Page 48 of When Glitter Meets Gold

“Kandi,” Sara says. “What do you want?”

J recoils. Something inside his chest cracks.

They know each other.

Kandi and Saraknowone another.

Now he’s one hundred percent convinced he’s being played.

20

SARA

Ican’t believe Jack just admitted he paid for the Jeep.

Who does that?

I also can’t believe he just revealed his financial struggles, which obviously floods every crevice of my being with guilt, because even though I played the part of damsel in distress embarrassingly well, I really could’ve figured it out on my own.

I’m not New York socialite rich, but I earn a very decent salary with excellent bonuses. I could have covered it, eventually.

Now Kandi and the entire SB team have us surrounded, all while Jack’s face continues to contort as though he’s been forced to swallow an entire case of lemons. He glares from Kandi to me, his face a shape shifting trifecta of bemusement, disgust, and point-blank vexation.

Unease settles in the pit of my stomach. A combination of feeling terrible for breaching the unattractive topic of money, and something else…

Something to do with the fact that Jack and I are nolonger alone. Something about not being quite finished talking, just the two of us.

Now it feels crowded.

Which probably has everything to do with the fact that Kandi loves to fill every space with her mean girl presence.

“Kandi,” I groan. “What do you want?”

I know her arrival has everything to do with the fact that I probably looked like I was enjoying myself, and she can’t bear to stand by and watch such a thing occur in plain sight.

“She wants to know about your hiking trip,” Francis replies for her when she fails to answer because she’s no longer paying a shred of attention to me. Instead, her eyes fixate on Jack, who looks like he’d rather be plotting arson than involve himself in this conversation. What’s gotten into him?

I’m about to lean toward him and ask if everything’s okay when Drew appears next to me. It’s the first time I’ve seen him since Maine. We grin at each other, exchanging glances that promise to catch up with the other at some point. I’m relieved things aren’t awkward between us.

Then, I see Francis eyeing me curiously before looking over at Jack. Probably dying to know what we were talking about.

I tear my eyes from the others and shoot Kandi a tired glare. I also pray that Jack will remain mostly silent about my hike rather than engage in conversation that could damn me in front of my peers.

“The hike was fine,” I say. “I mean, I experienced a couple small mishaps, and I probably won’t be repeating anything like that for a long time, but I was there. I hiked. I did nature things. Right?” I look at Jack.

All eyes fall to him.

But he doesn’t say anything.

I scoff, prompting him again. “We met on the trail, right?”

Francis’s eyes widen. His face is a mixture of shock and delight. It’s the face he makes when presented with fresh gossip in the office.

Drew is also looking at me weirdly, his eyes shifting between Jack and I.

Discomfort swells inside me the longer Jack remains silent.

I shoot Drew a painful look, pleading for him to do something.

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