Page 15 of The Fangirl and the Grump

“Seattle. I’m a Cursed fan. Eight weeks,” I answer each question in order.

She’s taking a bite and nearly chokes during that last bit. Coughing to clear her throat, she stares at me with wide eyes. “Eight weeks?”

“It’s a long, complicated story,” I say on a sigh.

“I’ve got time,” she quips, waggling her eyebrows as she takes another bite.

Setting my sandwich back down on its plate, I grab a napkin from the dispenser in the center of the table and wipe the greasy butter from my hands. Biting my lip, I stare at her for a long moment. She just watches me right back, patiently waiting for me to spill my guts.

“What the hell,” I mumble.

I’ve got nothing to lose by telling her, and it might actually make me feel better to talk to someone about it. Someone neutral who’ll just listen.

“I came here with my friends,” I say frowning on that last word. Clearing my throat, I go on. “They know how much I love the Cursed movies, and thought a weekend here would cheer me up after my life went to shit.”

“What happened?” she asks before biting into her sandwich.

“I got dumped,” I explain. “And since his brother was my boss and my ex got me the job at the firm, I got fired, too. All in the same day.”

“Shit,” she says, drawing out the word into two distinct syllables.

“Exactly,” I say. “Anyway, my friends aren’t into the movies like I am, but they sucked it up for me. Well, sort of. Madison and Sloan were kind of bitchy about it the whole time. Pressley was okay about it, I guess.”

“Those are your friends?” she asks when my words trail off.

“They were. At least, I thought they were.”

“Uh-oh,” she says, leaning forward and propping her elbows on the table. “What happened?”

“Long story short,” I say, “we got drunk Saturday night at the lodge, and they accidentally let it slip that Madison has been sleeping with my ex…formonths.”

I’m actually not so certain it was an accidental slip, but I don’t feel like taking a deep dive into that viper pit just yet.

“You’re fucking kidding me, right?” Willow snaps, anger evident in her expression.

“I wish I were,” I say softly. “But do you want to know the worst part?”

“It gets worse?”

“Theyknew,” I say, and my eyes start to sting. “Sloan and Pressley knew the whole time it was going on, and they didn’t tell me. They kept Madison’s dirty little secret for her and let it go on for months while I was blissfully unaware.”

“Fuck, Keegan. I’m so sorry. That’s really shitty.”

“Thanks,” I say, sniffing loudly before taking another bite of my croissant sandwich. “Fuck, that’s good.”

I say those words with the food still in my mouth, and Willow laughs.

“Glad you like it,” she says, then straightens. “Subject change. Where are you staying? I know it’s hard to find a place that’s not booked for two months straight.”

“Lycan Lodge,” I answer after washing the bite down with some coffee.

Willow tilts her head and smiles. “That’s my brother’s place.”

I freeze, my eyes wide. “Wolf Daddy is your brother?”

Bright laughter peals out of her, then she shakes her head. “Please don’t let him hear you call him that. He hates it.”

“Too late,” I murmur, ducking my head as my cheeks heat.

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