I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her so happy. The happiness was pouring out of her soul. It landed in her eyes and sat against her lips.
“Can you tell me more about him?” I asked.
“Of course. I’ll need my maid of honor to know all the details, after all.”
“I’m your maid of honor?”
“Oh, come on, Shay.” She shook her head in disbelief. “As if I’d ever choose another.”
* * *
Things were finally feelingas if they were coming back together around me, and I was so unbelievably thankful for that. Karla and I were going to work on getting back into our writing meetings. I asked Eleanor if it was okay if I did so, and she begged me to continue my work with Karla. She cared so much from a distance. I was certain that soon enough, she’d find her way back into Greyson’s world.
Some things were simply meant to be.
All was grand up until I showed up for work to a very unhappy actress.
“What the hell is this?!” Sarah barked as I showed up to work. I walked into her trailer, and something about her crystals must’ve been off, because her energy was beyond erratic.
“What’s what?” I asked, confused as ever.
She stormed up to me with curlers in her hair and her makeup half done, with straight up crazy eyes.
“This,” she hissed, holding her phone in my face, showing me the photographs of Landon and me almost kissing in front of the yoga studio.
I’d seen the photographs already, and there was only one thing I could think. “Well, at least I’m not throwing an iced latte,” I joked.
Sarah didn’t find it very funny. “I told you to get close to him, so you could report back to me with information, Shay. Then I see this! How could you? I trusted you.”
“To be fair, I told you I wasn’t very comfortable doing that for you. I didn’t want to get involved.”
“Yes, well, it looks like you wiggled your way straight into his good graces. I’m going to have to let you go.”
Wait, what?
“Are you serious? Because of some tabloid magazine? We weren’t even going to kiss.”
Sarah shrugged and waved me off as if I were nothing. “Yes, well, you should’ve thought about that before betraying me.”
“I didn’t betray you,” I grumbled. “I just didn’t do exactly what you wanted me to do. Besides, I’m not Cyrano de Bergerac. I’m not going to push you into the arms of someone I care about.”
“So, it’s true?” she asked. “You do care about him?”
Of course, I cared. How could I not? He was my Satan, and I was his Chick.
I’d always care for him, even if we never received our happily ever after. The last thing I wanted to do was push him straight into the arms of a lowkey crazy person.
“None of that matters.”
“You’re right, because you don’t matter. Do you really think you have a chance with Landon when I’m in the picture? You’re nothing in the grand scheme of things. You’re as replaceable as a pair of shoes. Sure, maybe you came around and reminded Landon of his past, but you’re not his future, and you never will be.”
I narrowed my eyes at the grown woman standing in front of me, completely baffled by her actions. “Oh, give me a fucking break, Monica,” I groaned.
Sarah arched an eyebrow. “Who the hell is Monica?”
“You. You’re Monica. You’re the high school girl who thinks you can bully people into acting a certain way because you think you have power. But you know what? I’m not intimidated by you. When I was younger, and I thought you and Landon really had a connection, sure. I felt lesser than. But now that I actually know you, I am completely convinced that you’re nothing to be afraid of. So, go ahead. Fire me. But at the end of the day, I’m still going to win, because I refused to let a woman who carries around rocks to call me worthless. And news flash! I got the same damn stones from Amazon for nine bucks!”
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