Page 148 of Mexico Can Choke On It
I pretend to ponder. “Hmmm. I see. Go on.”
“I’ve given this a lot of thought… He’s a gold-digging butler.”
“He’s trying to marry the dog?”
“Why not? People do weird shit all the time for money.”
I can’t help the chuckle that escapes. “We should definitely investigate. He could be slowly poisoning her kibble to inherit her billion-dollar trust fund.”
“Laugh it up, B, but I think you just cracked the crime of the century. Surprise, surprise—the butler did it.”
We sit quietly, comfortably, and watch the tide come in.
“Might be smart to head back before we get wet.”
She tips her head and shoots me a look. “I thought you knew I like living dangerously? Makes me feel alive. You could use more of that.”
“Noted. But I’d rather testyourlimits.” I say, letting my tongue trace the sensitive spot behind her ear, teasing the hidden ink I know is there.
“My turn for a question,” I say softly. “What does the broken heart tattoo stand for?”
She stiffens. “Ugh. It’s dumb. Some guy broke my heart.”
I already hate him.
“Who?”
“Pass. Next question.”
The rejection stings, but Idon’t push.
“Okay, different question. Why did you drop out of college to go to Europe?”
She sighs. “If I answer that, you’ll think less of me.”
“I doubt that.”
“I chose to be a walking cliché. I fled to another continent thinking maybe if I put an ocean between us, I could get over a guy who hurt me.”
Something twists in my stomach—part curiosity, part dread. “And did you? Get over him?”
“Nope. Turns out you can’t outrun your feelings, even with a backpack and a Eurail pass.” Her laugh holds zero humor. “Guess I’m doomed to carry this torch until I kick the bucket. Hence the permanent reminder behind my ear. There, you’re officially in on two of my secrets.”
The air shifts. My own truth sits heavy on my chest, begging to be said.
“I’m leaving Heartvest.”
She whips around. “What?”
“Gavin doesn’t know yet,” I murmur. “No one does. Looks like we’re both hiding things from him.”
“Holy shit. That’s huge.”
“I don’t have a choice. My father is forcing my hand. I either become the heir I was born to be or watch him dismantle everything I built with Gavin.”
I leave out the part about Amanda—the forced marriage, the timeline, the trap. Some truths don’t belong in moments like this.
“Your father’s always struck me as a sociopathic dick,” Petra says bluntly, “and this cements it.”
