Page 98 of Forking the Billionaire

She tapped her chin then poked me an inch from where she’d touched me before. “Which house is this one?”

I looked down. “Gladys.”

A smile crept across her face. “No.”

“Yep.”

“And this one?” She slid her finger slightly up, causing a shiver to carry up my neck.

“Constance.”

“And these are the names of houses?”

“Yep.”

“That’s weird. You’re weird.” Her voice and her expression both brimmed with affection.

“Any more questions?”

“Not right now.”

As I pulled my shirt the rest of the way down, Esme turned the flashlight of her phone to the opening between rooms. We headed that way together.

Debris covered the floors, and as much paint had peeled from the walls as what remained, but as we checked out the ruins, every indication suggested this place still had good bones. I checked for safety at every turn. If we reached any point where the floors or supports were questionable, I’d put an end to our exploration.

A text dinged in my pocket. I ignored it.

“Shouldn’t you check that?” Esme asked.

“I don’t want to.”

Esme shrugged. “What if it’s important? It could be an emergency.”

I checked my phone.

Marc: Plumbing repairs are complete. Delivery mix-up on the bathroom countertop. Glad you’re coming back at the end of the week. I hate soloing.

“It’s not an emergency,”I told Esme. “Work stuff.”

“Guess you could have skipped checking.”

My thumbs hovered over the screen. A pang of guilt landed in my chest. I’d need to make this up to Marc with a big fat bonus when I got back. I locked my phone and slid it back into my pocket. “Yep.”

We followed an empty hall to a lobby that was similar to the one in the current resort, except for the fact that all of the furnishings were torn up and broken, and the entire area smelled like mildew.

“Oh, I almost forgot. My friend Sage definitely knows something about the biscuit bandit and the soap opera star,” Esme said. “She got all weird when I brought it up.”

“Do you think she’s protecting Stan?”

“Nah. Hmmm. Maybe?”

“Are they friends?”

“Everyone is friends with Sage. So yes.”

“The kind of friend who would cover for a cookie thief?”

“Definitely. She tried to get me to spit in someone’s drink.”

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