Page 87 of The Ex-Best Thing
Zoey laughs. “It’s an adventure.”
“What would you be doing now if you weren’t here?” I ask them.
“Arguing with my mom’s party planner about the engagement dinner,” Zoey says quickly.
“Probably sitting in Dash’s beach house,” Olive mutters.
“This is better than one of those things, at least.”
“Both,” Bree argues. “You’re in a beach house here too, Ollie.”
The Bronco starts up, rumbling loudly through our bodies, and we fall silent. The garage door opens, letting in warm sunlight, and we draw the blanket up over our heads. There’s no knowing what the paparazzi are capable of, and we don’t need them glancing back here and seeing a handful of reality TV stars and a has-been.
Colby backs out of his garage, closing the door behind him,while we all sit there silently. I hear the window roll down, then he shouts. “Got nothing better to do?”
“You know your neighbor?” one of the paps calls back.
A woman shouts. “Have you seen Bree Belacourt leave this house?”
Well, at least now we have confirmation that they think she’s staying with me. We also know Bree’s identity isn’t safe anymore, so I don’t feel as bad about how I had to ruin her cover with Sierra when I called her twenty minutes ago.
Colby must be annoyed. As one photographer to another, he’s always had strong opinions about the subjects of his photographs. “Get a real job,” he calls, pulling onto the street and driving away. “Exploitation isn’t journalism!”
Once we’re on the highway, I relax, pulling down the blanket so we can breathe.
“Where are we heading?” Bree asks.
“Sierra’s house.”
Bree’s head whips toward me, surprise evident. “Why?”
“Did you see her fields of flowers? Colby thinks they’ll make a good background. He also made a great point that she lives up a long driveway, so even if we were followed, you should have privacy shooting on her fields.”
Bree lays there, her brown eyes locked on me. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“Just trying to help.”
She nods softly. “I owe you.”
“No, you really don’t. This is what friends are for.”
There’s a flicker in her expression, almost as if it dulls, before she pulls on her smile again. What was that for? Because I called usfriends? We’re on the same page. We can’t be together, so that’s the most we can be.
But as I look into her eyes, I’m struck with the real truth, deep in my chest: I want more from Bree. I don’t want tojustbeher friend. I don’t want us to part ways when she returns to her life.
I also can’t bear to have paparazzi on my sidewalk for the rest of my life.
At some point, one of these things needs to be sacrificed. I’ve reached a point where I can’t have everything I want.
So which do I want more?
24
BREE
On the way here,Colby mentioned that he and Benny had given Sierra a heads up we were coming, but judging by her chalky white face, he hadn’t actually given her the important details. I can only imagine what shock factor three Belacourt sisters might have on an unsuspecting person. Especially a self-proclaimed fan.
“Anne?” she repeats, blinking at me like she’s trying to find the similarities.
