Page 26 of Faking It With My Pucking Protector

Please just call me.

You’re blowing this out of proportion.

And then one that makes my stomach turn:

I made a mistake, but we can fix this.

Fix what?

My grip tightens. I don’t even realize I’ve moved until I’m already pacing the room.

It takes me a full minute to pressplayon the first voicemail. Brad’s voice floods the speaker, too smooth, too composed.

“Ava, I just… I need you to hear me out, okay? I know things got out of hand, but what we have… it’s real. You don’t just walk away from something like that. I don’t deserve to be shut out like this.”

I delete it before it’s over.

The second voicemail is worse. It’s like emotional whiplash in audio form.

“Your brother and Jenna clearly have it out for me. You know that, right? They never liked me. They’ve probably twisted this whole thing in your head. Made it worse than it is.”

I press my thumb to thedeletebutton and hold it until both messages are gone.

I don’t need to hear anything else. I’ve heard enough.

I tap Jenna’s name before I can second-guess myself. She picks up on the second ring.

“Hey,” she says. “I was just about to text you. Everything okay?”

I sit on the edge of the bed and exhale. “Define okay.”

Her voice shifts instantly. “What happened?”

“He showed up yesterday.”

There’s a beat of stunned silence. “Brad?”

“Yeah. Here at Jackson’s house.”

“Oh my God. Are you serious?”

I nod even though she can’t see me. “Hetrackedmy phone.”

“What the hell?” Jenna snaps. “That’s psychotic.”

“I know.” I rub my temple. “Jackson got rid of him, but… it shook me.”

“I don’t blame you! That’s next-level manipulation.”

“How’s everything going with Open Pages?” I ask, desperate to change the subject. “No disasters?”

Jenna snorts. “Only the usual ones. A few interns thought it’d be a good idea to revamp the newsletter without telling anyone. But it’s fine. We survived.”

“You’re sure?” I ask. “I can help. If anything comes up—”

“Absolutely not,” she cuts in. “You still have another week and a half off. You are banned from emails. I’ll call security if I catch you replying to anything.”

I smile despite myself. “You’re the best kind of tyrant.”