Snap Book 3
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Lyra Lawson
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36
Sophie Callahan's life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Evan, a fellow traveler affected by her mother's pyramid scheme. As they bond over shared experiences and embark on a journey across Australia, their relationship deepens amidst personal traumas and romantic adventures. But as they navigate love, loss, and the complexities of their pasts, Sophie and Evan must confront their deepest fears and desires to find a future together.
Chapter One
Book 3: Splash
That morning I awoke to the chimes of my phone, alerting me that the first of six extortion payments had come into Sophie Marie Callahanâs bank account.
I smirked at the screen. Now that Lindaâs money was coming in hot, I could move the fuck out of the hostel and into an Airbnb.
Being a grown adult with a masterâs degree and severe childhood trauma, I did not want to cook in a shared kitchen or sleep on a bunkbed in a room with seven other backpackers a moment longer than necessary.
The extortion plot had been worth the hassle, after all.
Linda Callahan, formerly known as Mom, ran a pyramid scheme. She founded it, which means she was top dog.
Her underlings sold health supplements that were in reality overpriced, colorful laxatives, which is ironic, because Linda and her cronies were full of shit. I had a whole bunch of recordings of her admitting to that fact.
That was where the extortion came in. In exchange for fifty grand, I wouldnât release the recordings.
It sounds like an excessive sum of money, but my mother was raking in the dough quicker than the Boston Health Companyâs customers could shit it out. Over the course of a year, she made millions from her supplement scheme.
My brother had already reported her to the Department of Justice, but Linda was completely unaware of their investigation. So why not earn some cash myself and take a well-deserved vacation before the feds took it all away?
âChecking out?â Hostel Guy asked, clearly bored out of his mind.
Based on his lack of shirt, surfboard tattoo, board shorts, and general slothful demeanor, he quite obviously would have preferred to be at the beach.
âYep. Sophie Callahan, Room B.â
âGoing somewhere else in Oz?â he prodded.
âOzâ in the context was Australia, not the place Dorothy landed when the tornado bounced her noggin around once too often.
âNope. Staying in Perth. My paycheck just came in, so Iâm moving to an Airbnb.â
âOh. Whereâs the Airbnb?â
I had yet to book one. I just wanted to get the fuck out of his hostel. âUmâer, by Elizabeth Quay,â I lied. I wasnât in the mood to explain my situation, and Hostel Guy probably wasnât in the mood to hear about it.
He nodded. âRight on.â
I smiled, done with the conversation. Iâve never been a very friendly type.
Bitch is a shorter description, but I like to think bitches are bitches because they want to be, whereas unfriendly types are unfriendly because their brains are more fucked-up than Dorothy and Totoâs.
âAlright, enjoy your time in Perth,â Hostel Guy said. As I moved away I heard him continue, without even pausing to draw breath, âChecking out?â
âUh, no. I wanted to see if you were hiring?â an American male voice spoke behind me. âLike, temporarily?â
I thought companies only hired via the internet. Interesting. I had skipped out of the U.S. the day after graduation, so this meant I should prepare myself for what was to come when my tourist visa expired.
Also, the American job hunter had a sexy voice. Eavesdropping sounded like a good plan.
âNo, we arenât. Sorry, mate,â Hostel Guy replied.
âFuck!â Unemployed Backpacker grumbled. âI lent my money to my mom, but she went MIA and maxed out my credit card. She got herself into one of those multilevel marketing pyramid schemes and blew all her cash. Are those a thing here?
âI donât know what I was thinking, lending it to her⊠But thereâs no way to work in exchange for a room? My dadâs transferring more cash into my account, though itâll take a couple days, so I really just needâŠâ
âSorry, man. I wish I could help,â Hostel Guy said sympathetically.
âWhat pyramid scheme?â I asked, the words tumbling from my mouth in a wave of guilt and nosiness.
The American backpackerâs lips moved to answer my question, but I didnât register a sound.
By far the most handsome human being in the entire universe was standing before me, begging for under-the-table work at a Western Australia hostel. His dark brown hair and eyes were like chocolateâif chocolate could glisten and seduce.
His lips were the perfect shade of almost-red, with a distinct dip at the top. They were the perfect shape to ravish me or some other lucky lady with.
âSorry, I missed that,â I gasped.
âBoston Health Company,â he obliged.
I readjusted my travelerâs backpack and waddled back over to Hostel Guy and Victim Number One. âMy mother is the CEO of BHC,â I told him.
âYouâre kidding.â
âI wish.â
âYou know that company ruins lives, right?â he snapped. âMy mom got in so deepâŠâ
âYeah, Lindaâs a bitch,â I interrupted.
His beautiful eyes flashed. âYeah, so funny. My mom just ran off with my last ten grand, but yeah, please, letâs laugh at all theâŠâ
âIâm not laughing,â I interrupted. âMy mother Linda is a bitch.â
He eyed me accusingly. âAre you in on it too?â
He was starting to get on my nerves. âNo. I was going to offer to pay for you to stay a couple more nights until your dadâs money goes through,â I corrected him.
His jaw dropped.
âYou checking out?â Hostel Guy spoke again, his eyes wandering.
Sexy Grumpy Guy moved out of the way so some Scandinavian beauties could check out. âAre you serious?â he asked me.
âYep.â
âWhy?â
I should have just walked away, then. I was starting to feel irked.
I should have let the annoyance overtake me and gone straight to the Airbnb I had yet to book, but hadnât because this guy was hotter than the Aussie Outback.
âBecause my family hurt yours, financially at least, and the sidewalk canât be that comfortable to sleep on,â I replied.
âI canât just take your money,â he said, looking all guilty, with his sexy, tilted head and sexy half-pout.
âAre you a murderer?â I asked.
âNo.â
Just the answer I wanted to hear. âYou can sleep on my couch if you want.â
I wish I could say I immediately regretted my offer, but I didnât.
This guy was so freaking hot, and I kind of liked his sass. Standing up for his mom and all. Must be nice to come from a family of people you can forgive.
âReally?â
âReally. I havenât booked a place yet, so Iâll just get one with a couch.â
âYouâd just invite a stranger to sleep over?â
âI mean, yeah.â That was exactly what I was doing. âIâll just send a picture of your passport to my brother so he knows who killed me if I go missing. You can do the same with me but to your dad.â
âAre you going to kill me?â he asked.
âNope,â I promised.
âSick. In that case youâre a lifesaver. Iâm Evan.â
âSophie.â
We shook hands. The moment our palms touched I was doomed; doomed like Noah before the parole board.
Doomed like Evanâs mom when she fell victim to Lindaâs trickery. Completely, totally, utterly doomed.
