The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

"Thinking what?" Sasha asked, clearly intrigued by his words.

"I bet Jenny will come up with some story about me hooking up with you behind

her back when we were still together. Of course, she'd stick to the tactic that works." Shane shrugged.

Sasha was at a loss for words. Shane added, "Like I dumped her once we started something, you know."

Sasha rubbed her chin. "I already know how to shut that down if that's all she's got."

Shane was surprised. "When did you get so sharp?"

Sasha lowered her head and slowed her speech. "Sharp? Nah. When she dumped you, one of my friends caught it on video. She sent it to me, and I kept it.

"You don't get to watch someone you hate get what's coming to them every day, right? So, yeah, I wasn't about to miss that. Makes sense, doesn't it?" She looked up and met Shane's gaze.

Shane forced a smile. "Lucky for me, you're so nosy. Otherwise, I'd be screwed if Jenny tried to drag my name through the mud."

"Exactly," Sasha replied, then sent him the video.

Shane didn't even bother glancing at it. "So, what's up? What brings you here?"noveldrama

That was when Sasha remembered why she'd come.

"I was talking to Zane and Annalise at work. They think our business is only heading one way right now. So, we're going to be stuck once this rush of work winds down. They had a few ideas on where we could go next."

She pulled a pile of proposals from her bag and handed them to Shane.

Shane skimmed through them quickly, then glanced at Sasha, clearly impressed. "Damn, you really hit the jackpot with friends who have your back like that."

"Of course, it's me," Sasha said, tapping the proposals with her pen. "They went through every project and picked the ones that suited us best. They think these are a perfect fit for us. The other two are a little trickier.

"If we want to give them a shot, we can always have our parents take a look and give us some advice. Who knows, we might be able to pull those off, too."

Shane was all in. "Why wait? Let's go for it now!"

He was already pumped about the chance to make money and wasn't about to miss the opportunity.

Sasha jumped to her feet, too. "Let's do this!"

...

Jenny was hiding behind a car outside, chatting with a reporter. "Did you see them walking out together?"

The reporter's eyes lit up. "I never saw this coming. I thought you were just making it up!"

Jenny looked pleased with herself, "

told you wasn't lying. They've probably been seeing each other in

this whole time. Shane only

me to use me as their cover."

"I can't believe how shady they both are," the reporter muttered. "If they want to

date, fine, but why drag someone innocent into it?"

The reporter kept snapping photos, all while reassuring Jenny. "Don't worry. Hmake sure the truth gets out online, and everyone knows what they've done! I've got your back!"

Jenny gave her best helpless look. "I don't know what I'd do without you. You're

the only one who can help me make this right."

She laid it on thick, and the reporter, feeling like her personal hero, became even more determined to help.

"I've always loved helping out," the reporter said.

...

My business had been picking up lately. I'd even started passing off my side gigs to other people. The company barely needed me

anymore, except to handle the emergencies.