Page 66 of Rebooting Conor Flynn

Conor and I started talking at the same time.

He folded his hands on top of his head and said, “You first.”

“I am so sorry about this new bit of gossip. The fans believe you’re doing Ashley dirty by hooking up with me.”

“Makes me look a right gobshite.” He jerked his thumb at his chest. “Is she pure fuming over there?”

“Does she look like she’s mad?”

We both turned our heads toward Ashley at the same time, just as she threw back her head and laughed at something Tomo said.

“She told me she didn’t mind this type of publicity. Said it added spice to the story. Of course, her fans are all painting her as a victim, saying she deserves better.”

Conor narrowed his eyes. “That’s what she said, did she?”

“And of course, you’re the villain. They’re dragging you...and me.”

“That’s fucked up, Noelle. That’s not what I signed up for when I agreed to this stunt. And it’s definitely not what I had in mind for you. We need to shut this down.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m not invested in protecting the Conor the church boy image, but I don’t want to be completely cooked either—and I don’t want you dragged into it.”

“It all started with those pictures from the concert and then the night at the club.” Conor always did try to protect me, but I could handle myself today. The stunt was my idea, after all. “Like I said, Ashley’s not mad about it. I think we can salvage this narrative without doing any more damage to your image. Did you hear Jermaine? The show in Dallas sold out in thirty minutes. We’re doing something right.”

“That night at the club.” Rubbing his knuckles across the reddish-blond scruff on his chin, Conor said, “We were the only two there, and the paparazzi seemed to know just where to find us.”

“Popular place for celebrities.” I put down my empty glass, and a roving waiter immediately placed a new one in my hand. I took a tiny sip. I had a limit of two alcoholic drinks, but this was a celebration...or a wake. “Is that why you called me over? You saw me talking to Ashley.”

“I honestly don’t give a shit what Ashley thinks at this point.” He leaned in. “I talked to Ian this afternoon. Felt bad about interrupting his vacation, but I caught him at a good time. He called me right back.”

“What did he have to say about the phone situation?”

“The way he remembers it was that every time we got new phones, which was frequently, Gordon’s assistant, Louise Broadbank refreshed them. Ian had an issue once with his transferred data, and Gordon referred him to Louise. You remember Louise?”

“I do.” I patted my head. “Curly, brown hair and glasses. She always had the best frames. I made a list of Baker Street employees this afternoon after you left, and her name made the cut. I was going to look up some of the old contacts on Instagram when I got...distracted.”

“She’d be a good person to start with if she did the phone transfers. Maybe she remembers something about that particular swap in Australia, as it was one of the first. Or maybe she recalls the protocol with someone checking her work once she moved the info.”

“I’ll reach out to her.” I slipped my phone from my back pocket and launched Instagram. “Didn’t she go by Lou?”

“Don’t do that here.” Conor took the phone from my hand and placed it on a small table next to his beer. “We didn’t even have a chance to talk about what happened on the bus last night.”

“I think...” I plucked the sunglasses from my face and wiped the lenses on my shirt “...we were both carried away by the moment.”

“The moment.” He cocked his head. “Do ya mean when I found out the woman I loved hadn’t ghosted me?”

“Shh.” My gaze darted to the side and then snapped back to his face. “Loved?”

“Love. Still do. Can’t help it. When I saw you again, the years fell away.”

“You’re not supposed to say that.” I put my fingers to his soft lips, as my entire body quaked. How could he even know that he still loved me? We’d been hot and cold ever since we reunited on this tour—drawing close to the flame and then pulling back before getting singed.

“I thought this was a safe space?” He threw his arms out to the sides. “Everyone here knows the thing between me and Ashley is a joke.”

“Not everyone. There’s staff here. People walking by the pool enclosure.”

“Hey, social media already think we’re an item. Let’s lean into it...into each other.”

“You know why we can’t do that.” I picked up my glass and licked some salt from the rim.

“Only because it might get you into trouble with your company and Dina. This is your promotion opportunity. I’m not gonna fuck it up for you, but...”