as I was about to leave, Jeff came over, and… I ended up leaving later than I meant to.”
Normally, if I found out that a woman got delayed when her boyfriend came over, I’d assume they’d gotten frisky. But with Penny and Jeff, it was safer to assume they’d gotten into a fight. The fatigue on my assistant’s face seemed to confirm that. “He’s still not happy that you’re spending the week out here?”
“Nope.” She brushed a stray hair away from her face. Her long, dark hair was tied up in a ponytail that rested on one shoulder, but a few strands had escaped. I’d kill to have hair like hers. If mine got any longer than medium length, it turned to pure frizz. “Especially not with three men here.”
“Would it make him feel any better to know that they’re jerks?” I gave her a smile that she seemed too weary to return.
“Probably not.” Right. Because Penny had a track record of falling for jerks—or at least she did in Jeff’s case.
Suddenly, I felt guilty. The fact that we were sequestered out here was my fault, not hers. “You can go back, if you want. I mean, it would be nice to be able to record some footage and get some good video out of this, but not if it’s going to mess up your relationship.” Though in my opinion, it was pretty messed up already. Why she put up with that loser was beyond me.
“No, I’ll stay. Who knows, maybe some time apart will do us good.”
The faint hope in her voice made my heart ache, but I nodded. “Maybe.”