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My mom smiled at him. “A word of warning: we’re hyper-competitive.”
“Should I just hand over my wallet now?” he quipped.
I leaned up and gave him a reassuring kiss. My heart skipped a beat when I stared into his denim blues.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Of course.”
“Ready to bolt?”
“No way. They’d have to kick me out,” Van replied and kissed me back.
After we’d drunk the champagne and opened another bottle, we sat down to an enormous seafood feast. Dad had cooked outside on the grill since the kitchen was still under renovation. Van looked relaxed as he chatted with my dad. He also seemed to enjoy the antics of my sister and the stories my mom told about me when I was young.
When dinner was done, we got out the cards and the poker chips.
Two hours later, my sister and I were the last ones standing. Van, meanwhile, was deep in conversation with my brother-in-law, Petyr.
Until his phone rang.
“I’m terribly sorry, but I need to take this.” Van stood up.
“Use my office,” Dad urged. “First door on the right at the end of the hallway.”
Van nodded and walked off.
I watched the rolling swagger and the flex of his round ass.
Until I felt a tap on my chest and looked down to find a red poker chip in my lap.
“Stop ogling your man and pay attention,” my sister teased.
I threw the chip back at her. “If you really want to win this game, you shouldn’t say anything and let me be distracted.”
I got another chip lobbed at me in response.
* * *
VAN
Whenever someone from PR called me, my nerves buzzed.
Whenever the head of PR called me directly, my stomach acid churned full force.
I slipped into Lachlan’s office and shut the door behind me.
“Zoe, what’s up?” I answered.
“I wanted to give you a heads up that Entertainment Now is running a story about your relationship with Brodie.”
“Those rumors have circulated since the concert,” I countered.
“Yes, but my source claims they have intimate photos of you and Brodie together, which they’ll be posting online shortly. And they’ve dug into your background. I have to inform Greg, but I wanted you to know first.”
My stomach sank. “I’m not sure if we should make any comment at this point.”
“We’re better off getting in front of it sooner rather than later. Control the narrative, remember?”
