Page 76 of The Temptation of Truth
“Hey, anything else she orders can go on my tab. Stephanie Lynn.”
He blinks at her, his mouth popping open a bit. “Are you...You’re not...”
“I’m not. I get that all the time, though.” Sav smiles and bats her eyelashes. “People always tell me I should do one of those DNA tests or something. Maybe we could be sisters. Could you imagine? I’d be able to buy a Corvette.”
He scans her face, blinking rapidly. “You sure?”
Sav laughs that iconic, world-famous laugh, and the bartender’s eyes widen. She’s got to be doing it on purpose. She’s won an Oscar, so surely, she’s capable of acting lessSav Loveless. I bite my cheek to tame my smile, but my lips twitch with the need to laugh with her.
“I think I know who I am, champ.” She winks, then knocks on the bar in front of him with her knuckles. “Stephanie Lynn from now on.”
She saunters away, and I lose the battle with my smile as the bartender’s face grows more confused.
“Did you short-circuit?” I ask, and he flicks his eyes to me.
“You’re on her tab?”
I shrug. “Guess so.”
“Doesn’t she look just like that rock star? Sav Loveless? The Hometown Heartless.”
He turns back to Sav and tilts his head to the side. I take another sip from my drink. She looks just like herself. It’s a terrible disguise. Even in a wig and colored contacts, she stands out, but I shake my head anyway.
“I don’t see it.”
I spot Callie and Claire in the back, so after a goodbye nod to the bartender, I weave through bodies to stand next to them. They’re both holding glasses, one of something clear and one of something dark brown.
“Whatchya got?” Claire asks, nodding to my cocktail.
“Oh. Um...passion fruit something or other? I don’t know. The bartender made it.” I take a sip and smile. “It’s good. Fruity. What do you have?”
Callie holds up her glass. “Vodka soda. Not as fun as yours.”
“Mine’s just a cola,” Claire adds, and I raise my brows. She laughs. “No, I amnotpregnant.”
I wince. “Sorry for earlier. I’m so embarrassed. I never should have gone off like that on you guys. I can only imagine how awkward it was for you.”
I put my palm on my cheek in an attempt to chase away the heat. The fact that Callie doesn’t ask what the hell I’m talking about tells me she’s already been filled in on my unhinged interrogation.
Claire gives me a genuine smile. “No worries. It’s already forgotten.”
I doubt it—I will certainlyneverforget it—but she’s sweet for saying that. I nod and take another sip of my cocktail, then the air vibrates around me. A breath later, Mabel and Sav step into our group. My eyes are drawn upward, connecting with shimmering amber magnets, and Mabel smirks.
“You coming?”
I don’t know where she’s going, but I nod anyway. “Yes.”
She takes my hand and leads me down the stairs onto the lower-level dance floor. Callie might follow. Claire and Sav might stay in the VIP section. I can’t be sure because my entire focus has zeroed in on Mabel’s hand in mine. I don’t look away from the contact until we’re in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by strangers, and she turns to face me.
Her plump pink lips are curled up at the side with a little half smile that makes my stomach flip. Then, without a word, she closes her eyes and starts to dance. For a moment, all I can do iswatch. I stand there like a dazed fool, and I watch as she moves to the music.
The lights from the DJ booth shimmer off the sequins on her bralette, refracting glittering starbursts over the bare skin of her collarbones and shoulders. When she raises her arms above her head, her colorful tattoos serve as the most captivating frame. Her smile widens slowly, almost dreamily, and it’s like I can see the tension evaporating from her body. Her heartache being soothed by the music and the movement. She’s pure joy. She’s bliss. She’s freedom.
She’severything.
Mabel Rossi is beautiful and fun and alluring andeverything, and it hits me likea tidal wave. I sway on my feet from the force. I try to tell myself it’s the music, the atmosphere, the alcohol, but it’s not. It’s her. It’sallher.
The realization makes my mouth suddenly uncomfortably dry. I force a swallow and finish my cocktail just as Mabel’s eyes open. Those amber gemstones hold me hostage, sucking my breath from my chest. When she catches me staring, her lashes flutter, and she darts her gaze away and back. I should smile or apologize. I should look away. I should do something, anything, but I can’t. I just watch.
