Page 3 of A Flighty Fake Boyfriend
“I…did not know that.” He didn’t give the cigarette back “I’m keeping this. You’re not allowed to play with fire right now.”
“Do you always get so involved in your customers’ lives?” I felt like a pitcher who’d gone three and oh with a batter he’d never faced. I meant to brush him back. Change things up. “Or am I special?”
“I meddle all the time. Ask anyone.” As if I needed to. “And also, I think you might be special. You’re staying around here, right? I’ve seen you around.”
“Yeah?” I made the word a question.
He toed the ground shyly. “I hope we bump into each other again.”
“Maybe we will.” I took the drink he offered. “Thanks for this.”
There was no reason I shouldn’t try the drink. It could be drugged. Poisoned, for all I knew. Maybe Bob, Jeremy, Muse was a serial poisoner, and no one would ever know because he only poisoned people who were passing through.
I pulled out of the Bistro parking lot and headed back to the highway. A tentative sip of the drink told me it was delicious. Mango and yogurt. What was not to like about that combination? Plus, instead of roiling around after it went down, it quenched the nausea building inside me.
Even if the waiter was a serial poisoner, his drink did the trick in the meantime. I’d take it. If I keeled over later, it was almost worth the price.
* * *
The main reasonI’d stopped in St. Nacho’s at all was to visit my friends Daniel and Cam Livingston. We’d known each other for ten years—ever since Daniel had become interested in supporting StolenLives in the fight against human trafficking. He’d reached out to my boss, Lila Newcastle to learn more, starting out as a benefactor and becoming a very good friend. Since then, he’d divorced, come out as gay, and married Cameron Rooney. I’d broken up with Luis. Things had changed for both of us, but we’d remained close.
Their house sat just outside Santo Ignacio. As soon as I pulled into the driveway, I was greeted by three dogs and a goat. Their miniature horse stared at me from inside its little paddock.
Daniel had taken well to life in his adopted home. He and his firefighter husband were so in love you could write epic poetry about it. Understandable, because Cam was as gorgeous as he was sweet and caring. I couldn’t be happier for them.
I’d arranged to stay with them for a few days before driving the rest of the way to Santa Barbara to meet my plus-one. Dan worked from home, so I normally found other things to do while he was busy.
I stepped inside and noticed again how homey Dan and Cam’s place looked. The house he’d shared with his ex-wife had been sleek and modern and—I privately thought—ice cold.
This new Ralph Lauren adjacent country elegance suited the Daniel Livingston I knew much better.
“Have a seat. I was just about to get some coffee.” Dan wore jeans and a button-down. He still looked as elegant as he had when his suits were bespoke. He had dark hair and serious brown eyes in a handsome face. Since I’d known him when he was married to his ex, BreeAnna, I never saw him as anything but a friend, but I often wished I had someone like him. Intelligent and kind. Dedicated.
I cleared my throat. “No thanks.”
“I feel like hell this morning,” said Dan. “Note to self: Ryan Winslow’s idea of a bar crawl is madness.”
“I’m hungover as fuck,” I admitted. “I drink too much. It’s habit. I drink coffee to stay awake and liquor to wind down.”
“You think you have a problem?”
“I think I will if I don’t do a little more to protect my health. Our favorite server at Bistro accosted me with this today.” I held up the drink. “You’re not the first to tell me I look like hell.”
“I think it’s going to be a theme if there are people who know you at Luis’s wedding.”
I shrugged.
“What’s got you so messed up?” he asked. “The wedding or work?”
“I’m always messed up about work, but yeah. This wedding’s fraught with anxiety. Luis and I are playing chicken. I doubt the invitation was sincere, but I couldn’t refuse because I don’t want him to think his marriage bothers me.”
“Does it?”
I hesitated. “I’m glad he found what he’s looking for.”
“But…?” Dan knew me so well.
“But his fiancé is a barrister specializing in international law and human rights. He’s dedicated, invested in his work, but has somehow made time for a personal life. It’s as if Luis is saying, ‘This could have been you if you weren’t defective.’”
