CHAPTER 20

Bray reached beneath the table and gave my knee a gentle squeeze. I offered a lame half-smile and pushed some chicken around my plate.

“So, Chloe.” Diana cut through the silence with her happy tone. “Where you been, darlin’?”

Cut the silence, not the awkwardness.

“Oh. Florida,” I answered, making sure Milka had a bite on her spoon now that it was cooled. “I rented a small apartment on the outskirts of the city.”

“That’s lovely! And still so close.”

“I didn’t want to be too far from Dad because of his treatment.”

“Absolutely.” She nodded. “And here some gossips were saying you were in a Colombian prison for being a drug mule.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really? How did they even get there?”

Aiden grinned across the table.

“That was you?” Leah shrieked. “What the hell!”

“Chill, Leah!” he said, laughing. “I thought I’d add something funny into it. All it takes is a text message from a blocked number to Nancy and everyone knows.”

I covered my hand with my mouth and laughed into it. “And she th