Page 117 of Stuck with my Mountain Daddies

She turned her phone toward the truck again.

I sat frozen, nausea crawling up my throat like acid.

She shouldn’t know I was here. What the hell was she doing? She had the spotlight now. What was she trying to achieve by turning it back on me?

“Oh my god,” I whispered again. “She didn’t just happen to find me. She tracked me down.”

Beckett’s jaw clenched. Garrett muttered something furious under his breath, already halfway out of the truck.

I opened the door and stepped out, determined to face her.

But this time, it wasn’t just her.

A crowd had started to form, spilling out along the sidewalk. Locals. A few tourists. Everyone craning their necks, phones already out, trying to get a glimpse of the viral scandal turned soap opera in real time.

The bakery door opened, but I couldn’t tell if Lucy had come out; there were too many people in the way now. The entrance was completely blocked.

“Shit,” I muttered, standing on my toes. “I don’t know if she’s still in there.”

Asher stepped protectively in front of me as someone in the crowd raised a phone.

“Back up,” he said sharply. “Give her space.”

But Ava wasn’t finished. She turned her phone back to herself, flipping her hair like she was on some twisted red carpet.

“You know,” she said, eyes gleaming, “it’s actually kind of perfect that Riley’s hiding out in some backwoods town like this. She was always a small-town girl trying to make it in LA. She didn’t stand a chance, did she? Playing Hallmark Christmas movie suits her just fine. Even if it is a little tragic.”

My stomach twisted.

“So, Riley,” Ireallyhated the camera being back on me. “What do you have to say for yourself, huh? Whatisall of this?”

I blinked. Once. Then again.

Because… wait.

Something about the way she said it. The desperation under all that smugness.

“Why areyouhere, Ava?” I asked. “Really?”

She faltered. Only a flicker. “I’m keeping my followers up to date with drama. You know they love it.”

“No.” I stepped closer. “You don’t drive a thousand miles fordrama when there’s plenty in LA. You knew I was here. Which means you’ve been watching me. Closely.” I tilted my head. “That desperate for clicks these days?”

And just like that, the cracks showed.

Her smile dropped. “That’s rich,” she snapped. “Coming from you.”

“You were the one who posted the clip,” I said quietly. “You’re the one who turned it into a narrative. You wanted me humiliated. You built your following on my downfall. So why are you acting like I did something to you?”

Ava’s phone wavered slightly in her hand, her perfectly glossed lips twitching as if trying to decide whether to sneer or snarl.

“Becauseyoustarted it!” she said, voice rising. “If you hadn’t thrown a tantrum and gone dark, none of this would’ve happened! You don’t get to play victim now.”

I stared at her.

“I left LA because of you. Me going dark has clearly worked out for you. I’ve seen all your brand deals, so what gives? People started to see therealyou or something?”

A muscle jumped in her cheek.

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