Page 33 of Falling for the Enemy

The condolence didn’t sound rehearsed. She shared that she lost her grandmother the summer before last, and for a moment her polished exterior showed something real underneath. Wren’s brow softened as a soft, empathetic pout transformed her face.

Jocelyn’s gaze lowered as the conversation seemed to thicken around them. He could only register her discomfort.

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one.

Olivia stepped closer. “I’m sorry, I missed who you were. Jacqueline, was it?”

Her eyes narrowed. “It’s Jocelyn.”

“Jocelyn’s a famous author,” Wren proudly informed. “Maybe you heard of her. Jocelyn Collins?”

“Oh.” Both women’s faces lit with interest. “What do you write?”

“Viking smut,” she said with little inflection.

“Viking…smut?” Neither woman seemed to know how to respond.

Soren was suffering some sort of out-of-body experience.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you. I can’t say I’ve ever met a famous author.” Olivia laughed as if tickled by the experience.

Jocelyn’s nose momentarily scrunched as if sniffing a soggy diaper, then a fake smile overtook her face. “I’m just your average small-town celebrity. Is that Shalimar I smell?”

Fuck.

Olivia smiled. “It is.”

Jocelyn’s lips twisted into the tightest smirk. “I thought I recognized it.”

He met Greyson’s stare and gave a slight shake of his head. His brother was the only one who knew about him and Jocelyn, but it wasn’t like they penpalled about it. Grey caught them creeping out of the powder room at his dad’s funeral a year and a half ago and never said another word about it. For all his brother knew, that little foray was good and buried.

But then Wren looked at him with concern, and he had the sinking suspicion that his brother wasn’t the secret keeper he’d once been. Or maybe Jocelyn had told her. They were best friends, after all.

Suddenly feeling very exposed, he cleared his throat. “Well, we were just heading out.”

“We?” Olivia’s eyes dropped to King’s leash and widened when she realized it was connected to his hand. “Soren, you never mentioned having a dog. She’s beautiful.”

“It’s a he. King. And I just adopted him.”

“Oh, how exciting. Are you going to breed him?”

“No, he’s fixed.”

“Like his master,” Jocelyn muttered under her breath, quiet enough that Olivia missed it.

“I have to head home and get him settled.”

“Of course.” Olivia brushed a manicured hand across his forearm. “I’ll see you tonight.” He froze as she rose to press a kiss on the corner of his mouth, very aware of the others watching. “Come along, Mother. I see the florist has the peonies you like.”

As they walked away, a bowling ball rolled in the pit of his stomach. He slowly turned to face the others.

Jocelyn’s stare locked on a group of strangers to their right, expression unreadable.

Wren cleared her throat. “You know, I think my feet are hurting, Grey. We should head back.”

Soren muttered a goodbye as his brother and Wren disappeared into the crowd. Jocelyn was still staring at the group of strangers.

“Sorry about that,” he finally said.