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“Also, he’s security. Not like my personalguard or something,” Zara muttered, but it was impossible not tojoin the laughter. Brenna dragged her toward thekitchen-slash-living room of the open-concept house aFitzgerald-picked realtor chose for Zara freshman year.
“Security that follows you around bars.What’s that if not a bodyguard?”
“Dad’s paranoia personified?”
“Whatever he is, you’ve been drooling overhim since I met you.” Brenna smirked. “And don’t look at me like Ihaven’t heard those tequila-soaked confessions about all the thingsyou wanted him to do to you. Which I admit, after seeing him inperson, I fully sympathize with. In fact, you might have been alittle unimaginative because if someone with those lips got me inbed—”
“Stop!” Zara held up her own unremarkablehands. “I surrender. Let me make a drink, and then I’ll tell youeverything.”
“So, he didn’t disappoint?” Brenna hoppedonto a seat at the breakfast bar. “I just opened the wine in thefridge if you want some. It’s sweet.”
“That works.” Zara grabbed a glass, andBrenna slid her own across the counter for a refill. “Anyway, hewas amazing. Perfect? I need a thesaurus because he destroyed mostof my brain cells. I’m gonna be relearning English allweek.”
“Just in time to go home and fuck yourbrains out again?” Brenna sighed, leaning her head on her arm.“Does he have any friends with similar skill sets?”
“Sawyer, probably.” Zara breezed around thebar and into the living area so she could flop down on the worn,oversized Craigslist couch. Brenna didn’t believe in casualconsumption, and Zara liked not asking Dad for furniture money. Shetraced a flaw in the upholstery, picturing one of the scars onDane’s right side. “Hannah snuck around with him for two years.Maybe longer. He must’ve been doingsomethingright.”
“What?” Brenna hopped off the stool andbounced over the sofa, landing next to Zara. “Miss Perfect herself?the Immortal Paragon?Hannah Fitzgeraldwas getting downpre-marriage? And you didn’t sell that shit to thetabloids?”
“Sometimes it’s more fun to gloat thanwin.”
Brenna frowned. “How’d you even find out?She had to be doing that shit so far undercover…”
Zara shrugged. “She probably thinks wedidn’t notice, but Gia is queen of details, and Hannah keptborrowing our clothes. We figured we had a right to find out why.”Plus, they both loved any excuse to sneak out of the house, andgetting busted for going MIA was even sweeter when you came backwith dirt on your insufferably perfect sibling.
They’d filed their proof away for a rainyday, but before they needed it, Hannah broke off the relationship.She’d quietly told the family’s head of Security she didn’t wantSawyer as an escort anymore, and that was that. It hadn’t takenlong to figure out why: Hannah angled a date with Karl van derLinde, the up-and-coming Washington power player (and son of astock market legend). Now it was all Hamptons holidays and privateislands in-between her celebrated piano concerts.Oh, to be themost perfect society heiress Chicago had seen since the Gilded Age,instead of a matched set of scandalous little sisters…They’dnever managed to follow through on using their blackmail. Aftertaking so many hits from Hannah’s bruising perfection, it feltwrong to weaponize it against Sawyer. No matter how much he pissedoff Gia.
“Does your dad know his daughters arebangin’ the help on the regular?” Brenna giggled, but Zara’samusement faded.
“It-it’s not like that. Hannah just…” Shepaused, taking a moment to get the explanation in line. It wasalways hard to explain anything about her older sister withoutthrowing in a frustrated insult or ten. “Anybody she dated, shesnuck around with. She didn’t want to end up in the papers like Giaand me do.”
“Hm. But she didn’t marry Hot SecuritySawyer, did she?” Brenna raised a brow before her eyes focused onZara. “Oh, shit. Sweetie, I’m not commenting on you and Dane. Juston the materialistic bitch sister. Cause you’re not sneaking, areyou?” She coughed. “You already told your dad about this,right?”
“I didn’t plan on it happening this week! Orever. His dad just died! And I went over because Mrs. Mac wassending an army’s worth of food and—”
“Things happened,” Brenna finished. “That’snormal. I hooked up with my ex when my dad died.”
“But you’re right.” Zara downed the entireglass of wine in one go and got up to refill. “Oh my God, I’m justlike Hannah. He had a weak moment, and I pounced. And now I’m indanger of screwing up his job, his life…”
“Hey!” Brenna stopped her with a hug. “Youarenotlike her. Do you think she even considered thefallout of dating an employee? And she probably didn’t start on aweird grief-fucked-up altered state. You are not Hannah!”
“But I really could be. I just let thingsslide under the radar and let Dad sort everything out and…” Zaratrailed off and hugged Brenna back. “I need to call Gia.”
“What’s she going to do? Initiate athreesome?” Brenna gestured to the wine. “Did you have somethingstronger than that on your way here?”
“She’s better at handling Dad. If there’ssome way to talk to him and not have him get pissed off atDane—”
“So, you’re gonna take him on? AdamFitzgerald, uncrowned king of Chicago?” Brenna’s animated featuressmoothed into something far more serious. “You better talk to Danebefore that. You know, in case…”
“In case what?”
Brenna led her back to the sofa. “Okay, Ineed you to sit down. Clearly, that boy did one hell of abrain-spin on you. Here, let me get you that refill.”
“In case what? Brenna!” Zara stared blankly,her already riled stomach clenching unpleasantly. Brenna didn’tanswer until she returned with the promised glass of wine, her own,and the bottle. She put it on the coffee table and settled besideZara.
“Your messages and our little voice chatdidn’t actually say anything about him talking future, Z.” She saidit in the voice a nanny would’ve used to tell them the dog died.“Did you guys say anything else to one another about where this wasgoing? Besides back to the handiest horizontal surface.”
“I…” The words died on her lips. Sheremembered every second of the night together. They ate chocolatecake from the fridge after, then more kisses. So many kisses. Theywent to sleep, she woke up, and he was gone. Then everything rannonstop with summer wardrobe fittings, their clandestine date, andeverything else. No future talk, though. “I said I’d see him thisweekend? H-he said he’d miss me?” It sounded lame even toher.
