Page 79 of Such a Good Girl

ChapterTwenty-Five

KAYLEE

The next morning, West texted me.

Pack your favorite swimsuit, sunscreen and your passport.

I’m picking you up in an hour.

I showed the text to Violet, who was in the kitchen with a huge steaming mug of coffee. “How do I say no to this?”

“Why would you say no?”

“Because as sweet as West is, he’s still a suspect. Is leaving the country to some mystery destination with a suspected killer a good idea?”

“He told you to pack sunscreen.” She shrugged.

“So?”

“So, if he planned on killing you, would he care if you got skin cancer or not?”

“Good point.”

“Go! Get laid by a movie star, have fun,” she insisted.

“You make it sound so simple.”

“Isn’t it?”

“It might be if I weren’t lying to him about who I really am.” The guilt was fucking with me. The words West said to me yesterday were still ricocheting through my heart. It was clear that, despite what he’d said earlier about not wanting anything serious, things were deepening between us. The urge to tell him the truth about who I was overwhelmed me, and the fact that I couldn’t act on it was torturous.

“He’s going to find out eventually. May as well have fun before then. And hey, maybe if you build a good, solid foundation now, he’ll be able to forgive you when the truth comes out.”

“Isn’t that just building that foundation on a total lie? Sounds like a recipe for disaster.”

“You don’t really know how things are going to go, do you? So, ride the wave.”

“Ride the wave, huh?”

“Life’s short, Kaylee,” she said. “And just because he doesn’t know what your job really is, doesn’t mean he isn’t getting to know the real Kaylee at the same time.”

Her words rang true and soothed my soul a little.

I texted West back with a smile on my face.

I’ll be ready.

I showered and packed as best as I could without knowing where we were going or how long we’d be gone. The urge to ask questions was strong, but the mystery of the whole thing was thrilling.

By the time West picked me up, my body was pulsing with excitement. I would have gone anywhere with him, I’d decided. I trusted him.

The smile on his face when I opened my front door told me everything I needed to know. As he kissed me hello, his excitement was just as apparent as mine.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” I asked, as he grabbed my bag and led me out to his waiting SUV.

“First to the airport. Then, I thought we’d get away for a little escape. Have you ever been to Mexico?”

“Mexico? No.”

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