“Your?”
“Answer the question, young lady.”
My stomach drops.
Coughing, I remember my manners and settle back to take my turn not meeting Beth’s eyes. “It’s not a big deal. He set a bed on fire with my brother as part of a scheme to trick me into inviting him to stay with me. I was told there was faulty wiring, but I’ve already deduced that there wasn’t faulty wiring. Regardless, I saw the charred mattress on Wynn’s curb before trash day. In conclusion…” I shrug. “…arson.”
Beth’s mouth drops open.
Edgar, notably, snorts.
Beth twitches. “Isthatwhat happened?”
“As far as I know.” My attention drifts while Beth worries her lip and covers her face with her hand, muttering about where shewent wrong. Which is…
A clue.
Probably.
I jot it down, then pause as my mind works over what I’ve learned so far. Beth has narrowly expressed ownership of Dominic, and now she’s contemplating her life choices where it concerns him. Didn’t Dominic once tell me that he was raised by his grandparents?
Could…Beth and Edgar be his grandparents? They don’t share the last nameMontgomery, but there’s a dozen reasons that could be the case. I could also be wrong about Dominic being Ali. This could be a different lead altogether. It might very well be a brand new hypothesis that explains his connection with everyone and why Wynn didn’t hesitate to trust him. It could be an answer to all sorts of questions.
Wetting my lips, I let my attention skim over Edgar again. Tall. Broad. Once-fully-dark hair. Blue eyes. Very, very familiar blue eyes. Apart from the hair and his age, his features are strikingly reminiscent of Dominic’s.
When Edgar angles his broad shoulders to the side, breaking the wall of his chest so he can cajole his wife, my gaze fixes on a photo hanging behind them. Standing tall and proud in graduation garb, a young man holds a framed Augustus campus diploma.
Upon that diploma, scrawled in gold cursive, rest the words: Alister Dominic Montgomery.
Alister Dominic Montgomery.
Breath leaves me, and I stare.
I was right.
I wasright. DominicisAli.
MyAli.
My…millionaire girl boss of a best friend. Who is actually a boy. And living with me right now.
I’m living with my boss.
If that’s not a romcom title, I don’t know what is.
I squint at the odd wisps sticking out from beneath his dark graduation cap, and I realize even though they’re the same shade as the cap, they are not part of it. They’re his hair. His dark, dark,darkhair.
Swallowing, I wet my lips and pull my attention off the picture before Beth or Edgar can realize I’ve seen it. Beth’s still muttering something to her husband aboutarsonandwhat’s going on in that boy’s headwhen I force a smile and say, “Well. This has been a lovely little enlightening chat. I apologize for interrupting your afternoon.”
Beth stiffens and turns to me, eyes wary with concern. “Is everything okay, dear? He’s… Dominic is treating you well, isn’t he?”
“Oh, yes. Perfectly so.” He even occasionally pins me to the wall or the couch and teases me before leaving me cold and shivering and… “He’s neither caged me nor duct taped our hands together, though.” Despite promises. Honestly. I know we’veplayed with mistruths this entire time, but still. Lying about those sorts of things is so rude of him.
Beth blinks. “Though?”
I wave a hand and tuck my notebook back in my bag, motions fumbling, stilted, and awkward. “Don’t worry about it, please.” I cough. “So. Uh. I best be going now. I’ve gotten everything I need here. The hunt continues. I’ve other interviews to…conduct.” Beginning to flush, I twirl on my heel and reach for the doorknob.
“August.” Beth’s hand on my shoulder stops me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
