88|Ulterior Motive

With Orlando spending the night at Neli's, Marybeth didn't have to rush through her morning routine, and the extra hour of sleep should have helped.

But it didn't.

She was cranky as hell. Not exactly surprising since she and Austin had only gone to bed just after 2:00 AM.

Yawning, she sat up and absently massaged the dull ache in her temples, her stomach clenching when her eyes fell on the leather-bound journal on her nightstand.

Like Austin, she was terrified of all the earth-shattering secrets it held. She didn't have to be psychic to know that once she took a peek inside, there'd be no going back, and the consequences would be far worse than opening Pandora's box. But since she promised Austin she'd read it, she felt compelled to follow through. So she dragged herself out of bed and dropped the journal inside her laptop bag, telling herself it would make for some interesting lunchtime reading.

An hour later, dressed in a floral maxi dress and plain white mules, Marybeth grabbed her