Page 89 of While You Were Trending

“Right? Shoresy’s goal last night was filthy.”

“Not what we’re talking about, asshole,” he replies.

Flow whimper-whines and plops down on my feet. She’s covered in grape juice after a bit of fun gone wrong, and she’s staring at me like she’d take this phone call for me if she could speak English instead of dog.

I glance out at the fields as I sigh, glad that I sat against the shady side of the building for this.

“It’s not—” I start, but he cuts me off.

“You went to her sister’s wedding? What the actualfuck?”

Knew this would happen eventually. I’ve been ignoring it, but after the news picked up on the story that Michael Morgan Stone married Caro Rhodes in a surprise ceremony here, someone finally put two and two together with the emergency calls from that night.

And they named me as the guy who saved the barn.

“Not what it looked like,” I say.

“Fucking looked like you’re still friends with the fucking family.”

“It was for a job.”

“Foxy goes to his best friend’s ex’s sister’s wedding? Foxy goesthere?”

I rub my hand over my face.

“Can’t talk about it.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Oh, like you didn’t tell me you signed an endorsement deal with Quickie Lickie until the commercials were airing?” Never thought I’d know anyone doing commercials for a horribly named convenience store chain, but the commercial was fucking hilarious.

He grunts. “Where are you?”

“Undisclosed location.”

“Motherfucker. Are you—are you with her right now?”

“Dude.”

“If you’re putting her back on camera?—”

“Wouldn’t do that.”

“Good. Because I don’t want that bitch getting any more publicity from me.”

“Don’t call her names.”

Silence lingers on the other end of the phone while Flow creeps impossibly closer to me, whimpering so softly I can feel it more than I can hear it.

“You’re happy now,” I add. “Really worth it to keep dwelling on the past?”

“It is when my best fucking friend is hanging out with the person who’s made the most embarrassing moment of my life go fucking viral again.”

“I’m not hanging out with anyone.”Lies lies lies.

But I have an NDA.

Can’t tell him.