Page 112 of Good Girl's Guide to Love
“Has Katie messaged you yet about it?”
“No, she hasn’t,” I say, double-checking my messages to make sure I didn’t miss anything. “Hopefully that means that she’s taking care of it.”
I send her a message, demanding to talk to her when I’m off the plane. Thank God we’re about to land. I’m going fucking crazy in this seat. I need to check on Ainsley. I’m not sure if she’s seen it yet. If she hasn’t, I don’t want to send it via text when I’m on a plane. She’ll panic, think she did something wrong, then worry herself to death.
She did nothing wrong. But I’m now sure more than anything someone is doing this to us.
At first I thought the photos were random. The ones back from camp, when it looked like I was throwing a punch at the arcade. The karaoke night. The random other headlines. They allwere far enough apart for me to just think people were bored and needed clicks.
But this? This feels calculated. Now I’m wondering if nothing was accidental.
The plane comes to a stop and I’m off in a matter of minutes, though it feels like hours. I bypass any need to go inside the facility and head straight to my car. According to the ride share app, Ainsley’s a few minutes away. But when I make it to the parking lot, I realize I have a visitor waiting for me.
“Katie. Thank God. Thanks for coming,” I say. “Are you taking care of it?”
She looks up at me, and that’s when I see the bags under her eyes. It looks like she’s been crying for a week. Also, why is she dressed in all black like she’s ready to go to a funeral? “Taking care of what?”
Of what? The woman is chronically online and has alerts set up on her phone for when my name is mentioned on any form of social media. There’s no way she doesn’t know about this. Also, why is she here, if not to talk about this?
“I’m not in the mood for jokes, Katie. Please tell me you’re doing something about this.”
I hold out my phone, praying that this really isn’t the first time she’s seeing it. “Oh that. That’s nothing.”
“What do you mean it’s nothing? This blog is now just outright making up lies about Ainsley. And I’m pretty sure her ex is in on this.”
“Those are about Ainsley, not you,” she says. “My job is to keep your name out of the tabloids. Actually, if anything, I think this helps you.”
I think I’m in some sort of bananas world right now, because what?
“Please, tell me in what world that lies aboutmygirlfriend are being spread and you think thathelpsme?”
Katie rolls her eyes. Rolls them. And at this point, I’m now madder at her than I am at the gossip blog. “She’s your fake girlfriend. I don’t know why you’re getting so bent out of shape over this.”
“Actually, I’m hisrealgirlfriend, so if you’re going to talk about me behind my back, at least use my correct title.”
I don’t know when Ainsley got here, but as always, her timing is impeccable. And she lookspissed.
Oh shit. I have a feeling I’m about to see a side of Ainsley I’ve never seen before.
“Real?” Katie says, clearly not believing Ainsley, even with my arm now around her. “Remember, Ainsley. I know. This? You and him? My idea.”
“Sure, that’s how it started.”
I thought she was going to keep talking, until she steps in front of me. I’m still slightly confused even when she pulls me by my shirt for a kiss that’s so hard our lips might bruise.
Ainsley breaks away and turns back to a stunned Katie. I’m left stunned. “This is how it’s going. Now you’re caught up.”
Jealousy.
Holy shit, that’s what I’m seeing in her right now.
She just claimed me. She came here, and not only stood her ground next to me, but with me. All while telling Katie, and whoever else is pretending to hide behind their cars to watch this drama, that I’m hers.
Not going to lie, this is pretty fucking hot.
Katie’s eyes are narrowed at Ainsley before she sets them on me. “Is this true, Linc? You’re actuallywithher?”
“I am. Is that a problem?”
