Novels by Paula Gallagher

For the third time this week, I found myself knocking on Archie's door.He opened it almost immediately, standing in wrinkled pajamas and looking irritated, still half-asleep.“You again?” he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”“Yes. It’s two in the morning,” I answered, gently pushing past him. “Believe me, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.”Archie sighed, closing the door behind me without protest. I guess he was used to it by now.“What’s the emergency this time? I have an early shoot tomorrow.”I turned around, arms crossed.“The emergency is you and your brilliant performance with the paparazzi. What the hell were you thinking, throwing me to the wolves like that?”He let out an exhausted sigh and leaned against the wall.“I didn’t feel like dealing with them, Sofia. I’m tired of being followed around all day. What did you expect me to do?”“Anything besides directly sending them after me!”Archie ran a hand through his hair, fr

The next morning, I woke up to a bunch of messages from Maddie. I ignored them. I was still pissed. What was she thinking, telling the press I was dating Archie?I rubbed my temples, trying to wrap my head around the consequences. Would paparazzi follow me whenever I stepped outside, or would the rumor fizzle out on its own? Hopefully, the latter. There was no way I was opening Twitter or Instagram.I got out of bed and left my room. The house was empty. Good. I wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone right now.I went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and searched for something to eat. Among the leftovers and food containers, my eyes landed on a few cans of beer.Was it too early to drink?Who cared? A crappy breakfast never killed anyone. Neither did a cigarette.I stepped onto the balcony with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other.The fresh morning air hit my face, clearing my head a bit. Leaning against the railing, I lit the cigarette with a lighter I'd found in the li

“I swear, tell me we lost them,” I gasped, hands on my knees.My lungs burned, my feet screamed for mercy. Mental note: if I’m gonna keep getting into these chase situations, I should at least start training.I lifted my gaze. Archie leaned casually against the wall, his soaked shirt clinging to his torso, his hair dripping. Not a single gasp, not a hint of exhaustion.“Relax,” he said with an easy smile. “Good workout.”I stared at him in disbelief.“Workout? Archie, we jumped fences, dodged cars, and almost ended up splattered on a taxi windshield.”He shrugged, that infuriating what’s the big deal? look plastered on his face.“Dramatic.”“Whatever. I’m out. I’ve had enough for today.”“And how, exactly? We’re in the middle of nowhere.”I blinked.Slowly, I took in our surroundings—a grimy bridge, a flickering streetlamp fighting for its last moments of life, and a single cricket chirping a little too confidently in the dark.Fantastic.“This is depressing,” I muttered.“I’m calling

If someone had told me a week ago that I’d be at Keanu Reeves’ birthday party, I would have laughed in their face. And if they had also told me I’d be going with Archie Garland, I would have personally checked them into a psych ward.Yet here I was, sitting in the backseat of a luxury car, on my way to the most exclusive party of the year. Maddie, in full fangirl mode, was practically vibrating with excitement, while Archie looked highly amused watching me squirm in my seat."Oh my God, oh my God, OH MY GOD!" Maddie screeched like she was about to have a meltdown. "Do you even realize how many people we could meet tonight? How are you THIS CALM?!"I wasn’t calm. I was just silently suppressing my existential crisis."Maybe because I shouldn’t even be here," I muttered, crossing my arms, already knowing this was a huge mistake.Archie, sitting on the other side, was giving me that smug “you're-dying-inside” smile he always wore when he enjoyed watching me suffer."Oh, come on, neighbor

I closed the door and turned toward Jackson, who was trying to sneak toward the table, as if he hadn’t just committed a juvenile crime at the park."Don’t even think about it."He froze, the expression of someone who knows they’ve messed up but still holds out hope that they can get away with it."What?""Can you explain to me why you hit that kid with a shovel?"He shrugged."He was bothering me.""Ah, of course, then it makes perfect sense to smack him with a shovel." I crossed my arms. "Jackson, seriously, what’s going on with you?"He huffed and crossed his arms."He was bothering me.""And so? He probably just wanted to play with you."He looked down, dragging the tip of his shoe against the floor."I didn’t hit him that hard…""Oh, really? Then why was he crying?"He rolled his eyes, clearly without remorse."Look, Jackson, you can’t just go around hitting people with whatever you have on hand. Especially not a kid much smaller than you.""But…""No buts. Next time, you talk. Go

We arrived at Jackson’s school, and as we walked toward the entrance, I could feel Archie’s gaze fixed on me."What?" I asked, not even looking at him."Nothing." He shrugged but didn’t stop staring at me. "It’s just that you don’t seem like the type of person who likes kids."I furrowed my brows."And what type of person do I seem like?""Someone who would rather be anywhere else."I rolled my eyes."Well, that’s true," I admitted with an ironic smile, "but that doesn’t mean I can’t do my job well.""If you say so…"At the entrance, a woman with her hair up and glasses that had slipped down to the tip of her nose greeted us with a quick smile as she hurried to put on her jacket."Good morning. Who are you here to pick up?""Jackson Walker," I replied.The teacher nodded and looked toward the playground."Jackson, come here, please."A blonde boy came running over. His shirt was stained with paint, and his shoelaces were untied. He stopped in front of me and looked me up and down, lik