Page 84 of Pretty Wild

“And you like him.”

I think about the grumpy, borderline rude man I first met and the one I know now. They’re the same man, but he’s let me see his layers. The ones he hides from most people.

“Yeah, I like him.”

“Well, I’d love to meet him.”

I snort a laugh. “I don’t think so.”

“Why not? If he’s a friend of yours, he’s a friend of mine.”

“Okay,” I reply, shaking my head, because I know there’s not a snowball’s chance in Hell he’ll ever meet Marcus. Why would he? Unless my parents show up here, there’s no way. Marcus isn’t accompanying me to Los Angeles when I return at the end of my time here.

“Good,” he says happily, as if believing he’ll be meeting Marcus someday.

A wave of sadness washes over me.

“I’ll let you go, Dad.”

“Keep me posted, Ryan. I want to know if you’re having security issues.”

“Understood,” I confirm.

“Love you, sweetheart.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

I hang up, my head feeling heavier despite having talked to my father. Something tells me things here will get worse before they get better.

I just pray I’m wrong.

24

MARCUS

Ilook out the shop door, surprised by the number of people milling around out there. It seems like, overnight, the population just…boomed.

Glancing over at Dale, I ask, “Does it seem a lot busier out there today?”

He looks up from the Honda he’s working on. “I guess. Probably because of the famous person,” he says, going right back to work.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “Famous person?”

“Yeah, I guess there’s some big movie star or whatever here. Maybe they’re making a movie at the park? I don’t know. I just heard some people talking about it earlier at the diner when I grabbed lunch.”

Fuck.

That can’t be a coincidence.

“Huh,” I reply, pulling out my phone and checking to see if anyone tried to contact me. Namely, Ryan. But my screen is blank of notifications, which isn’t unusual.

He goes back to work, and I try to do the same. Unfortunately, I can’t help but worry. Should I call Ryan and see if she’s all right? I’m assuming she’s the star everyone is searching for, unless there’s another famous person floating around here, hiding from the paparazzi. I’d think one renting a cabin in Pine Village was pretty rare, but two? Seems impossible, really.

I spot a group of four leaving my front office, all on foot and chatting animatedly. My boot-covered feet are moving, heading in the direction where the group departed. Stepping through the door that separates the shop from the office, I find Gladys behind the counter, sorting papers. “Hey, everything okay?”

Buddy perks up from his bed behind the desk when he hears my voice. He likes to be in the shop with me and Dale, but when he naps, he prefers to be in the office with Gladys, snoozing in his dog bed in the air-conditioning.

She looks up and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, fine. I’m just over the teeny boppers searching for the TV star.”

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