Page 78 of The Fine Art of Faking It
“How about you let the police assess that?” Layla suggested with professional politeness reserved for really obnoxious citizens right before they got cuffed.
“Oh, sure. Because you really want your boss to investigate his own wife?” Eden let the words hang there between them.
“Shit,” Layla swore.
It was well-known that Eva—wife of Sheriff Cardona—and her sister Gia—wife of Blue Moon’s mayor Beckett—were members of the Beautification Committee as was Beckett’s paralegal and right-hand woman, Ellery. Hell, there was a bank president and town councilman in play as well.
“What the hell am I supposed to do with this information?” Layla demanded.
“Nothing! It’s purely speculation that they plotted to make Davis’s house unlivable so he’d have to come stay with me.”
“They burned down his kitchen and made the whole town smell like burrito farts for two days.”
“I heard Davis can’t get the insurance money to start the repairs,” Sammy put in. Vader trotted up to her and stuck her head in the vet’s lap.
“Why does she like you so much when you give her shots and check her rectal temperature?” Eden wondered.
“I save the good treats for her,” Sammy said, squishing Vader’s big face between her hands. “Isn’t that right, sweetie pie?” She fished out a dog treat from her pants pocket.
“Where’s Chewy?” Layla asked, glancing around for Vader’s lazier counterpart.
“Probably with Davis.”
Sammy and Layla exchanged eyebrow wiggles.
“What?” Eden shrugged. “He goes with him to the winery sometimes.”
“But you’re only fake dating?” Layla clarified.
“Yes!
“Still confused. If you’re fake dating, why did you have real sex?” Sammy asked, sipping her coffee.
Before Eden could formulate a response, Layla stepped in. “Have you seen Davis? What single woman could be under the same roof and not want to jump his bones and rip those sexy-ass suits off of him?”
“It was just a… fluke,” Eden insisted. “We ran into my parents at the brewery last night, and things got heated and… then they stayed heated when we got back here.”
“I’m keeping the money,” Sammy announced.
“It was just sex,” Layla argued.
“One time! A fluke!” Eden put in. They didn’t need to know about round two this morning.
“I’m inclined to let it ride and see what the outcome is,” Sammy decided, ignoring Eden. She handed over another treat to Vader.
“Shake on it?” Vader put her paw in Layla’s offered hand.
“Awh. What a good shake, but I meant the mean vet lady,” Layla told the dog.
“It’s not happening again. There’s no real relationship there. We can barely tolerate each other,” Eden argued.
“Barely tolerate is better than hate,” Sammy mused.
“A fluke. Never again,” she told her friends. She was also reminding herself. The whole point was to teach the Beautification Committee a lesson. Not to complicate things or lose her head over a man she was too scared to trust again.
Eden’s watch signaled giving her a much-needed excuse to duck out of the conversation. “Hang on, I’ve got someone at the front desk,” she said.
She stepped out of the dining room, leaving her friends arguing over if she had sex with Davis again would that constitute the relationship they’d bet on.
