Keller gasped, flinging himself next to me. “She’s giving me intense Aquarius vibes. Is she an Aquarius?”
“Naturally.” She was an Aries, but it was basically the same thing.
I told him about Hera’s deplorable behavior, omitting the part where the groom had assaulted me. I liked Keller a lot, but I didn’t fully trust him. Not with my truth, anyway. Then I told Keller about my hookup with Ransom, again neglecting all the parts that left me feeling too exposed. I didn’t tell him how much it had meant to me. Falling apart in someone else’s arms. Just that it happened, and that Ransom was not game for a repeat.
“But he seemed into it the night he insisted on sharing a bedroom with you.” Keller munched on the tip of a tortilla chip. “Right?”
“Right.” I moved uncomfortably, taking a sip of my soda. He didn’t have the full context of the situation, the way Ransom had also saved me from Craig’s abusive hands, so he didn’t get the whole picture. “But I think it was just a moment of weakness on his part. We were at my parents’, and everything just…simmered.”
“Once a weakness, always a weakness.” Keller shook his head. “All he needs is a little push in the right direction. Who wouldn’t want to do you? I mean,Iwould. You’re super hot.”
I smiled, reaching to squeeze his hand. “How are things at Main Squeeze?”
“Oh. Fine. You know. The holiday season is upon us, so I’m waiting for people to gain weight so they’ll start their crash diets.” He hopped off of my bed, sauntering to my window to light up his joint. “That’s what I’m capitalizing on. Other people’s misery. Making a living is such a tedious job, Hal, let me tell you.”
I leaned back on my satin pillow, braiding a lock of my hair absentmindedly. “You can always take a break if it’s too much.”
“And who’d run Main Squeeze?” Keller perched his ass on the windowsill, pushing the rolled cigarette between his lips.
“I don’t know, hire a manager?”
Keller smiled lovingly at me. “Oh, Hal-Pal, I do love you.”
Maybe he did, but he also patronized me constantly, and I didn’t know why. Keller couldn’t possibly run an actual business by himself, right? That was a thing only grownups did.
“Hey, Hal.” Keller frowned, looking out my window as he lit up his joint. In front of him sprawled the stunning view of the Hollywood Hills and my neighbors’ Olympic pool. “There’s a strange car sitting in the back of your neighbors’ driveway.”
“Strange how?” I yawned.
“Strange…like, there’s a person in the passenger’s seat taking photos ofmethrough the window.”
I jumped out of bed, charging toward the window. Shoving Keller aside, I saw a huge, black Escalade parked in front of my neighbors’ garage. A man was sitting in the passenger seat, taking pictures of my window, his face hidden by the huge smartphone he was holding.
My nostrils flared.
“Can you see his license plate?” I tugged my phone out of my pocket, taking pictures of the guy, just in case. Where was Ransom? How did he not see this?
“Nope.” Keller frowned, grabbing his phone. “Let me go to the spare bedroom and see if I can take a picture of it from a better angle.”
“Thanks.”
While Keller tried to get the license plate, I ran toward Ransom’s room. He wasn’t there. I heard the water running in the bathroom next to it. So this was why he hadn’t seen that car. I pounded on the door, my lungs scorching with fear.
Who were these people?
What did they want?
Was this why Ransom didn’t want us to go back to Los Angeles? But it made no sense. I’d never had anyone follow me before.
The bathroom door swung open. Ransom was standing there, condensation rolling off of his glistening, muscular chest and shoulders. He had a small towel wrapped around his waist.
“Sweet Jesus,” I heard Keller groan behind my back. “The man is unreal.”
“What is it?” Ransom demanded, ignoring Keller.
“There’s a suspicious car parked right in front of my bedroom window. And some jackass inside it took pictures of me just now.”
He shouldered past me without another word.