“See? He’d totally let you use him as your vacation dick.” She lies back on her towel like her work is done.
I use her momentary lowered guard to steal my phone back from her. I’m back on Callum’s social media before she realizes I’ve snatched it back.
“What?”
Mel shoots up to a sitting position, looking at the screen.
“That asshole!” she gasps.
The back of my neck flares, burning with incessant rage as I stare at the picture of Callum in our apartment. He’s taken a shot of himself dressed and ready for work.
But it’s not the smile on his face—that looks remarkably authentic considering he supposedly just lost the love of his life a few days ago—that’s caught my attention.
It’s the pair of women’s shoes behind him—Kelly’s Louboutins that I’d recognize anywhere because she couldn’t stop showing them off after she got them for her birthday last month.
I’m here, recovering from being cheated on, while he’s telling our friends that the wedding is merely postponed because I’m ill. And he’s there, in our home…with her.
“Yeah. That asshole.” I seethe, opening up the camera on my phone quickly. “Look sexy and deliriously happy,” I instruct Mel.
I snap a photo of the two of us, impressed with how well I pull off the look when I’m a mess inside. We both look sun-kissed and like we’re enjoying being away in paradise.
I upload it with the caption:Having an amazing time.
It’s all I need to put. Everyone will know Callum’s been spouting bullshit the moment they see I’m not at home nursing some mystery illness.
“If you get it on with Declan, I’ll apply for that promotion at work?” Mel slips in casually.
“That’s blackmail, you know that?”
She shrugs with a smile. “I’d call it an incentive, but whatever.”
I narrow my eyes. She’s been working at her job as an advertising executive for a cosmetics company since finishing college. But she hasn’t applied for the last two promotions to become a senior, despite being perfect for the role. She’s an amazing friend who will cheer louder than anyone, but whenit comes to her own capabilities, she severely underestimates herself. I’ve been trying to talk her into going for that role since it came up.
“And you’d go to the interview?”
“Promise.”
I exhale, settling back on my towel as I mull it over.
The image of Kelly’s shoes in my apartment burns into my brain.
They’re probably fucking now.
In our bed.
“Declan’s cool, isn’t he? He won’t get weird after,” I say.
Mel inclines her head toward me with a knowing smile. “Yeah, totally cool.”
9
JUDE
I takea deep breath and knock three times. The glass door is ajar. Declan must leave it open at night to hear the ocean.
A rumbled sound of a man’s rhythmic breathing flows out, and I pause.
He’s asleep. And this is a bad idea. I can leave now, and he won’t even know I came. No one will.
