Page 51 of Falling for the Bad Boy
“Crocodile.”
“No way.” Eyes narrowed, she looked like she was trying to figure out whether or not I was joking. “Where?”
“Sydney. We were on holiday and my sister wanted to try it.” One of the very rare trips we’d taken as a family. We wouldn’t have even traveled to Sydney if my mom’s sister hadn’t been getting married. It was one of the few times I’d seen my parents dance together. Actually, now that I thought about it, it might have been the only time.
“Did you like it?” She wore an expression that seemed to be a mixture of awe and disgust.
I shrugged. “It was okay. But I prefer pepperoni.”
Trinity laughed, her foul mood chased away, at least for the time being. “Now, pepperoni I can get on board with.” She picked up her phone and pushed a button then held it to her ear.
I marveled at the way she could make a laugh sound like fucking music to my ears. But as her mood lightened, mine grew dark. I’d crossed a line I’d never even gotten close to approaching before. And as much as I enjoyed spending time with Trinity, one way or another my days were numbered.
CHAPTER 22
Trinity
I sat down at Macy’s kitchen table and poured myself a bowl of the expensive, organic granola she ordered from some online grocery co-op. I’d definitely miss some of the perks of being her house guest when the space in the warehouse was finished enough for me to move in.
“Good morning.” Macy whirled through the kitchen in a subtle wave of perfume.
“Morning.”
“Are you finally in a better mood?” Grabbing the carafe by the handle, she turned to face me. “You’ve been pouting around here for days.”
“I got the shelves assembled and set up, but I still don’t know anything about the stupid sign.” It had been almost a week since the sign company said they’d try to rework it to meet the specs of the historical district. I had a first floor full of shelving units thanks to Oliver, but still no word on my expensive mistake.
“Well I’ve got something that’s going to make your day.” Macy waggled her eyebrows as she lifted her thermal mug to her lips.
“What did you do now? Wrangle the mayor into giving a speech at my grand opening that’s probably not even going to happen?” I slid another bite of cereal into my mouth and took out my frustration by crunching it into tiny pieces with my molars.
The smug smirk on Macy’s face should have been enough of a warning that it wasn’t going to be good. At least not as good as she thought. We’d played this game many times in the past. I’d learned that Macy always had my best interests at heart and by “my best interests” she meant hers.
“It’s big. I’ve really outdone myself this time.”
A hollowness grew in the pit of my stomach. The granola lost its flavor. So much for the real vanilla, sourced straight from Madagascar. I couldn’t taste a thing.
“Don’t you want to know?”
I swallowed and cleared my throat. In the most monotone voice I could summon, I said, “Oh, please. Yes, I can hardly wait.”
“Fine. You’re not even a teeny tiny bit excited. I can see how much you appreciate me.” Macy twirled around, topped off her mug and stalked toward the front door.
Now I was curious. It wasn’t like Macy to not spill the beans. Usually she’d pour out her secrets, even stuff she’d been sworn to secrecy about, before I could even make the request.
“What did you do?” I pushed back from the table and moved toward the foyer.
“Oh, now you want to know?” Macy stood in front of the entryway mirror, applying a deep shade of red lipstick to her plumped lips.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Just tell me.”
“Now I’ll need you to tell me something first.”
“Such as?”
“Such as how many times you’ve done the hot bartender now.” Macy arched a perfectly plucked brow.
I choked on the breath I’d just taken. “Excuse me?”
