Page 17 of Wildly Inappropriate

“I picked up some coffee and scones from the coffee shop for us,” Izzy says, moving back to her desk before handing me a to-go coffee cup like the absolute queen she is.

“Oh, this is just what I needed,” I moan as the first splash of coffee hits my bloodstream. Taking in the lack of branding on the side of the stark white cup, I say, “I guess when you are the only coffee shop in town, you don’t have to have your logo on your cup.”

“Wild Brews gave it up a few years ago now. Much cheaper this way,” Becca responds. “Plus, everyone just refers to it as ‘the coffee shop,’ so why bother?” She shrugs her shoulders before continuing, “How is your morning going? How’s the house?”

“Great!” I force a smile onto my face.

“Really?” asks Izzy. “Because word on the street is that JT Johnson is also staying out at Jameson’s place. And if I remember Phoenix correctly, there’s a lot of…tension…between the two of you.”

“Ugh.” I let out a groan and sink into my new office chair, taking a sip of coffee to steel myself. “How can you possibly already know that? I just got off the phone with Bryn.”

Izzy laughs. “Oh, you poor, naïve newbie. This is Wild Bluffs. I don’t need Bryn for this information, though, if we’re being honest—which I always like to be—she told us you might both end up staying out there like a week ago. No, we ran into Mary at the coffee shop this morning.”

Becca must notice the confused look on my face, because she says, “Mary is the manager and concierge out at WBCC. I guess JT got lost on his way last night and had to call for directions.”

I giggle and file that away to torture JT with later.

“Sooo?” Izzy asks.

I drop my head into my hands. “It’s so much worse than you could possibly imagine.”

“Oooo. This sounds juicy. Tell us everything,” Becca says, settling back into her chair behind her desk. Izzy does the same, and I notice the three desks are situated so the occupants can easily see and chat with each other, the computer screens positioned to offer a view between them.

“Oh, it’s my first day of work. I don’t think I should be exposing all my deepest, darkest secrets.”

“Now I know it’s juicy,” Becca says.

“You don’t work for us,” Izzy adds. “Not that that would stop us from prying into your personal life, but we would feel worse about it.”

“We aren’t prying, Iz,” says Becca. “If she doesn’t want to tell us, she definitely doesn’t have to.”

I know I shouldn’t tell them about JT and me. We are way too connected, and they literally just demonstrated how fast gossip moves in this town. But, at the same time, Elise is also just starting her new job, so I’m not sure when we are going to be able to debrief this whole JT thing. I feel like if I don’t tell someone, I’m going to explode. And, based on the way Jameson and Bryn have been acting toward each other lately, Izzy and I are essentially sisters-in-law in everything except name.

Still. “I don’t know…”

“Fine,” says Izzy. “I won’t pressure you. But just know, if you do want to talk about anything, like, say, the fact that you and JT disappeared for a while at the same time in the bar in Phoenix but then acted like you hated each other when you came back, Becca and I actually can keep a secret. We can gossip with the best of them, but if we are ever told something is a secret, our lips are sealed.”

I take a deep sip of my coffee and then look at my watch. I arrived fifteen minutes early today, so I should have enough time to at least give them the highlights. But where to start?

“Well…if you’re sure you can keep it a secret?”

“Of course,” says Becca. Izzy pantomimes locking her lips and throwing away the key.

“Well, to really understand, you have to start a lot farther back. JT and Jameson knew each other when they were playing in Juniors and then both ended up joining the same college team. They became inseparable, and Jameson would invite JT home every holiday and any time we were having a party or some family event. He’s been to every Thanksgiving of ours for the last ten years.”

“Does he not have parents around?” asks Becca.

Izzy shushes her. “That’s a question for a different day, Beccs!”

“They are both still around,” I say, answering her question anyway. “They are just…different from my parents or the Harpers. They…” I trail off, unsure how to describe the complicated relationship between JT and his parents. “...have different priorities, I guess.”

“Okay, now wehaveto dig into that later,” Izzy says. “But for now, keep going. We are like ten years away from the juicy details.”

“Well, long story short, JT and I became friends too. He was around at every holiday, and he would let me tag along with him and Jameson even if I was four years younger than them and a very mediocre golfer. And sure, I had a little girl crush on him, but who wouldn’t? I mean, you’ve seen the man. They’ve literally published articles about how good-looking he is.”

Becca nods her agreement, but Izzy shrugs. “I see his appeal, but the blonde surfer boy look has never really done it for me.”

I gape at her with wide eyes and notice Becca doing the same.

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