“Or we’ll remember how bad it felt and go deep in the opposite direction.”
She laughs at the thought. “Well, I’m a long way from getting hitched myself.” Not that any man would want to touch me with a ten-foot pole. Unless, of course, they’re paying for my company.
I gasp so hard I nearly inhale one of her curls right down my throat.
I waste no time in pulling her off to the side, a safe distance from her big sister’s ears.
“Michaela Harvey!” My voice comes out a touch too shrill. “Please tell me you know nothing of that debauchery that Julian was pulling girls into.” A thought she had while I was at Minty’s trying on dresses comes back to me. She said she didn’t want to think about Julian or how they met. My mouth rounds out in horror.
“Wait a minute.” She shakes her head as she gives a nervous glance to her sister. “I don’t know what you think you know, but whatever you do, you can’t talk to my sister about this.”
“Michaela.” I close my eyes in horror. “Julian pulled you into the Collective, didn’t he?”
She closes her own eyes for a moment before giving a subtle nod.
“Bizzy, this isn’t anything I want to talk about. And for sure I ask you not to talk about it. But since you know this much, you may as well know the rest. When my parents died and McKenna left me, and yes, even though she went to some fancy boarding school, I did feel abandoned. You see, my aunt had a serious drug problem she was hiding. She couldn’t pay her bills. We were always on the verge of getting kicked out of her rental home. I had already started working at Minty’s in high school and that helped for a bit. But as soon as I turned eighteen, Julian descended on me like a vulture. He introduced me to what I thought at the time was a glamorous world. The Magic Castle was fun to hang out at. And all I had to do was show up in a fancy dress and go out with a relatively nice man. I got to draw the line where I wanted. There was enough money in it to pay our bills for a while. And then”—her cheeks brighten with color—“I needed more money. The more I was willing to do, the more money I was able to get my hands on. Please don’t think poorly of me. I only did that for a little while to get on my feet. Then I went right back to drawing the line where I was comfortable. And now, between Minty’s and my designer dates”—she frowns—“that’s what the Collective calls them, I’m able to live a comfortable life.”
I shake my head, trying to make sense of this. “I’m so sorry, Michaela. I feel terrible that you felt so trapped with no other options.” That scene of her shoving Julian away the night he was murdered runs through my mind. “Can I ask what kind of a relationship you had with Julian?”
She rolls her eyes. “I didn’t kill him if that’s what you’re thinking. Not that I would be shouting it from the rooftops if I did, but I think you of all people should know it. But I won’t lie. I wasn’t as horrified as other people were while he was drowning. A sick side of me was actually rooting for it.” She blows out a heavy breath. “If that didn’t make me sound like a monster, I don’t know what would. I apologize for that.”
“Don’t apologize for your feelings. But I’m confused. If you appreciate the Collective as a side job—and it sounds like you do—then why hate Julian?”
She gives a sideways glance to her sister. “Julian and Caleb were friends. Once he knew that Caleb was marrying my sister, he threatened to tell her about my involvement with the Collective.”
“He threatened you?”
She nods. “He was sure it would come out eventually, and he figured the sooner I got it off my chest, the better it would be for both of us. Caleb’s brother, Zeke, knew about the Collective, too. He just found out about it about a month ago. Zeke has the hots for Bernie, the assistant Julian used the night he was killed. As soon as Zeke learned about the underpinnings of Julian’s special club, especially the fact that Bernie dipped her toes in those waters, Zeke went ballistic.” She shudders. “Anyway, Julian figured Zeke was moments away from telling Caleb about his raunchy club. And he figured Zeke would find out about my involvement in it as well. Julian strongly suggested that my sister hear it from me rather than Zeke.” She drops her head into her hand a moment. “Of course, he was right. Zeke doesn’t keep much from his brother. They’re close. Just like McKenna thinks we’re close.”
“So what have you decided? Are you going to tell her?”
“If I tell her, she’ll demand that I quit.”
“Then quit. There are other ways to make money. I don’t care if you are drawing a sexual line in the sand. You’re too sweet to accept money for your time.”
She makes a face. “You do realize that’s the basic premise of any job out there?”
“Not every job out there has a negative stigma attached. Michaela, I knew your parents. I knew your mother. Do you really think she’d be cheering you on? I can help you with getting a second job. You could work at the inn. I’ll find a position for you. Heck, I’ll make a position for you.”
“You would do that for me?” She blinks back the fresh tears pooling in her eyes.
I nod. “You bet. And do you
