Page 16 of The Honeymoon Hack
Scarlett didn’t even glance at him as she folded it and placed it in my suitcase.
I immediately grabbed an oversized hoodie and threw it in, covering the offending garment completely. Better to pretend it didn’t exist. The whole marriage thing was just a cover, anyway.
Although Will and Iwouldbe sharing a room.
Don’t think about that. Focus on the packing.
My phone buzzed. Will’s name appeared on the screen:You okay? Need help packing or anything? I can come by.
I typed back quickly:I’m good. Scarlett’s packing for me
Three dots appeared, then disappeared, and reappeared.
Then three laughing emojis.
Great. Thanks, Will.
“We’re not done yet,” Scarlett said, placing another T-shirt in my bag. “Stop working.”
“It’s not work. It’s Will. Making sure I’m not having a complete meltdown.”
She sighed and put a hand on my upper arm. “Rav’s already on the island. You know he’d pull the plug on this entire operation if he thought you’d be in real danger. And Will… he’d never let anything happen to you. You know that, right?”
I nodded. She was right. Of course, she was. We were talking about a mission, and she was always right about those.
But it didn’t change the fact that my stomach was a complete jumble of nerves.
Next, Scarlett pulled out a box of condoms from one of the bags. “These go in the toiletry bag.”
“Scarlett!” The heat flared in my cheeks again. When did she pick those up?
“You’re posing as newlyweds. That requires protection every bit as much as it requires the negligee,” she said, folding a beach cover-up. “It’s about the details, Brie. Anyone snooping through your luggage needs to believe the cover completely.”
“No one’s going to be snooping through our luggage. We’re network specialists, not spies—” I caught myself. “I mean, we’re pretending to be network specialists who aren’t spies.”
Malcolm chuckled. “You’re going to need to work on that.”
“Use the decades you two have spent getting to know everything about each other. No one would question that you’re a couple.”
“I guess.” Except I knew it would help. How many people had already assumed we were a couple over the years?
“Your past works in your favor. It makes you a better partner for Will than Ashley ever would have been.” Scarlett rummaged in another bag. “Where’s that bathing suit?”
“The facility is underground. I won’t be lounging on a beach.”
“You need to go outside every day.”
“I’ll wear shorts.”
“And you’ll be staying in Freeport before you go to the island.” She held up the blue bikini she’d bought at the mall. “The team normally goes out the night before a significant job to relax and remember why we do what we do. You should do the same. Go to the beach or the pool. Added benefit: It sets up your cover for any other employees who might be at the same hotel.”
“Will’s going to laugh when he sees me in that thing.”
“Why?” Malcolm asked. “You’ll look fantastic.”
I didn’t have a body like Scarlett’s, let alone her confidence. At least, not when it came to my body. My brain, sure, but that wouldn’t be the part of me showing off in the bikini. “Will’s seen me through my awkward phase, my ‘I only wear black’ phase, my ‘I live on energy drinks and forget to eat’ phase. I’ve never been the kind of person who lounges by pools in tiny swimwear. I’ll look ridiculous.”
“It’s a costume,” Scarlett said, adding the bikini to my suitcase. “The key is acting natural when you’re in any costume.You and Will have incredible chemistry as partners. You just have to signalmarriedon top of that, which requires a costume.”
