Page 36 of Payoff Pitch

She hesitates briefly before admitting, “Well, I thought we were exclusive, and it turns out, he had a fiancée. I was completely in the dark and a total mess when I found out. I immediately broke things off and told him I never wanted to see him again. That wasn’t good enough for Kam though. She wanted him to pay.”

I chuckle. “Oh boy. What did she do?”

“In simple terms, she blew up his shitake. Big time. Pretending to be me, she showed up at his fiancée’s apartment when she knew they’d both be there. How did she know they’d both be there? She hacked into his texts. Needless to say, they’re no longer engaged.” She scoffs. “You know what bothered me the most?”

“What?”

“He thought she was me the whole time she was there. We dated for months, and he couldn’t tell the difference between us? I know we’re identical, and it takes a lot of time for people to see the subtle differences, but anyone who knows us well can tell us apart. He was my boyfriend, had seen me in every way imaginable, and yet he still thought Kam was me. On some weird level, that hurt more than his lies.”

“I can certainly understand that. I’ve only known you for a week and I can’t imagine I wouldn’t know who was who.”

“It takes time. It took Arizona and Ripley a while before they could tell the difference.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “Maybe Kam and I willParent Trapyou one day and test that theory.”

I let out a laugh. “I’m guessing you two did that to a lot of people.”

She giggles. “All the freakin’ time.”

“Did you take her tests for her in school?”

She shakes her head. “The opposite. Kam is freakishly smart. Off-the-charts, perfect SAT scores, never had to study, Mensa-level-IQ smart.”

“Really?”

“Yep. People underestimate her all the time because she’s silly and has a dirty sense of humor. People don’t see past her exterior. She’s the smart one, not me.”

“You seem smart to me.”

“Maybe I’m normal-smart. She’s special-smart. Trust me. She has a photographic memory. She could read one of your legal books and recite the laws word for word when she was done.Allof them.”

“Wow. Does she enjoy working with kids too?”

She lets out a laugh. “Definitely not. She’s horrible with kids. Doesn’t know what to do with them. Treats them like adults. She’s happy to continue to do a little modeling though. Always on her terms, but she’ll do it. I have offers but I have no interest. Those scars still run deep for me.”

I truly don’t know why it makes me happy that millions of people won’t be objectifying her, but it does.

I begin to refill our glasses, which are already empty. She holds up her hand. “I’m such a lightweight. I shouldn’t. I usually nurse a beer or two, not whiskey.”

I fill her cup nonetheless. “You’ll need it to sleep out here. The crickets are like a frat house symphony.”

She nods as she takes another sip while looking up at the moon. It illuminates her face. She’s so breathtakingly beautiful.

She drops her chin back down and looks at me. “Do you mind me asking why you and Fallon got divorced? You get along so well.”

I lean back on one of my elbows, cross my legs in front of me, and blow out a long breath. “That’s a loaded question. Will this stay between us? I don’t like to speak illof her to anyone. No matter what, she’s Harper’s mother and I’ll always be protective of her because of that.”

“Of course. I understand completely.”

I can’t believe I’m going to admit this to her. “Only my father knows this. Not even my closest friends know. Fallon was unfaithful to me. It was one night, and she wasn’t herself, but it happened.”

Bailey’s eyes widen. “She cheated onyou? Who the hell would ever cheat on a man who looks like you?”

She gasps and covers her mouth. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry.” She mumbles, “Damn whiskey. It’s like truth serum for me.”

I chuckle. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. My father faults Fallon for breaking up our marriage, but she cheated because I wasn’t a good husband. I don’t blame her in the slightest. She was lonely. I was more married to my job than I was to my wife. I neglected her and her needs. It took a little time and perspective for me, but I see that now.”

She pinches her eyebrows together. “But you’re always there for Harper. I can’t imagine you being neglectful.”

“I was a terrible father at the time too. For years I was building a reputation. Around the time Harper was born, I went out on my own. I worked hard to grow my business. I was never home. It sounds crazy, but the divorce made me a better father. I’m thankful to Fallon for forcing me to open my eyes. I would have ignorantly missed most of Harper’s childhood if Fallon hadn’t come home in tears telling me what had happened.”