Page 100 of Extended Bridge

Clearly.

He focuses on me. “Your clinic is also in the news. I assume you know about the graffiti incident?”

Bennett squeezes his own left thigh. “The spider?”

“Court and I have everything under control. She had the wall repainted and we put out a press release.”

Luke adds, “Which didn’t contain the fallout.”

I remember being too distracted to open Court’s second text—the one she sent after reporting about the local paper picking up our press release. “What do you mean?”

“Black Widow spiders now are painted on the sidewalks outside both of your At Your Service PT clinics. This time with sayings beneath them.”

My hand flies in front of my face. “Michelle. I guess we were too clever in our press release.” My shoulders slump. “We should have outed her as the culprit.”

“Perhaps.” Luke reads something on his cell. “Have to hand it to you, though. Creating a contest for T-shirt slogans about spiders was an excellent idea. However, Michelle”—he glances at me for confirmation of her name—“only took it as an added challenge.”

I’m speechless. I have to get back there and deal with my business while I still have one to handle.

Bennett shifts forward in his seat, addressing his manager. “How serious is this?”

“Not going to lie, it’s more than annoying but less than a fatal crash.”

Well, there’s that. I find my voice. “We’ll fix it.” No other choice.

Luke returns his attention to the lead singer. “Your collective problems are now the band’s problems. This is a UC crisis.”

Bennett’s hand fists on top of the ice pack. “How many times do I have to tell you that I wasn’t the father?”

“Do you have anyone to back you up?”

“What? That I wasn’t sleeping with Lissa back then?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

The room goes still.

“It was high school. It’s not like I’m still in touch with any of those people. I wasn’t even close with them when we were in class together.” His green eyes search the ceiling for answers.

“Fine. If not them, how about your mother? Would she be able to vouch for you?”

A humorless laugh falls from his lips. He opens and closes them several times, causing empathy to rise up in me. I answer for him. “Every mother believes the sun rises and sets on her child. No one would believe her.”

Bennett and I share a glance. Luke exhales loudly. “You’re right. C’mon, B, you must have had friends back then.”

“My best friend back then was Curtiss. The jerk Lissa referenced on the show today.”

Luke cracks his knuckles. “All right. We’ll think of something. Maybe do research into the hospital she must’ve gone to with the miscarriage. Perhaps we can get the records.”

“Not with medical privacy laws.” My physical therapy training comes in handy sometimes. “You might be able to get something out of the staff. Off the record, of course.”

Luke’s coffee-colored gaze impales me, before moving to Bennett. “Keep thinking about witnesses.”

“What about the bullshit that Jenna’s breaking up the band? I hate that she’s being portrayed as the enemy.” Bennett reaches over and squeezes my hand.

The manager semi-smiles at our joined hands. “I can handle it.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” I reply.

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