Page 16 of Basil

“You know what the rumor is?” I asked sardonically. You didn’t need to have a high IQ to guess what people were thinking.

A dry chuckle escaped her. “According to the grapevine or Drew, which are interchangeable, you and Drew are having an affair, and Summer found out. She left you, or you left her…that part is unclear. But I’m sure if we give it time, we’ll have thewholestory.”

She was being facetious, I knew, but everything inside me stilled in shame, regret, and anger at my privacy being invaded because of Drew.

“That’s a lot of detail you have about something intensely personal to me.”

Slowly, she leaned back in her chair. “I don’t like this conversation any more than you do.ButI am your communications person, and I need to tell you what’s happening in the company so we can mitigate issues—this is an issue.”

Jessie watched me carefully as if waiting to see how I was processing what she was telling me.

Acid churned in my stomach.

“Speaking of uncomfortable exchanges.” She reached into her slacks’ pocket and pulled out a USB stick. She set it on my desk. “I…I have had this since Christmas and…I didn’t know how to…what to do.”

I picked up the drive. “What’s this?”

“You know how everyone put photos and videos into the company drive from the Christmas party?”

I nodded.

“Well, I went through everything before we released the shared drive to the employees—you know, in case something is there that shouldn’t be.”

Jessie was thorough.

“I deleted some videos from the shared drive but I saved them on this USB stick. You should watch them.”

A beat of silence stretched between us. Then, without another word, I grabbed the USB, plugged it into my laptop, and clicked the first file.

The screen flickered to life, showing a dimly lit, crowded event space. Laughter and clinking glasses filled the background, a blur of people swaying to music.

I smiled when I saw Summer. She was in a green dress with red flowers and frills and flounces. She looked fucking adorable. Felix was next to her at the bar. The video was not of them, but of something happening behind them, but it caught their conversation.

“Basil is into Drew, you know that, right?” Felix’s voice was slurred.

Summer blinked, clearly caught off guard. “What?”

Felix smirked, shaking his head. “Come on, you have eyes. Or are you too busy looking at his money?”

Summer shook her head. “Excuse me.” She walked away.

I looked at Jessie who was looking at her tablet as if it held the secrets of who killed freaking JFK. She was probably embarrassed on my behalf for having such shitty friends.

I clicked on the next file with a sinking heart.

I’d yelled at Summer for being rude at the Christmas party because Drew told me she had been. If this was her being rude—I’d say she didn’t know the definition of the word.

Summer was mid-sentence, speaking to someone when Drew cut her off. “Oh my God, Summer, I love your dress. It’s so…boho. Not corporate Christmas party at all.”

“That’s a Johnny Was dress,” one of the women clipped.

“A knock off?” Drew asked insultingly.

My jaw tightened. What the fuck was this? How could I not have seen it?

Oh, come on, Basil, don’t kid a kidder, you didn’t see it because you didn’t want to. Summer told you again and again, and you just pretended she was being flaky. It was easier than believing the people you trusted were fucking with your woman.

I was almost afraid to click on the next video.

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