Page 55 of Green Flag
“Get out, get out, get out,” I muttered. The palm of my hand wasn’t harsh enough, so I thudded my forehead against the door instead and groaned.
He brushed my hair back off my shoulder, pulling my attention to him and he kissed my cheek. “It’s been a pleasure to be your friend, Everly. Don’t be a stranger when you come back.”
“I won’t,” I said and lifted on my tiptoes to kiss him on the mouth. A simple, less-than-a-second peck.
But when I opened the door to let him out, looking left and right, the lift doors pinged open — and out stepped a flash of pastel pink and perfect posture. Livie. Fuck.
“Shit,” I cried and went to close the door, but we’d made eye contact, and she waved, telling me to wait.
My stomach sank. There was only one reason she might speak to me. I was already out of the job. So… someone at the trailer park had told her of my snooping.
I swallowed and plastered on a fake smile.
“Livie’s outside,” I muttered through it and stepped in front of the door, shooing Luca behind me.
“Hey, Everly,” she said with a bright smile. She was so pretty and proper, it hurt. Everything matched — from her white trainers with the pink stripes down to her pink coat.
“Hey,” I said and gestured to her attire and overnight bag. “Been anywhere nice?”
The bag was suddenly behind her. “I was coming to find you.”
Right.My brows rose.
Her room was three down from mine on this corridor. She didn’t need a coat or a bag to say hey.
I’d been so damn close. Bella had told me more details about the plane searches; she was sure someone else was continuing Pedro’s drug dealing. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was never his or that the real criminal was my father.
I wrung my hands, pulling on each of my fingers with more force than was pleasant, relieving some of the itch in my palms.
“The song you posted,” she started, but I already had to stop her.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted. “I should have told you before I posted it. That was reckless of me.”
She shrugged, tilting her head from side to side as she considered. “Maybe. I would appreciate the heads-up next time. But it’s okay because it worked. Listen,” she said, leaned in and lowered her voice. “Between you and me, we have a documentary being filmed next month for StormSprint, and we’ll be heavily featured. I went to them with your song and, well, they loved it. They want to use it as promotion and — I don’t want to get your hopes up — but your dad mentioned using it as the intro song and one of the producerslovedit.”
My mouth parted and I could hardly see her chuffed smile as I blinked so frequently. “What?”
“So they want you in the studio to record it properly,” she said with a nod. “No rush on that. Filming starts next month and it’s not scheduled to be released until Summer of next year.”
“You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
Luca snickered behind me and I coughed to try and cover the noise.
She became all business, smile gone, straight-faced. “I’ve already looked into it. We’re in Florida at the end of the season.I’ve made some calls and it looks like studio time then could work out. That is only if you wanted to make a full song out of it.”
“Yeah,” I said quickly. “No, of course.” I paused, my frown growing. “We’rein Florida?”
She nodded slowly. “The last race of the season. First week of January.”
“But I thought I wasn’t… I thought you’d replaced me.”
Her eyes widened and she dropped the bag behind her. “Oh god, Everly, no. I would be explicit if that were the case. Your dad pushed for the job to go back up. But I was going to talk to you about applying. Then you could get the permanent contract so he could shut up. If you’re ever worried about your job, come to me.” She sighed, glancing up at me through her lashes. “But, again, why would you when I was such a bitch? I’m sorry about the other week. I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you. I know you only wanted to help Luca and… who wouldn’t, hey? He’s such a little charmer.” She smiled softly. “I’ve just… I’ve got a lot going on in my personal life and — it’s no excuse, don’t get me wrong — I’ve let it get on top of me a little. The inquiry is taking up more of my time than I’d initially expected.” Her cheeks pinkened and she shook her hair back. “What I’m tryingand failingat saying is welcome aboard.”
She offered her hand for me to shake. Even they were soft in the fleeting time I held one.
“I’ve really enjoyed being back,” I told her, leaning against the door frame, hoping she hadn’t caught Luca’s noise.
