Page 8 of Bourbon Girl: part 5 of 6
"Hi, Bernadette, great to see you. Are you feeling better?"
For a moment I thought Jett had told her my secret. "Better?"
"Dylan told us you left the Halloween party because you were coming down with something."
"Oh… right," I said, recovering. "I'm a little better, thanks."
"Good. And your search for your father? Any progress?"
The question landed like a stone in my chest.
"Still going," I said carefully, keeping my voice neutral.
"I hope you find him soon." She clasped her hands together. "I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you. The not knowing." She tilted her head, her expression sympathetic. "You know, I meant what I said before—if there's anything I can do to help, anything at all, you just have to ask."
"That's kind of you."
"I'm serious. Jett and I are happy to help, aren't we, sweetie?"
Sweetie.The endearment hung in the air.
"Sure," Jett said.
I sent him a warning glance, my eyes locking with his.Don't say anything. Please don't say anything.The secret of Boyd Biggs being my potential father was too dangerous to share, especially with a reporter.
Jett held my gaze for a long moment. I tried to read his expression—would he keep my confidence? Yesterday he'd seemed so solid, so trustworthy. But now, with Naomi's hand possessively on his arm, uncertainty crept in.
November 8, Saturday
single barrelbourbon aged in and bottled from one individual barrel
JETT CAUGHTme between tour stops, his hand on my elbow.
"We need to talk," he said, his voice low.
My pulse quickened. Had he already told Naomi? Was this the conversation where he admitted he couldn't keep my secret? I crossed my arms defensively.
"About what?"
"About Naomi helping you."
I blinked. "What?"
Jett leaned against the wall of a building, his expression earnest. "Hear me out. You need information about Boyd Biggs, right? His background, his history, anything that might confirm or deny the connection."
"That's what Octavia's working on—"
"But Naomi already has access." He spoke quickly, as if he'd been rehearsing this. "She interviewed the Biggs family for her article. She spent time with them, established rapport. They trust her."
I shook my head, panic rising in my chest. "No. Absolutely not."
"Just listen. What if Naomi went back to them? Said she needed more background material for her piece? She could ask about Boyd's past, where he traveled in the late nineties, what events he attended. All under the cover of research."
"You want me to tell a reporter that Boyd Biggs might be my father?"
"She'd be discreet—"
"She's a journalist, Jett. Her entire job is sharing information. Do you have any idea what would happen if this got out before I even know if it's true?"
