Page 53 of Ever With Me

She got into the driver’s seat, then turned on the car.

Another voice, different from the one urging her to spill, went through her brain as she stared at the car seat Brooks had installed the evening before.

Don’t do it, Maddie.

Naomi opened the passenger side and climbed in. “What in the hell is going on?”

She had to tell her. Eventually, it was going to come out. Maddie wasn’t capable of keeping this sort of thing from Naomi.

“You know Brooks Kent?”

Naomi looked bewildered. “As in the rock star?”

“Yeah.” She drew a deep breath, her fingertips shaking. “He’s the one who crashed into our place.”

“What?” Naomi’s voice reverberated in the closed quarters.

“On Sunday morning. He was coming down Main Street, swerved to avoid hitting a deer, and crashed into the store.”

“You’re joking.”

Maddie shook her head, not really feeling as good about telling the truth as she’d hoped she would. “I wish I was.”

“I don’t understand.” Naomi blinked at the dash, her face drained of color.

“So he crashed into the Depot, then begged me not to call the police but promised to pay for the damages, and I made a deal with him that I wouldn’t . . . and now he’s going to play in the fair for us. Ta-da.” Her weak attempt to end on the good news clearly didn’t land as Naomi lifted confused eyes at her.

“I—” She tilted her head. “What?”

“He’s in town. Or, really, at the lake. Cormac Doyle invited him to hang out here for the week.”

“Wait, isn’t he in jail?” Naomi took out her phone, googling his name. “Yeah. Nice try, Maddie. Brooks Kent was arrested on Saturday night near Baltimore.”

Maddie closed her eyes. This wasn’t going to go well, she was sure of it. Better than if she’d waited, maybe, but not well. “Yeah, I know,” she breathed. “That’s why he didn’t want me calling the police. He got out on bail and then drove here. If you don’t believe that he’s here, ask Logan. Cormac invited us over to the house where they’re staying on Sunday night.”

Naomi’s face flushed with hurt. “Are you telling me that Logan knows about all this?”

“No!”Oh God.The last thing she wanted was to throw Logan under the bus, especially when he had done nothing wrong. “No. I mean, Logan knows Brooks is in town but not about the wreck.”

“Brooks?” Naomi quirked a finely chiseled brow. “You’re on a first-name basis with that creep now?”

The defensiveness that flared in her stole her breath. “He’s not a creep.”

Naomi lifted her phone. “He was arrested forassault, Maddie.”

“I know, I know. It’s complicated, though.”

Naomi’s eyes widened. “Oh my God.” Her fingertips rose to her lips. “Tell me you’re not sleeping with him, Maddie.”

Now it was Maddie’s turn to feel hurt. She gaped at Naomi. “Are you serious?”

“Why else would you defend him like this? Make a deal? Hell,lie to me.”Naomi glanced back at the car seat. “Is that his? Does he have a kid or something? Wait, is that where you’ve been going? To spend time with him?”

“No! Well, yes, but not because Iwantto spend time with him. He forced me to. Okay, no, so what I mean is . . .” Maddie ran her fingers through her hair. “Okay, so I made a deal with him that I’d give him ten hours of my time if he played at the concert, no questions asked, and . . .”

The look on Naomi’s face was clear: telling her had been ahugemistake.

“It sounds worse than it is.”

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