Krystal puts a finger to her lips. “I’m not sure it’s slutty enough.”
“I’m going for work,” I remind her, “not to start hooking.”
“Here.” Maggie hands me a pair of matching red stilettos.
I step into them, and everyone goes quiet. “What?” I ask, turning toward the mirror.
“Totally fuckable,” Maggie says. “Sam’s an idiot if he thinks he’s going to be happier with someone else.”
I bite my lip. I can’t imagine the damage my mistakes with River did to his family. “You know, his parents have always wanted him to be with Sabrina. Maybe that’s what he needs to do to bring his family back together.”
“Why is it his job to fix his family?” Nix asks.
Hanna is studying me, and I know if she had her way, it would be just the two of us. She’d have me crying and spilling my guts to her in no time.
“So fill me in on the latest gossip,” I say, mostly so Hanna will stop looking at me like that. “What have I missed?”
“Not much,” Krystal says. “Everyone in town seems so excited that Mr. Bradshaw is leading in the polls and, by all appearances, will be the next governor. Though, between you, me, and the wall, I don’t think his speeches are as good now that you’re not writing them.”
God bless sisters and the things they say to boost our egos. Too bad I know better. “I wasn’t a speechwriter for him for very long.”
“His best speeches were the ones you wrote,” Hanna says. “And he still uses lines from them.”
I’m not sure if the first part is true. It’s not like I have real skill. He only hired me because he knew I was Tink24. As foolish as it is, that’s one of the things that hurts the most. I hate being stupid. Being able to write speeches for Travis Bradshaw’s gubernatorial campaign made me feel special and smart and talented, but it turned out I wasn’t any of those things. I was just a stupid girl who had dirty conversations with him online, and he hired me so I’d be closer to him.
“It’s true,” Cally says. “The speeches you wrote had something special about them. They felt more, I don’t know, sincere? But we’re happy to support you wherever you want to be and whatever you want to do.”
“It’s not like she could keep working for him,” Maggie says. She shudders and wrinkles her nose. “Riverrat. More like rat bastard.”
“He’s such a fucking prick,” I mutter.
“Amen,” Maggie says.
“A dirty old man,” Hanna says. “Hiring you, like you were going to fuck him in his office or something.”
The girls all know about what happened. I didn’t take Bradshaw’s stupid hush money, and I don’t like keeping things from them. The secret made me feel so dirty, I had to tell it, if only in the hopes of distancing myself from it.
“Are Sam’s parents okay?” I ask. “How’s their marriage?” I may hate Mr. Bradshaw, but Mrs. Bradshaw was nothing but welcoming to me. I’m sure she regrets that now. I don’t think I could look her in the eye again if I had to.
Maggie flashes me a sympathetic look. “They’re still smiling for the cameras. What you need to understand is that if their marriage falls apart, it isn’t about you. It’s about him. He knew he was married. You didn’t. He knew you were way too young for him. You didn’t. He misled you in the worst way.”
“No one blames you,” Hanna says.
I press my hand to my angry stomach. Most days it feels like there’s a war being fought in there. “Yes, they do. And I was the ‘other woman,’ so maybe they should.”
Maggie takes my shoulders and turns me to face her. Her green eyes are intense, her jaw set in a hard line. “Don’t you dare. This is not on you.”
“Right. Of course not.” Those words aren’t convincing anyone. Then, because I can’t help myself, I ask, “How is he?”
“Sam?” Krystal says. “He’s a train wreck.” When everyone turns to her, she shrugs. “What? We work out at the same health club. I see him all the time. He’s a mess. This Sabrina must really like the fixer-uppers.”
Hanna winces. “That’s just probably not what Liz wants to hear right now.”
Krystal snorts. “Why not? You know, I once called off my wedding to a guy I was madly in love with. I only wished he’d be beside himself with grief.” She looks to Cally. “Glad he wasn’t, of course. You’re way better for him than I ever was.”
“Thanks,” Cally says, shifting awkwardly.
Krystal turns back to me. “My point is, Sam would be fine if he didn’t miss you so much. That boy has it bad for you. I don’t care what the world thinks about him and Sabrina Guy. She’s the rebound. You’re the real deal.”
“Maybe he should have called her,” Nix says. “Regardless of how he feels now, he behaved like an ass. At the very least, he should have touched base with her when his sex tape went public.”
Hanna cuts her eyes to me, but she keeps her mouth shut.
“He came to my place yesterday,” I say so the other girls know why Hanna’s looking at me like that.
“Oh,” says Nix. “Wow. How did that go? Was it too little, too late?”
“I wasn’t there.” I shrug. “I don’t think he was planning to beg me to take him back or anything.”
