Page 35 of Mr. Risky

“Hey,” I put in. “How’s my car doing in the shop? Every time I call them, they won’t tell me what’s wrong with it or when it’ll be done. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

“That’s strange,” Granger said, taking my cup of coffee, his big finger deliberately brushing mine.

There was the faintest trace of my lipstick on the cup, and he licked the edge, then took a long drink.

“A bit of cream on the edge of that cup,” he said. “Delicious.”

Hayden stilled.

“You think my sister would appreciate you licking where another woman’s damn lips were?”

Granger only leaned back against the seat, a small smile playing over his face.

“I don’t know, why don’t you tell her.”

What kind of game was he playing at?

“I need to go,” I said. “I’m not feeling very well.”

Ugh, this was making me so stressed out I was feeling sick to my stomach.

And then I really did feel sick to my stomach, rushing to the coffee shop bathroom to hurl into the toilet.

It must be food poisoning. That was all, absolutely all it could be. . .

Chapter Ten

Afew days later I still had no answers about what Granger was up to.

Was it true that he was trying to steal something? Why would he be going so hard for an urban legend?

And it had become extremely awkward that I hadn’t accepted any of Pippa’s offers to come and eat breakfast with them.

Hayden would be so good for your career, she said. And maybe if you tried to chat more with Granddaddy’s friends. I know he likes that and some of them have connections at the symphony, you know. And besides, you’re single now. . .

Was that an unspoken agreement to becoming a Siren? That you were available for dating someone the Hollingsworths wanted you to?

I might as well come to breakfast. At least then she might stop asking me about it.

Come down to that guestroom off the breakfast area and I can give you some of the clothes I’m getting rid of, Pippa texted me.

I gritted my teeth. She meant well. Right?

So maybe being her charity project was a little aggravating.

But she meant well.

Which made it all the worse that her husband was fucking me behind her back.

Not only fucking me, but trapping me here in Oystar Bay.

I wished I could say I took no pleasure in his degrading, immoral behavior.

But it wasn’t true. . .

I passed the table getting set up for breakfast and walked down the hall to Pippa’s room.

Was Hayden right with his suspicions about Granger?