Page 108 of Faking It with Mr. Uptight

I closed my eyes, shook my head and left without another word. I couldn't believe Valerie had tried to make a move on me, especially after everything that had happened. It just confirmed what I already knew—that she was trouble, and I needed to stay as far away from her as possible.

As I drove home, my mind raced with possibilities. If Valerie wasn't behind the photo leak, then who was? Natasha was the obvious suspect now, but something about that didn't sit right with me. She was vindictive, sure, but this seemed too calculated and too deliberate for her usual style.

I pulled into the driveway, my heart pounding in my chest as I made my way inside. "Hailey?" I called out, my voice echoing through the empty house. "Are you home?"

Silence except for the ticking of the clock on the wall and the hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen.

I frowned, a sense of unease settling in the pit of my stomach. It wasn't like Hailey to go out without telling me, especially not with everything that had been going on lately. Even when she went over to Amy’s she sent a text.

I checked my phone, hoping to find a message or a missed call from her that I hadn’t noticed before. The screen showed nothing, no sign of where she might be or when she might be back.

After checking the house, I went next door, but Hailey wasn’t there either.

I pulled out my phone again, this time deciding to call Hailey. It rang once, twice, three times before going to voicemail. I cursed under my breath, my fingers trembling as I ended the call.

I tried Molly next, hoping that maybe Hailey had gone to her.

But again, no answer.

Where was Hailey?

33

MOLLY

I was on a mission, a one-woman crusade to track down the she-devil herself: Natasha. I was determined to prove my hunch that she was behind all the chaos and heartbreak that had been swirling around Jake and me like a bad case of food poisoning.

Ok, so my Nancy Drew shtick was going a little private eye, but I didn't care.

When Jake and I parted, he knew I was up to something, but I think he liked the added mystery. He kissed me like we would never see each other again and I’m not going to lie, we were getting pretty good at finding the silver lining of this situation.

I was a little nervous about what I was going to do. The last thing I wanted to do was make things worse for Jake and Hailey, especially if it resulted in anything that would make the court frown on Jake as a responsible parent. I couldn't just sit back and do nothing, though.

I thought back to all the moments that had led me here— the blackmail, the fake dating profile, the leaked photos. It all seemed so surreal, but it was real, and it was happening to us.

Last I knew, Natasha had been renting an Airbnb somewhere between Sycamore Valley and Burlington, the nearest city.

The Rusty Hook, however, was a different story. It was a small, quirky hotel that had seen better days, but still held a certain charm. The exterior was painted a faded red, with a large neon sign that flickered and buzzed, displaying its name in bold, swooping letters. The place had a bit of a retro vibe, like something out of a 1950s postcard.

The hotel boasted a small restaurant and bar that catered mostly to tourists looking for a taste of small-town Americana. It was just outside of town, nestled on the shores of a picturesque lake that gleamed like a silver mirror in the sun. The Rusty Hook was the kind of place where someone might expect to find a group of old-timers swapping fishing stories over a cold beer, or a family of tourists digging into a heaping plate of the hotel's famous fried catfish.

It was an odd choice for someone like Natasha, who always struck me as more of a big-city, high-maintenance type. Then again, I didn't know her very well, and people could always be surprising .

As I pulled into the gravel parking lot of The Rusty Hook, I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. I didn't know what I was going to find inside, but I knew that I had to be ready for anything.

I walked into the hotel, my heart pounding in my chest. The lobby was warm and inviting, with knotty pine paneling and a large stone fireplace that crackled and popped with a welcoming blaze. The air smelled like woodsmoke and fried food, and I could hear the clink of glasses and the low murmur of conversation coming from the bar.

I couldn't appreciate the cozy atmosphere and made a note to myself to come back another time when I wasn’t preoccupied. I was too focused on my mission, too consumed by the need for answers

I made my way to the bar, scanning the room for any sign of Natasha, but she was nowhere to be seen. It was just a smattering of tourists enjoying their drinks and each other's company.

I approached the bartender, a friendly-looking woman with a shock of red hair. "Excuse me, I'm looking for a woman named Natasha Kingsbury. I heard she's been spending a lot of time here lately."

The bartender frowned, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anyone by that name. We get a lot of people in and out of here, though. She could have been here, and I just didn't notice or get a name."

I sighed, a pang of disappointment echoed through me, but I wasn't ready to give up yet. "Is there anyone else who might have seen her? A manager or maybe someone who works in the restaurant?"

The bartender thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "You know, you might want to talk to Lila. She works the front desk, and she's got a memory like a steel trap. If anyone would remember your friend, it's her."

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