Page 46 of Sunburned

Ian might have been bluffing, but Tyson wasn’t, though I still didn’t understand why he was treating me like I was the enemy. Was he really paranoid enough to think I’d try to blackmail him, or was there something else going on? And if he didn’t trust me, why had he dropped the compromising information about the faked environmental reports in my lap?

Of course, he hadn’t said it outright, and I didn’t have any evidence. But still, I couldn’t quite see his angle. And I was damn good at spotting angles.

I found Jennifer by the pool, parked in the sun in a white one-piece that showed off her tan, her hair curled, makeup flawless. “Dinner should be fun,” she said, putting down the Emily Henry novel she was reading. “Tyson’s not coming.”

I settled into the lounge chair next to her. “Do you guys not get along?”

She laughed. “Tyson doesn’t ‘get along’ with anyone. He’s generous sometimes, I’ll give him that, but—” She shook her head. “He makes things very difficult for all of us. And I’m not even inner circle.”

“How long have you and Cody been together?”

“About a year.” She took a sip of her Perrier. “But it feels like longer.”

“How did you meet?”

“At the coffee shop in our neighborhood.”

I smiled. “I’m glad to see him happy. He’s a good guy. So, cheers to you.”

She tapped her Perrier to mine. “Ooh, I have the perfect dress for you tonight.”

“That’s so nice of you, but I think I’m a little bigger than you,” I said, eyeing her pint-size frame over the top of my sunglasses.

“I never know what size I’m gonna be because of these,” Jennifer said, indicating her ample chest, “so I always order things in two sizes. I threw a couple of doubles in my suitcase, and one of them would bestunning on you. I can do your makeup, too, if you want. I used to do tutorials on TikTok, before I met Cody.”

Makeup tutorials on TikTok.I snapped my fingers, suddenly realizing why Jennifer had seemed so familiar when we were introduced. “Oh my gosh, that must be where I know you from,” I said, smiling.

“Oh, yeah,” she said. “I didn’t want to say anything when you asked if we knew each other because it’s awkward to be like, ‘You probably know me from TikTok,’ but it happens.”

I nodded, understanding. “I’m not a TikToker myself, but I think my best friend Rosa follows you. She is obsessed with makeup tutorials and sends them to me all the time. Not that they do me any good. What’s your handle? I’ll have to tell her.”

Her sigh was laced with regret. “I took them all down after Cody and I got together.”

“Did he make you?” I asked, surprised.

She shook her head. “But I could tell the idea of me being out there so publicly made him uncomfortable. He’s very private.”

“Well, I’d love your assistance with my appearance tonight,” I acquiesced with a smile, glad I was making progress with at least one of Tyson’s guests. “It’s very sweet of you to offer.”

She shrugged. “It’s nice to have someone to hang out with. Gisèle and Samira do their own thing, and Allison mostly keeps to herself.”

“Do you like her?” I asked.

“Sure.” She paused, considering her words. “It’s not that she thinks she’s better than everybody, it’s just that she is, if that makes sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“She had multiple Olympic medals at eighteen and a billion-dollar company by the time she was thirty. I think it makes it hard for her to relate to us normal people.”

“But she’s close with Tyson and Cody?”

“Close, yeah.” Jennifer leaned in, lowering her voice. “I mean, she hates Tyson—more and more, that much is clear. She and Cody get along, though—honestly, I was a little jealous when we first got together, until I saw the kind of guys she dates.”

I motioned for her to go on.

“Athletes,” she said. “Pro basketball players, football. Big muscly guys. With swagger. Not my sweet Cody.”

It was sounding more and more like Allison was likely Tyson’s blackmailer—if blackmail was even the right term. There hadn’t been any demands. Not even a warning. Just the article. But Allison had known Tyson long enough and well enough that she would have guessed the impact it would have on him.

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