Chapter 44

“We’re leaving,” Raemon announced.

“What? No!” Lila exclaimed. “You can’t leave yet!”

“Come now, Raemon,” Mr. Scott said, “we’re sorry about what happened to your assistant. It’s absolutely disgusting someone should go through that.

“You know, it’s so hard to keep the riffraff out of good places. But what can you do?”

“Leave,” Raemon said, “is what I can do.”

Lila threw herself in front of him. “It’s just your assistant! Look at her!” Lila pointed at Octavia.

“She’s fine. There’s no reason for you to leave! Why doesn’t she leave if getting mugged is such a traumatic experience?”

Raemon gave Lila a withering look, one full of enough disdain to make her shut her mouth instantly.

“We’re leaving,” Raemon said with finality, “and since you’re so concerned about the welfare of my employees, I’ll ask you not to order any of them to do anything for you—ever again.”

Lila’s blue eyes widened and pooled with tears. Her rosy lips quivered.

“What’s this about?” Mr. Scott demanded, looking from Raemon to Lila sternly.

“Let Lila fill you in,” Raemon said, “on just how it was that my assistant ended up in the ‘riffraff’ part of town.”

“And that was how it went down,” Octavia finished. She nestled farther into the warm, familiar softness of her couch and selected a chip from the bowl in her lap.

“So, as you can see, Lila is out, and you’re back in the running. So to speak,” Octavia said, taking a bite of the chip.

Sierra replied with an unaffected sniff. “So what? It doesn’t matter.”

Gracie, sitting on the carpet across from Octavia, looked up from her phone.

“Are you no longer in love with Raemon Kentworth?” Gracie asked.

Sierra gave them both a glum look. She hugged her knees to herself, folding her body into the armchair she was sitting in.

“I love him more than ever,” she proclaimed, “but it doesn’t matter. After the way he saw me…” She choked. “I can never see him again!”

Octavia took a bite of another chip. “Well, what can you do?” she said with a shrug.

“If only I’d known!” Sierra continued lamenting. “If only he’d come an hour earlier. If only he could have seen me as I truly am!”

“Minus the face mask, I’d say he did,” Octavia said.

“Did you say anything to him?” Gracie asked.

Sierra shook her head. “I was too…stunned. And then…embarrassed.”

“Does it matter then?” Gracie said. “It’s not like he’d recognize you if he met you again.”

Octavia perked up. “Yeah! He doesn’t know your name or anything. If he asks, I could tell him that the person he saw was an escaped lunatic from the insane asylum. Not my housemate.”

Sierra looked up. “Really? You’d do that?”

“Only for you,” Octavia said with sincerity.

Sierra smiled. “I…I guess that could work. And since he broke up with Lila, he’s probably devastated. I could be his rebound girl!”

“It is every woman’s dream,” Gracie commented.

Sierra stood. “That’s it! I’m going to make Raemon Kentworth fall in love with me, no matter what.”

Octavia and Gracie watched her leave the room in silence.

Gracie turned to Octavia. “So what really happened?”

Octavia frowned. “You’re not going to believe it…”

Octavia relayed everything that had happened on the trip.

“Damn, that was close,” Gracie said when she was finished.

“No shit,” Octavia said.

“So,” Gracie continued, “he saved your life.”

“I wouldn’t exactly say he saved my life,” Octavia said. “It was more like he spared me an unpleasant experience. I would have gotten out of that okay, I think.”

“Really? Three guys against one?” Gracie said.

“He managed it,” Octavia said.

“He also probably spends a third of his life in the gym,” Gracie said.

“I know Krav Maga,” Octavia countered.

“He knows jiujitsu. And spends a third of his life in the gym,” Gracie repeated. “You haven’t seen the inside of a gym since…”

“Ever,” Octavia finished. She sighed. “Okay, fine. Maybe he did kind of, almost save my life. Whatever.”

Gracie was silent for a minute. Then she asked, “Are you going to take the job?”

“I really want to,” Octavia admitted, “but…I don’t see any way that Raemon would agree.”

“Oh, it’s ‘Raemon’ now, is it?”

Octavia frowned. “Dammit. Mr. Kentworth, I mean.”

“Sounds like you two are getting really close,” Gracie observed.

“It’s nothing,” Octavia said, but a tad too quickly. “We’re just…um, we’re just…”

“Friends?” Gracie supplied.

“God, no,” Octavia said. “More like…friendly acquaintances.”

“And what’s that supposed to be?” Gracie said with a derisive snort.

“People who are…acquainted,” Octavia started. She racked her brain for more words. “Who are…friendly-ish to each other.”

“Friendly-ish?” Gracie repeated.

“Yes. It’s not the same thing as liking someone. It just means I know him…and I don’t exactly want to kill him,” Octavia finished. “Not all the time anyway.”

“R-i-i-ight,” Gracie said, with a look that showed how much she believed the validity of Octavia’s words.