Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“That’s right,” I replied, warily shaking with her through the open window. “Jace. Nice to meet you.”
“And you! My daughter, Kelly, is in the same class as Zara and she has nothing but wonderful things to say. If you ever want to set up a play date, I’d be happy to have you both over to my house.”
She smiled once again, this time in a weirdly sultry way that made me realise she was flirting. She wore a giant glittering engagement ring and wedding band on her ring finger, so she was obviously married. Then again, some people just liked to flirt. It gave them a little ego boost, but they didn’t really have any intention of doing anything about it.
“Well, that’d be up to Zara,” I told her firmly, but she already had her phone out.
“Can I get your number? That way we can arrange it when we have time in our schedules.”
Right, well, this woman was not getting my phone number. She obviously knew who I was because she had the recognisable eager gleam in her eye that people got when they met someone famous. If I gave her my number, half of Dublin would probably have it before the day was through.
“Do you have Shannon’s number?” I asked, and she nodded. “Well, you can just message her. She normally arranges Zara’s play dates, but like I said, it’s up to Zara if she wants to go. Have a great day!” Her face fell as I quickly rolled up the window and pulled away from the parking spot. As I drove, my phone lit up with a message where it sat in its holder by the dashboard.
The preview filtered across the screen alongside Dixon’s name.
Dixon: I was wondering when the hot moms would start making their moves on you.
Snickering and shaking my head, I flipped up my middle finger and held it for him to see from where he followed behind me. Dixon was a great bloke, but he was a bloody smartarse sometimes.
When I reached Bren’s place, which was where I’d been spending most of my days in between dropping off and picking up Zara, he was ready to show me how he’d designed the soundboard on his guitars. I managed to lose myself in the work for a couple of hours before he asked me how things were going. By the time I finished explaining everything about the catfish, he was staring at me, stunned.
“I used to think I had it hard going through recovery because I had a wife and three kids to provide for,” Bren said. “I can only imagine how tough it is when you have all this fame pressure added on top of it.”
“I’ve learned how to cope with the fame, but the idea of someone out there using my name and image to con people, it just makes everything feel out of my control.”
“And how are you handling that feeling?”
“I’m reminding myself there’s nothing I can do about it. This person could be anyone, anywhere in the world. If they’re a stranger, then it’s going to be like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
Bren studied me a moment, thinking on what I said before he replied, “When things really are outside of your control, there can be a freedom in that. Like you said, if there’s nothing you can do about it, you just have to accept it. My mother used to say, if the worst should happen, accept the worst and move on from there. It’s all you can do.”
Bren’s words stayed with me after I left his place to go pick up Zara. He was right; there was a freedom in acceptance, in trying to make the most of a bad situation.
Dixon had switched out his shift with Isla, who now sat outside watching the street. It was beginning to feel like overkill having a security detail follow me everywhere I went. Maybe Alison was the catfish’s only victim, and despite the fact that she’d gone out of her way to find me, she wasn’t dangerous.
Luckily, there was no sign of Laura Delamare when I picked Zara up after school before heading over to Elias’ place. He had a penthouse apartment in a fancy building just outside the city and was always trying to convince me to buy a place in the same area whenever a unit went up for sale. Before the divorce, Shannon, Zara and I had been living in a rented house because I was constantly travelling back then and buying a place wasn’t even on my radar. As the years wore on I began to feel the desire for a home but the thought of living somewhere on my own didn’t appeal.
Elias buzzed us up when we arrived. He threw open the door to his apartment and swept Zara into a hug. She was in a particularly good mood because she’d gotten the part she’d auditioned for.