“I’m going for work,” I remind her, “not to start hooking.”
“Here.” Maggie hands me a pair of matching red stilettos.
I step into them, and everyone goes quiet. “What?” I ask, turning toward the mirror.
“Totally fuckable,” Maggie says. “Sam’s an idiot if he thinks he’s going to be happier with someone else.”
I bite my lip. I can’t imagine the damage my mistakes with River did to his family. “You know, his parents have always wanted him to be with Sabrina. Maybe that’s what he needs to do to bring his family back together.”
“Why is it his job to fix his family?” Nix asks.
Hanna is studying me, and I know if she had her way, it would be just the two of us. She’d have me crying and spilling my guts to her in no time.
“So fill me in on the latest gossip,” I say, mostly so Hanna will stop looking at me like that. “What have I missed?”
“Not much,” Krystal says. “Everyone in town seems so excited that Mr. Bradshaw is leading in the polls and, by all appearances, will be the next governor. Though, between you, me, and the wall, I don’t think his speeches are as good now that you’re not writing them.”
God bless sisters and the things they say to boost our egos. Too bad I know better. “I wasn’t a speechwriter for him for very long.”
“His best speeches were the ones you wrote,” Hanna says. “And he still uses lines from them.”
I’m not sure if the first part is true. It’s not like I have real skill. He only hired me because he knew I was Tink24. As foolish as it is, that’s one of the things that hurts the most. I hate being stupid. Being able to write speeches for Travis Bradshaw’s gubernatorial campaign made me feel special and smart and talented, but it turned out I wasn’t any of those things. I was just a stupid girl who had dirty conversations with him online, and he hired me so I’d be closer to him.
“It’s true,” Cally says. “The speeches you wrote had something special about them. They felt more, I don’t know, sincere? But we’re happy to support you wherever you want to be and whatever you want to do.”
“It’s not like she could keep working for him,” Maggie says. She shudders and wrinkles her nose. “Riverrat. More like rat bastard.”
“He’s such a fucking prick,” I mutter.
“Amen,” Maggie says.
“A dirty old man,” Hanna says. “Hiring you, like you were going to fuck him in his office or something.”
The girls all know about what happened. I didn’t take Bradshaw’s stupid hush money, and I don’t like keeping things from them. The secret made me feel so dirty, I had to tell it, if only in the hopes of distancing myself from it.
“Are Sam’s parents okay?” I ask. “How’s their marriage?” I may hate Mr. Bradshaw, but Mrs. Bradshaw was nothing but welcoming to me. I’m sure she regrets that now. I don’t think I could look her in the eye again if I had to.
Maggie flashes me a sympathetic look. “They’re still smiling for the cameras. What you need to understand is that if their marriage falls apart, it isn’t about you. It’s about him. He knew he was married. You didn’t. He knew you were way too young for him. You didn’t. He misled you in the worst way.”
“No one blames you,” Hanna says.
I press my hand to my angry stomach. Most days it feels like there’s a war being fought in there. “Yes, they do. And I was the ‘other woman,’ so maybe they should.”
Maggie takes my shoulders and turns me to face her. Her green eyes are intense, her jaw set in a hard line. “Don’t you dare. This is not on you.”
“Right. Of course not.” Those words aren’t convincing anyone. Then, because I can’t help myself, I ask, “How is he?”
“Sam?” Krystal says. “He’s a train wreck.” When everyone turns to her, she shrugs. “What? We work out at the same health club. I see him all the time. He’s a mess. This Sabrina must really like the fixer-uppers.”
Hanna winces. “That’s just probably not what Liz wants to hear right now.”
Krystal snorts. “Why not? You know, I once called off my wedding to a guy I was madly in love with. I only wished he’d be beside himself with grief.” She looks to Cally. “Glad he wasn’t, of course. You’re way better for him than I ever was.”
“Thanks,” Cally says, shifting awkwardly.
Krystal turns back to me. “My point is, Sam would be fine if he didn’t miss you so much. That boy has it bad for you. I don’t care what the world thinks about him and Sabrina Guy. She’s the rebound. You’re the real deal.”
“Maybe he should have called her,” Nix says. “Regardless of how he feels now, he behaved like an ass. At the very least, he should have touched base with her when his sex tape went public.”
Hanna cuts her eyes to me, but she keeps her mouth shut.
“He came to my place yesterday,” I say so the other girls know why Hanna’s looking at me like that.
“Oh,” says Nix. “Wow. How did that go? Was it too little, too late?”
“I wasn’t there.” I shrug. “I don’t think he was planning to beg me to take him back or anything.”
