“Ohmigosh!You slept with him?”
“No.Yes?He did this thing with his tongue, and I didn’t just see stars, I saw a whole freaking galaxy.”
And I’d learned an important lesson.Justin Norquist was a giver.On Monday night, he’d fallen asleep with me in his arms, and he hadn’t used my orgasm as a stepping stone to his own.No, he’d focused on me, not himself.Which fit with everything else I’d seen—he’d taken me in off the street with barely a second thought, and Shiro too.Violet said his exes took advantage of him, that his relationship with Melanie had been particularly unbalanced.She’d taken everything he gave and still expected more.
I didn’t expect anything, but I was so incredibly grateful for everything he chose to give.
Especially an incredible orgasm.
“Ahhhh.Sothat’swhy you made the comment about Ridge.”
“I know I shouldn’t have done it, but he never once made the effort.”
“It was a stroke of genius.Not only did you let the whole world know that Ridge is a loser, but you also got people talking about your new blog.”
“That wasn’t why I did it, I swear.I was just…angry.”
“As you should be.You spent more than six years with that jerk, and all you had to show for it was a black eye.He can pay for it with his reputation.”
“If he ever finds me, he’ll do more than give me bruises.”
“You’re seven states away.You should do a whole series of Ridge videos—serve up cocktail wieners with a side of shrivelled grapes and thank him for the inspo.”
“His head would literally explode.”
“Excellent—that would save you from hiring a divorce lawyer.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.Watching him melt down in the comments is giving me life.”
“I couldn’t.”Could I?I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want him to stroke out.Hmm… “And I’m more worried about the Justin situation right now.What am I supposed to do?”
“You’re going to hope this story ends up as a Hallmark movie and not an episode ofDateline.”
“Saylor…”
“I know, I know.”She sighed.“Do you feel safe there?”
“I feel…I feel…unsettled.I’m not scared of Justin, but the crowd outside is getting bigger, and the police don’t seem to care.”
“They’re probably trying to get Justin to crack.”
“I think you’re right.”
The true-crime groupies had been all over the trails behind the house as well, but then one of them got run down by a horse.Another lurking in the bushes scared the bejeezus out of the seniors’ Wednesday walking group, and Dottie Benedict got taken to the hospital with a twisted ankle and chest pains.According to Marion, who was calling daily with updates and had also dropped off a bag of groceries—what a sweetheart—a “spirited discussion” had followed, and it turned out most of the seniors in Greenway Park had concealed carry permits.So now the podcasters were congregating at the front of the property and steering clear of the forest at the rear.
“If he’s innocent, this will blow over soon.Are his friends still at the house?”
“They all left, but then some of them came back yesterday.The PI he hired has this crazy theory that Justin’s old roommate—the one who’s in prison for murder—framed Justin for Amie’s kidnapping to make himself look innocent.”
He’d told me about it last night when he crawled into bed.So far, there hadn’t been a repeat of Monday night.On Tuesday, he’d passed out on the couch, and I’d tucked a blanket over him.On Wednesday, he’d been speaking with the lawyer until the early hours, which probably cost him a fortune if the guy’s rates were anything close to Ridge’s.And then there was the body discussion.But we’d been sharing a bed, just falling asleep in each other’s arms, and that was okay.I was actually grateful for the lack of pressure.
“That’s… I mean, yikes.Is the PI one of those conspiracy theory whackos?”
“If she is, then everyone else is drinking the same Kool-Aid.They went out to search for a body.”
“Wow.”
