Page 65 of Scandalous Secrets

“Right?” agreed Heart knowingly.

“Thank you,” I said.

“I’ll see you after your massage.” She gave my arm a squeeze.

The next hour and a half I spent in a delicious heaven of aromatherapy scents, kneads, and a scalp massage that could have put me right to sleep. When my massage was done, I sleepily opened my eyes and thanked my masseuse who I wished I could take home with me. My body felt loose as I walked down the hall toward the locker rooms to meet Heart. She looked just as dreamy as I felt.

We walked arm in arm to the steam room as we waited until our next appointment that was some sort of seaweed wrap. We stepped inside the steamy room and found a seat against the wall, resting our backs against it with our towels wrapped around us. The smell of eucalyptus wafted up toward me, further relaxing me.

“Feeling amazing yet?” asked Heart.

“Just about there.” I sighed.

The door to the steam room opened and another woman stepped inside. My breath caught as I realized I knew that strawberry-blonde hair and those long, slim legs.

“Oh, my God,” I whispered as Veronica walked by.

She looked right at me as she passed by, but pretended not to see me. Pretended like she didn’t just humiliate me in front of that ballroom of people.

“What? What is it?” asked Heart a little too loud.

I nudged her with my elbow to lower her voice.

“Ow,” she muttered. “What the hell?”

“She’shere.”

“Who?”

“Troy’s ex-wife.”

“No way. The bitch?” asked Heart, looking around.

“Will you shhh?” I asked, holding up a finger.

“You have to say something.”

“What?” I asked, my voice a raised whisper.

“Unleash the bulldog I know you can be.”

She was right. I deserved to say something. To call her out on how she treated me. I remembered what she had said to me and how she had looked at me like I was nothing. I felt all of my feelings from the past few weeks rise to the surface. I stood up clutching my towel, feeling slightly ridiculous as I walked the few steps to where Veronica sat.

“Excuse me,” I said.

“Can I help you?” she asked, uninterested as she looked up at me.

“I know you know who I am. You owe me an apology,” I said.

She looked me up and down as if I were a cockroach. “I owe you nothing,” she deadpanned.

I heard Heart clear her throat from behind me and the rustling of her towel as she stood up and walked over beside me.

“Oh, is this your little sidekick?” asked Veronica, looking at Heart with amusement. “How cute.”

“It won’t be cute when I slap that smile off your face,” said Heart.

Veronica’s smile left her face.AndI’mthe bulldog, I thought.

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