Page 20 of Out of the Shadow

I walk away to let him do some final cramming. King’s smarter than I originally gave him credit for. He might even make a good real estate agent, given how he handled Abbey today.

But the fact that he knows Poppy—flies in her set—gives me pause. No. He might have been relatively pleasant today, but a broken clock is right twice a day.

I need to keep King Hunte at arm’s length.

King

I REST MYhead against the headrest of my car and exhale. Thank God the NY state test is over. That test was hard. Some of the questions were crazy, but I think I passed. I better have—I bet Angie will try to replace me if I failed.

Sitting in the parking lot of Russo Real Estate, I look around the side of the building and take in the ocean lapping at the sand down the way. Even though we’re located on the edge of town, it’s still a gorgeous view.

Acting on impulse, I get out of my car and head toward the boardwalk. I take off my shoes and leave them by the fence next to a couple of pairs of flip-flops, then roll up the bottoms of my pants and walk to the ocean. Being that it’s Memorial Day weekend, it’s already warm out. The water’s not ready for swimming yet, but it’s certainly warmer than the Pacific. I pick up some shells and toss them into the water as I walk, letting the salty air buffet my body.

Overall, I feel proud of what I’ve accomplished so far. When I went out with Angie and Abbey, I felt … alive. Like I could really help someone make a new life. Even though she picked a condo I wouldn’t have chosen, I understood it was her dream. From the beginning, it was obvious she wanted that view—it would make her feel a sense of belonging here in Aroostook in some small way. Abbey is like me, trying to find her place in the world.

Does mine lie in real estate?

Or in television?

The show starts filming in earnest on Tuesday, so I only have this weekend to let loose before all the craziness starts. Maybe I should reach out to Callie, since I had to miss the apartment building’s weekly party last night in favor of some last-minute cramming for this morning’s test.

Realizing I’ve walked quite a few blocks, I turn around and follow the shoreline back toward the agency. The sound of someone calling my name stops me in my tracks.

“I thought that was you! Rumor has it you’ve been here for weeks, King. Why haven’t you come to visit?” Poppy Mayflower wraps her fingers around my triceps. As ever, she’s impeccably dressed in a designer shift dress, her pumps dangling from one hand. Although she’s seven years my senior, you wouldn’t know it given her carefully maintained body and some artful nipping and tucking.

I smile down at her. “Poppy. So good to see you.”

She gives both of my cheeks air kisses. “Is it true? Are you really here to do that awful show?”

“Now, Poppy, is that anyway to speak to an actor about his upcoming role?”

“But King,” she pretend-pouts, “I told everyone to turn down Let’s Do It! We don’t want our town to be overrun by thenouveau riche.” She shudders like some actress from the forties.

I’m not surprised by her attitude, and not just because Geoff warned me. As her surname implies, her family came over on that first ship and never left Aroostook. Her wealth is seemingly bottomless. She works in real estate not because she has to, but because she wants to control who enters her town. A trait she inherited from her mother, or so I’ve heard.

“You mean like me?” I wink to take away some of the sting of my perceived defection.

“You don’t need to work.” She falls into step with me. “Really, though, I can’t believe you’ve fallen in with that awful Angie Russo. She’s a nobody.” Her voice lowers. “From Brooklyn.”

“I know.” The timbre of my voice matches hers. I didn’t know, actually, nor do I judge Angie for where she’s from. But I’m smart enough to know I need to stay on Poppy’s good side.

She stops. “Why are you doing this to me?”

Her question strikes me as both shallow and obsequious at the same time. She does not need to know about my financial situation, that’s for sure, so I give her a partial truth. “Blaine asked me to help him out, and it sounded like fun.”

“Fine.” She puts her hand to her forehead like she’s auditioning to play Scarlett O’Hara.Oh, brother. “You go have your fun with this little show. Since it’s reality TV, everyone knows it’s fake anyway.” She brushes her blonde hair away from her face, flashing her diamond-encrusted Cartier watch. “I better go. Meeting a client in ten.” She air kisses both of my cheeks again and flounces away.

Shaking my head, I dismiss Poppy and continue back toward the office. I have much bigger fish to fry. Like getting ready for taping on Tuesday. And maybe even helping out with some more of Angie’s clients.

Marlene greets me when I enter the office. Walking to her desk, I kiss her cheek and she taps my shoulder. I kissed her on a whim on my second day, which elicited her reaction—it’s our tradition now. We’ve come a long way since our initial meeting. “How’d it go?”

“I think I did okay. It was tough, though.”

She nods. “So I’ve heard. I’m sure you passed since you were studying like crazy.”

“I hope so.” I sit down at my desk and it hits me. Now that I don’t need to study for the real estate exam, I have absolutely nothing to do—but Iwantto do something other than dicking around on social media. How odd. I didn’t even workout this morning, and I don’t have a burning desire to duck out and hit my free gym trial.

“Hey, King,” Angie says as she enters through the interior door. I’ve seen her use it a few times, but no one else goes that way. It’s one of those little mysteries I find myself thinking about while I twiddle my thumbs. Angie features in a surprising number of them. “Feel good about today?”

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