Page 96 of The Bad Girl List

My hangover the next day is almost as bad as the one I had on my first day of vacation. The only thing that saved me was switching to water once Kevin left.

I lean over to Annika, who sits beside me in the back seat of our family minivan. “Can we stay in tonight and watch movies?”

She snickers. “You mean you don’t want to call Kevin and ask for a do-over?”

I make a face and shake my head.

“I bet he’s good in bed,” Annika says. “You should give him a second chance if he texts you.”

“Maybe.” Kevin had texted me last night. A lot. So far, I hadn’t responded.

In front of us, the aunties are talking about the movie they went to see last night, a romantic comedy. Auntie Helen had figured out that Wednesday was local’s night at the movies, which meant tickets were matinee price all day. From their laughter, I can tell they had a nice time.

Now, we’re on our way to an open space for a hike and a picnic lunch. I’m looking forward to some time outdoors. My sketchbook and pencils are ready.

As my mom parks the car in the parking lot, my phone buzzes with an unlisted number. I answer as my family piles out of the van.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Dominique Chen?” The voice on the other line is deep and somehow familiar, but I can’t quite place it.

“This is her, yes.”

“This is Tim Moretti.”

I pull my phone away from my ear, my finger hovering over the end-call button. Why the hell is Tim Moretti calling me? Would he believe we were disconnected if I just hang up?

“Dom, are you there?”

Not in the mood for Presidio drama, I almost hang up on him. Then I hear him say, “You remember me, right? Trevor’s dad?”

So this call is about Trevor? God, I knew the fake date was going to come back and bite me in the ass. I glance over my shoulder as my family grabs backpacks and puts on sunscreen, wondering how much time I have before one of them comes to get me.

I need to put an end to this. It might screw things up for Trevor, but as far as I’m concerned, our deal is off. Except for last night’s skinny-dipping disaster, he hasn’t done a thing to hold up his end of our agreement. Which means I don’t have to pretend to be his girlfriend anymore.

“Hold on a second.” I get out of the van and go around to the front, keeping my voice low so no one will overhear me. “Tim, I’m not sure if you know this, but Trevor and I aren’t seeing each other anymore. It was never very serious anyway.”

There. It’s done. The lie Trevor and I cooked up has officially been erased.

Silence on the other end of the phone. Did he hang up on me?

“Tim?”

“I’m here, Dom. I have something I’d like to talk to you about in person. Are you free for lunch? I’m in town. I can swing by and pick you up.”

Why the hell does he want to have lunch with me? “I’m actually out with my family right now. We’re about to go on a hike and have a picnic at Parkland Open Space.”

“Great, I’m only five minutes away. I’ll pick you up. Are you at the park entrance?”

“No, Tim, I can’t go to lunch. I’m on vacation with my family.”

“I promise, it will be worth your while.”

“I’m sorry, but–”

“I might have a lead on a job for you.”

That shuts me up. “A–job?” Why does he think I’m looking for a job? Had Trevor told him I’d been fired?

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