Page 48 of Butter My Biscuit

“Wait.” I almost see the cogs spinning in her brain. “Did you two kiss in Houston?”

Immediately, my cheeks heat and give me away. Dammit.

I try to act unaffected, but it’s nearly impossible. I’m a bad actress, and everyone in town knows it.

She leans across the counter and whispers, “Oh my God, youdid.”

“You’d better not tell anyone. It was a joke. Do not feed the rumors about us.”

I keep my voice low and look over my shoulder, making sure no one else can hear our conversation. There are three other journalists in the office, plus our boss. The last thing I need is this spreading throughout the office because gossip always makes its way around town.

Something said in passing can easily get inflamed into something it’s not. There is no stopping a runaway train when drama is involved.

“Your secret is safe with me, but tell me, has the Kiss of Death started to work?”

“I’m completely immune,” I say, something I’ve been repeating since the moment our lips crashed together. “Are there any planets in retrograde right now? Everything feelsstrange.”

“Nope,” she singsongs as she walks to her desk. “I knew my reading was right.”

“What reading?” I get up and follow her as she logs in to her computer.

“The love tarot reading I did for Harrison when I guessed that you and your boyfriend broke up.”

My jaw clenches. “You’re too good at this.”

“At what?” She types away and then looks up at me.

“Getting information out of people.”

“As easy as squeezing juice outta oranges. It’s why I became a journalist. Plus, I’ve had lots of siblings to practice on over the years.” She looks up at me. “I heard about your roommate.”

I shake my head. Nothing is private here. “Who told you?”

“Vera saw Julia moving furniture out of your condo on Saturday.”

Vera is the youngest Valentine sibling. She just turned seventeen and graduates from high school in June.

That’s the thing about small towns—someone is in your business without even trying. That’s just how it is. Most of us try to keep our business to ourselves, but you just gotta assume someone saw something. And people talk.

I sigh.

“So, whatcha gonna do?”

“I need to find a roommate by the end of the month, or I’ll have to move back home with my mom. Something I cannot do.” I keep my voice low.

Kinsley stops typing. “You know, I think Remi is looking for a place.”

Remi Valentine is a year and a half younger than me and Harrison. She’s also twins with Colt. There are a total of ten Valentine kids—Beckett, Kinsley, Harrison, Remington, Colt, Fenix, Emmett, London, Sterling, and Vera. I’ve hung out with all of them throughout the years.

“Really?” This is the best news I’ve heard all week because we get along so well.

“Yeah, she said she wanted to move out of my parents’ house after the start of the year. Maybeshemanifested this.” Kinsley claps her hands together. “Want me to ask? We have a lunch date, and I can chat with her then.”

“Please. She would be perfect. We don’t hang out like we used to, but we’ve always gotten along.”

“Yeah, you two would be lucky to have each other as roomies. I’ll keep you updated. Put some feelers out there,” Kinsley says.

Debbie enters, wearing dark glasses over her face, and her hair is a mess. Kinsley and I both give her a look as she sits at her desk. She’s worked at the newspaper for decades and knows everything about everyone. The woman also takes no shit from anyone, not even our boss.

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