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“He was writing this sci-fi script, and he knew I worked in aerospace, and he needed help with the science. It was no big deal.”
“If it was no big deal, why didn’t you tell me? I don’t understand why you’d keep it a secret that you were hanging out with him. For months.”
Esther chewed on her lower lip. “There’s something else I haven’t told you.”
Jinny crossed her arms, bracing herself. “What?”
“Jonathan asked me to help him with his screenplay before he asked you out. I told him—I told him I’d only do it if he went out with you.”
“What?”
Esther cringed, wishing she could sink into the floor. “I know.”
“How could you do that?” Jinny’s voice had gone icy.
“I was afraid you were going to get back together with Stuart.” It sounded so pathetic now. So flimsy.
“Why the fuck is that any of your business?” she demanded, eyes blazing.
“He was an asshole, Jinny, and you were about to go right back to him. I didn’t want you to get hurt. I thought if you went out with someone else, like a rebound guy, you’d get over Stuart. And you thought Jonathan was cute, so…” Esther had been so proud of herself. She’d thought she’d come up with the perfect plan. That she was helping Jinny. What an idiot she was.
“So you pimped me out.”
“No! I pimped myself out to get a cute guy you liked to ask you on a date.”
Jinny shook her head. “You pimped him out. On me. He never even liked me, did he? It was all a lie.”
“That’s not true! He thought you were cute! You thought he was cute. It seemed like a perfect match.” It had. Her intentions had been good. As if that counted for anything.
“I can’t believe you. That’s exactly the kind of shit my parents pull on me, trying to make me date the men they want me to date. And you know how I feel about it, but you did it anyway.”
Esther’s stomach dropped into her shoes. “You’re totally right, and I’m sorry.”
Jinny paced from the kitchen to the front door and back again. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I went on three dates with that guy. I made out with him. And it was all just a scam.”
“It wasn’t a scam. He really did like you.” Which didn’t exactly make the fact that Esther had jumped into bed with him any better.
Jinny shook her head, her lip curling in disgust. “Thank god I didn’t sleep with him. Can you even imagine?”
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t think it through. I thought I was helping.” A lump tried to squeeze Esther’s throat closed, making her voice tremble.
“By lying to me? Going against my explicit wishes? And then turning around and sleeping with the guy you’d tricked into pity-dating me?” There was no forgiveness to be found in Jinny’s face.
“That’s not—it wasn’t like that.” The words sounded hollow as Esther spoke them. Because it was like that. It was exactly like that.
“I can’t believe you would do that to me.” The coldness in Jinny’s expression couldn’t mask the hurt underneath.
Esther’s eyes burned, and she blinked. “Jinny, I—”
“You know what? I can’t even look at you right now. I have to go.” She gathered up her things, moving toward the door.
Esther couldn’t let her leave yet. Not until they’d worked this out. She had to make her understand. She had to fix this. “Jinny, wait. Please, I—”
She didn’t wait. When the door slammed behind her, it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.
Esther sank down on the couch and pressed her palms against her forehead.
Fuck. Everything was a disaster.
