Page 44 of Bottle Shock
I think about it for a moment. I suppose I could consider this a study in method acting. Playing the part isn’t the problem—the real problem is how easy it would be to blur the lines. Gavin’s never shown an ounce of interest in me, but somewhere dormant inside me is that young girl who always dreamed of the day he’d finally notice me. If he threw me a crumb, I fear I’d accept it like I was starving. And where would that leave us when this is all over?
Pretending is one thing. Surviving it without giving myself away is another. Either way, I need to get it together.
“I’ll do it,” I say finally, “but only if you agree to my terms.”
CHAPTER 12
Gavin
YOU’RE NOT A LOT
“The first and only rule,” Scottie says as she pulls onto the highway, “is we never lie to each other.”
“That’s easy. Done. I would never lie to you.”
She fiddles with the AC, hardly paying attention to the road, and I suddenly regret not offering to drive us back. It’s her car, but I’m not convinced we’ll make it to Red Mountain in one piece.
“I’m serious.” She tosses me a questioning glance. “Trust is huge. If we’re going to do this, I have to know we’re on the same team—and that you’ll catch me if I fall. Metaphorically speaking. Meaning you have to have my back, always.”
I meet her gaze so she knows I mean it. “Always, Scottie. I’ve always got your back. You can trust me.” I mess with my glasses, a nervous tick. “Which is why I owe you an apology.”
Her attention flashes to me, forehead creased. “For what?”
“For kissing you,” I blurt. “The other day you told me about that guy—about what he did—and then I went and did the same thing. That’s not me. I’m really sorry. I wasn’t thinking about howit might affect you.”
I hope my words sounds sincere, and not like some prick who doesn’t mean it.
She smiles—soft, small, and absolutely not what I expected. “I don’t usually appreciate getting kissed out of the blue, “but you’re not some drunk asshole, or worse, a sober one who is knowingly being predatory. You’ve never made me feel unsafe.”
Relief flows out of me with a long exhale, some of the tension in my shoulders releasing.
“Besides,” she adds, grinning. “I know your mother. I know your sisters. If I was worried I’d just sic them on you.”
I laugh under my breath. “Yeah, that would not go over well with them.”
She nods, agreeing. “Definetely not.”
It’s quiet for a beat, Wallula Lake fading behind us.
“So,” Scottie says after a moment, “what’s our story?”
I tilt my head. “Story?”
“Yeah—our love story. If we’re going to see those people again, they’ll ask questions that go deeper than surface level. We need to be prepared.”
She’s right. This all happened so fast, I hadn’t thought much beyond us looking like a convincing couple.
When I don’t answer right away, Scottie clears her throat. “Let’s not make it complicated. We’re already lying enough, so we might as well use as much truth as we can.”
“So that would be…we’ve known each other since we were kids, because you’re best friends with my sister. And then what?”
Scottie shrugs. “And then we went our separate ways for a while, didn’t see each other as often—until I moved back and we realized there was a spark.”
Her version is nearly true, which makes it easy to remember. My version is something I’ll keep to myself. Because revealing it would definitely make heruncomfortable.
The truth is, I’d just come home from a long stretch of travel, and Elyse was struggling. She’d recently finished college, but the past few years had been rough, and I thought surprising her with a visit might be nice. I hadn’t seen Scottie in a long time—probably not since she and Elyse graduated high school.
I remember it clearly. I’d walked into the house expecting to see my mom or one of my siblings, but it was quiet. I was about to head upstairs and check whether my parents had converted my old bedroom into a gym or something when I heard a voice.
