Page 61 of Stranded with the SEAL
“I gave you ten thousand dollars.”
“The cost of living in L.A. is outrageous.”
“So get a job.”
Bella crossed her arms. “You know I’ve been looking. It’s not like I can just go do a movie and make a bazillion dollars like some people.”
Olivia sighed. “I’ll give you fifteen hundred. That will cover this month’s rent and some groceries.” She pulled out her checkbook.
“Fifteen…there’s no way I can get by on fifteen!”
“I don’t think I’ve been doing you any favors by giving you money.” She tore out the check and handed it to her sister. “Here’s food and shelter. You have to work out the rest for yourself.”
“Fuck you, Olivia.”
Bella stormed out of the room, the sound of the front door slamming moments later. Olivia went to the table and picked up Bella’s ice cream bowl, walked to the sink, held it up high, and let it fall.
It shattered into a hundred tiny pieces.
Feeling slightly better, she turned off the kitchen light and went upstairs to bed, eager to forget both Trevor and Bella, if only for a while.
40
Hawk had sleptfor sixteen hours straight after returning from the HERO Force mission to Cartagena, Columbia. It was the first good night’s sleep he’d had since he’d slept next to Olivia in the cabin and the longest stretch he’d gone without thinking of her since.
But now he was awake, and damned if she wasn’t right back in his mind as he made his way to the small grocery store two blocks from his apartment. He grabbed milk and a bag of coffee and headed for the express line.
There, right next to the bubble gum, was a picture of Olivia on a tabloid. It was like a sucker punch to the gut.
Better get used to it. You’re going to be seeing pictures of her like that for the rest of your life.
His eyes went to the headline.
BROOKE BARRONS IN LOVE WITH NAVY SEAL WHO KILLED FIANCÉ.
“Holy shit,” he mumbled under his breath, snatching up the paper, dropping the coffee, and turning to page three. There, right next to another picture of Olivia, was his service picture from the Navy, a photo of the cabin where they’d stayed, and a grainy picture of the two of them talking after the funeral.
He quickly scanned the article, his eyes catching on several sentences. “According to a source close to Ms. Barrons, she had amnesia for much of their time in the cabin together. It was then that the two of them became intimate. Our source says Brooke is ‘head over heels in love with the guy, but can’t forgive herself for cheating on Marco.’”
Trevor looked up from the paper. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
41
Olivia putthe tabloid down and let loose with a screaming string of curse words, ending with Bella. “How could you do it, you rotten, traitorous bitch?” she screamed to the empty room.
Money.
She’d do anything for money.
Olivia would have preferred her sister make up a story about Olivia spending weeks in the woods with Sasquatch than telling the truth about something so entirely personal and painful, to boot.
She sank down on the sofa and pulled the paper close to her face so she could better see the picture of Trevor. It didn’t do him justice, but it was still good to see his face, and she ran her finger along his photo.
Her cell phone rang. It was her agent, Carol.
Ignore.
She reread the article several more times. What if Trevor saw this? She frowned. He didn’t seem like the type to buy tabloids, but the headline alone would be enough if it caught his eye.