Page 48 of The Lies of Bryn van Doren

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Miah shakes her head and stares, as if in awe, her previous conversation all but forgotten. “Jessica Chapman,” she breathes.

The way she says her name makes Jessica’s nose tingle, the only warning she needs to know she’s on the verge of tearing up. She swallows hard and bites the side of her lip, willing herself not to cry. It’s been a long time.Toolong. In a single stare, with not a word spoken, the two women say as much.

“Get this girl signed in, Dave,” she insists, not even bothering to look at Dave. Jessica assumes she’s referring to the man standing hunched in front of the computer, but she doesn’t look away from Miah to confirm. “On the house today.”

Snapping out of her trance, Jessica pulls away from Kierra and replies, “Oh, no, Miah. I’m—”

“On the house, gorgeous,” she semi-repeats, arching a demanding eyebrow. “Pay your way next time. Andnext timeI want you in my contemporary class. Andnext timebetter not be two years from now, you hear?” she asks, pointing a finger at her.

This time, at the threat of tears, Jessica’s only chance at combatting the excess moisture is to blink as fast as she can.

“Yes, ma’am,” she murmurs.

“Good,” says Miah with a wink.

When Kierra loops her arm around Jessica’s elbow, pulling her toward the main studio space, she leans over and whispers in her ear, “Welcome back, Jess.”

An hour and a half later, Jessica is covered in sweat, her whole body burning with the awareness of how out of shape she is; but she can’t remember the last time she felt so exhilarated. After signing up for Miah’s contemporary class late Wednesday afternoon, she leaves the studio with Kierra feelingjittery.

“Kierra—that feltso good.”

“Hell yeah, it did,” she replies on a chuckle. “Hey, how about a smoothie? That spot a couple blocks from here?”

“I’d love that.”

No sooner are the words out of her mouth than Jessica’s phone begins to ring from inside her purse. As they start toward the smoothie place, she pulls out the device to see who’s calling.

“It’s Stefano. Sorry, I’ll just be a sec.”

“No worries,” Kierra assures her with a single shoulder shrug.

“Huey, guess where I just came from?” she asks, almost breathless.

He pauses for a beat and then says, almost reverently, “Miah’s.”

Giggling, Jessica smiles at Kierra and replies, “Yeah. How’d you know?”

“Only one thing makes you that happy, dove. And—fuck—I don’t want to rain on your parade, but…”

“But what?” she asks, her smile slipping a little at his tone.

“Mr. Morgan. He’s requested you. Tonight. Eight o’clock.”

Unintentionally, her feet move at a slower pace as her entire body reacts to Stefano’s statement. Her post-class jitters are burned up as a different kind of heat courses through her body. She directs her gaze down at the sidewalk on which she treads, grateful for the exertion of the last hour, for it all but masks her blush at the thought of being with Godrik again.

He still wants me, she thinks as her stomach tingles.

She doesn’t want to read into her excitement. She doesn’t want to think thatexcitementat the possibility of another night in his arms is what she feels, as if the guilt of her actions is nothing more than a memory already forgotten. She doesn’t want to read into what it all means, so she doesn’t. Not yet.

Clearing her throat, she murmurs, “Okay. I’ll—I’ll be there.”

“You’re sure? You can say no, Jess.”

She bites her lip, unable to ignore the fact thatnonever crossed her mind.

“I’ll be there,” she repeats.

“Clandestine’s new legend,” he whispers before he disconnects.

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