Page 74 of Now or Never

Not as good as “Do you want me to take you to bone town?” but it was probably better this way.

Chelsea nodded, then realized he was avoiding eye contact and hadn’t seen. “Sure.”

They took a few steps together before she also realized she’d forgotten to take the mics from the bouquets. “Oh, just a sec. I gotta grab the mics.”

She went back to the bouquets and startled at Adam’s voice behind her, drifting over her head.

“Mics?” he asked.

Oh shit.

Chelsea winced. “Uh, yeah. I miked the bouquets. I’m making Natalie and Ethan a wedding video.”

Silence stretched.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Maybe he wouldn’t realize she’d recorded him talking with his friends on the boat. Maybe she wouldn’t have to tell him she’d heard it.

She had untangled the tiny mics from the bouquets and turned to find him frowning at them in her hand.

“Is that why you wanted to take the flowers off the boat?”

Uh-oh.“Yeah.”

“When did the recording start?”

Double uh-oh.

She went for casual and started walking while she answered. “I turned them on before I left the boat.”

Adam stayed in place for a second before jogging to catch up with her. “Uh, so . . .” he said, then whispered, “fuck.”

“It’s okay, Adam,” she said, hoping that ignoring it would make it go away.

It didn’t.

“I wish you had told me you were recording me. Everyone.”

Chelsea took a deep breath. “I wanted to bring them in myself, but you didn’t leave me a choice.”

“You should have told me,” Adam said.

Chelsea stopped walking. She turned to Adam, and he looked downright distraught.

“Listen,” he said. “There are some things that I said. I said some things. With Max and Ethan on the boat, and maybe you could just . . . not listen. To any of it. Please.”

Chelsea’s heart stopped. She felt like the biggest asshole. She looked out at the dark lake shining under the moonlight and wondered whether she could just dive in and swim away.

“I already—”

Adam’s eyes cut to her, intense, waiting.

“Did,” she finished.

“Fuck.”

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