Page 24 of Best Served Hot
‘I haven’t even started yet,’ Nicole assured her.
‘So, how do we play it next?’ Alex asked.
‘Well, we’ve got an episode of TV to make, so I think we should probably focus on that. He’s going to take it from here for a bit, anyway.’
‘You’resureof that?’ Alex pressed.
‘OK, put yourself in his position,’ Nicole proposed. ‘The one person you were trying to get rid of because they could expose your filthy little secrets shows up at your workplace. Working with your wife. Would you just cross your fingers and hope for the best?’ Nicole asked.
‘That’s a tough one. I can’t picture me in his position,’ Alex said truthfully. She knew she wasn’t perfect, but she wasn’t like him.
He’d had everything, and it had still not been enough. Great job, great wife, great life. If Alex had half of what he’d had, she’d have considered it a miracle and spent the rest of her life thanking the universe for her blessings.
Instead, she had half a career, a shitty ex,twoshitty exes actually, a car that was forever moments away from going caput, and a tiny, overpriced flat. Nicole was right. He deserved to pay, if only for his lack of gratitude. The world was rarely so kind. And he’d spat in the face of his incredible luck.
‘Of courseyouwouldn’t have done all this,’ Nicole said. ‘But find your inner scumbag for a second. What’s your next move?’
Alex thought it over. ‘If I were him, I’d want to know what I was planning.’
‘Exactly. So we give him the rope, and we wait,’ Nicole explained.
‘Why can’t I just go right to him now? Explain the whole thing?’ Alex asked.
‘Because you know that expression? No news is good news?’ Nicole began.
‘Sure.’
‘Have you ever taken comfort in that?’ Nicole asked her.
That was an easy question for Alex to answer. ‘Not even once. If I don’t know what’s happening, I will assume an absolute dog-shit worst-case scenario.’
‘Exactly. It’s human nature. Imagine you’ve done something wrong and there’s a chance it’s about to blow up in your face?’ Nicole prompted.
‘So we’re leaving him to get paranoid and frightened?’
‘It’s as much a part of it as anything we could do. He’s gonna fret and worry and sweat,’ Nicole said, leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms behind her head, and smiling calmly. ‘He’ll be his own torturer more than we could ever be.’
‘You’re an evil mastermind,’ Alex said.
Nicole tensed. ‘I don’t know about that.’
Alex smiled. ‘Don’t worry. It suits you.’
Nicole looked away, embarrassed. ‘I don’t need an ego stroke,’ she stuttered.
‘I’m just saying. You look very different from when I first met you,’ Alex explained.
Nicole chortled. ‘What a difference a shower makes.’
Alex tutted. ‘It’s not that. It’s like… Your light had gone out. And you switched it back on. That’s the difference.’ She paused before saying the next thing, unsure if it crossed a line. But it pushed its way out of her mouth anyway. ‘Ethan’s an idiot.’
Nicole looked very uncertain about how to take that. ‘I wasn’t sure you were gonna show up today,’ she said, a swift subject change.
Alex shrugged. ‘Me neither. But I said I would.’
‘I appreciate that,’ Nicole said seriously. ‘I know you said yes to this. But I also know I had to sell it to you.’
‘At the very least, I’m currently employed,’ Alex said philosophically.
