Page 148 of Riding the Sugar High

Nauseatingly sweet music accompanies a slow-motion video of me stepping in front of the camera and kissing Primrose. The video then turns black and white as I lean close to her ear, and the words of the song appear on the screen. “Wait—who made this?”

“I don’t know.”

“Someone remixed a video about us?”

Primrose looks up at me, and I can’t tell whether she’s disgusted or concerned. “Remixed a video?”

Oh, geez. “What would you call it?”

“I’d call it by its name, which is an edit.”

“Fine. Why are people makingeditsabout us?”

Her grin whittles down until it’s an easy curve of her lips. She scrolls, and another rendition of the same video appears. Then again. And again. With one filter or another, with different songs and effects—the two of us kissing.

What sort of fuckery is this?

“Well?” Kyle says as he widens his arms. “What are we waiting for?”

Primrose shakes her head, an amazed expression on her face. “What do you want us to do? Let social media do its thing.”

“Dude. Social mediaisdoing its thing.” Kyle says, and widening his eyes at me, he gestures at the door. “The phones are ringing. Let’s go,” Kyle says as he claps his hands. “And you”—he points at Primrose—“This is your chance at online redemption. Show these people you’renotthe ‘psycho’ Derek claims you are. Why would you, when you’ve got Prince Charming making you kneel in horse shit.”

The stables are clean, but I don’t care enough to point it out.

Primrose turns to me, her apologetic eyes meeting mine.

I sigh, admitting defeat. “Go. Get your...redemption.”

“Are you sure?” She looks back at Kyle, then turns to me and whispers, “We can finish. It looked like you wouldn’t need more than a minute.”

I fight the instinct to smack her ass and kiss her instead. “Nah. I think I’ve been around him,” I say as I jerk my head toward Kyle, “a little too long for my boy to come out and play.”

Her nose scrunches. “Sorry I made it worse.”

She did. So much worse. I think I need to sit.

But as she squeezes my hand and gives me a parting kiss on the cheek, I can’t even pretend to mean it.

She makes everything so much better.

let himself go with me

Primrose

I standat the threshold of the guest bedroom. I haven’t seen Logan in nearly twenty-four hours and haven’t taken a break since. There was just so much to do. Yesterday went by in a haze between the comments and messages asking for information about the farm and the phone buzzing nonstop until late at night. Today, Kyle came to find me and told me that they’re running out of produce.

Out of produce.

I still can’t believe it, but Logan has been working on finding delivery companies, packaging materials, and extra arms to work in the fields—everything to meet this rapid and sudden increase in demand. At some point this morning, I was instructed to send any potential customer to a vegan farm a few hours away.

Everythingis different now.

Logan already has his brother’s money but won’t be forced to use it anymore. Our kiss changed his life—and the lives of everyone on this farm, myself included.

As it turns out, people are fickle, and now that I’m no longer the weird candy lady obsessed with my ex, I’m back in the public’s grace. Which is good, since social media will remain my source of income for the time being. Now, if I could only figure out what will happen between me and Logan once I leave in two days...

I should tell him about Marisol, but I haven’t had the time. And to be honest, I’m terrified that once he knows I have no real reason to force me to go, he won’t ask me to stay.

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