The Lover’s Game (No Exceptions #2)(37)
Author: J.C. Reed

I laughed. “I’m surprised, that’s all, and that’s understandable, considering that we hit a straight bar yesterday, and you kept talking about the perfect guy.”

“Most people assume that about me, like many other things. The moment they find out the truth, their whole attitude changes, and I become someone else in their eyes. Take my parents, for example.” Thalia grimaced, and her eyes darkened with something. It wasn’t anger, more like disappointment or frustration. She looked so fragile I felt sorry for her. In some way, I knew what it meant to be judged and compartmentalized.

“You don’t have to worry about me.” I shrugged and left the rest unspoken. Whatever she was or wasn’t, it made no difference to the fact that I saw her as a friend. “So it’s true that you’re into women?” I forced myself to speak the obvious, so we could move past the awkwardness of the situation.

“Yeah, but only when I have sex.” Narrowing her eyes, she tilted her head to one side. “We should hook up, you know—just you and me. I know a really nice bar,” she whispered. My cheeks began to burn at the insinuation.

Thalia leaned back and smiled. “I’m joking, Jenna.” She let out another infectious laugh. “You should have seen your face just now. Priceless.”

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “You almost got me.”

“Contrary to popular belief, we don’t hit on every woman we meet,” she explained. ”I’ve been in a relationship with the same person for years, and we’re still going strong.”

“You’re lucky then.” I couldn’t hide the bitter tone in my voice as I thought of Jett. “At times, I’ve wished to be g*y, because it looks so easy. You don’t seem to have all the heartbreak that comes with relationships.”

She grimaced again. “Trust me, there’s as much of that going on as in every other relationship. In life there might be rules. In love there are no exceptions to those rules. No one is spared from heartbreak. We all suffer it at some point or another. You simply can’t control who you love and in particular, you can’t control what kind of person they are.”

“That’s so true.” I nodded in agreement, then cocked my head in curiosity. “How do you know I’m straight? I could be…anything,” I asked intrigued that she could tell without really knowing me. After just one glance, she seemed to have me figured out. Was I that open a book?

“I’ll be honest with you,” she started. ”When I saw you with your blonde friend, I wasn’t sure. But by the time I picked you up from the park and Grayson wanted to talk about your work contract and his second thoughts, I suspected. I knew for sure at the club, when you started talking about your ex.”

What second thoughts?

“What do you mean? What did Grayson say?” My glance swept over him anxiously. He was still talking with the man. Even though he wasn’t looking at us, for some reason I felt as though his attention was shifting.

“Only that he could hire you for five weeks, until you’re starting to show,” Thalia said.

My head snapped back in her direction, and my jaw dropped. “Grayson knows?”

Thalia must have caught the shock in my voice, because she burst out in laughter.

“Of course he knows you’re pregnant.” She nodded mysteriously. “He’s been working with women for years—not just models, but real women. Men like him are very perceptive.”

I wondered what she meant by that but didn’t ask.

“No worries. I won’t tell anyone or put you in an awkward position. As I said, I’m good at keeping secrets.” She winked at me. “Like…I didn’t tell Gina you were ordering soft drinks the entire night.”

“I didn’t think it was that obvious.” I joined in her laughter. Now was the perfect time to ask about the drinks Gina bought. Just as I opened my mouth, Thalia shushed me.

“Look out. He’s coming over.”

Chapter 20

Shortly after Grayson joined our little group, the show ended, and people began to flood out the door. Judging from their facial expressions, some weren’t pleased, if not outraged, and the way Grayson was acting, it almost looked like he might have actually kicked them out. I faintly remembered Thalia telling me that we were being paid for the night, so I’d been certain that the gallery event would take longer than two hours. It made no sense that Grayson had shooed his clients out so early. Something was wrong. I could feel it. I just couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Eventually, Grayson locked up and waved us over to the sitting area. We gathered around him in a semicircle. It was so quiet I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear a needle hit the floor if it dropped.

“I closed the event early with good reason,” Grayson said, his gaze sweeping over the inquiring faces around him. “There has been an accident, and with a heavy heart…” He paused, and for a second, I thought I heard a soft tremor in his voice. “—I deeply regret to inform you that Gina died earlier this morning.”

Shock and murmur traveled through the crowd. My jaw dropped, and I clasped my hand over my mouth in disbelief. To my right, someone whimpered and began to sob.

“Oh, my God,” Thalia whispered.

“What happened?” Beth asked.

Grayson linked his fingers together behind his back. His lips were drawn in a tight line, and his shoulders slumped; I almost feared his next words. “She was found on a street, stabbed, with her throat cut open,” he said quietly. “The police have declared it murder.”

The image of Gina lying on the street sent goosebumps up my spine.

“They think she was mugged for her handbag, because it wasn’t at the crime scene when they found her at five a.m.”

“Where was she found?” I didn’t know why I asked the question when it didn’t really matter. Everyone’s head snapped in my direction. It took me every ounce of my willpower not to react when Grayson communicated the name of the street we had visited the day before. “She was attacked in a back alley, behind the La Rue bar. A bouncer found her body hidden behind a dumpster.”

Another wave of shock echoed through the room, and the chatter began: gossip, I assumed. As usual, everyone had their own theory about the tragedy. As for me, my head began to spin.

“I can’t believe she’s dead,” Thalia whispered to me. We were standing behind everyone else, with our backs to the wall. “Who would kill her and leave her lying around like trash? She was the nicest person I’ve ever known.”