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Me: It can wait until tomorrow. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.
Jenn: Oh, don’t worry. Tina and I live to irritate that woman. Besides, it’s better than spending time with my uncle and him saying how nice it is for his niece to have such a “good roommate.” She’s my wife, FFS.
Me: You could’ve come here. I invite you every year.
Jenn: I know. But it’d break my mom’s heart if I didn’t come to Thanksgiving. Anyway, Tina’s started on the statement, and we’ll post it everywhere once it’s done. What do you want to say about Katie?
Me: Just that she’s my girlfriend, we were childhood friends, and there is no weight loss program deal. The bigger announcement will come soon enough, but I won’t do it now because of a knee-jerk reaction.
Jenn: You shouldn’t have to do any of this at all.
Me: We’ve discussed this.
Jenn: I know, I know. I can’t wait to meet this Katie in person, though.
Me: Soon. She’ll need a friend in L.A. If she still agrees to continue with this shit show.
Jenn: Just use that hidden charm I know is there.
Rage didn’t even begin to describe how I felt about Wendy’s post. I’d expected Katie to become her target, had even warned her about it, but the words Wendy had written were beyond cruel.
I trusted Jenn and Tina to handle the official response. However, right now, Wendy could wait. I needed to find Katie.
Yes, she’d asked for space. But the thought of her suffering alone, because of me and my problems, didn’t sit well.
Not to mention I wanted to let her know she could end this now, even in front of my family, if she wanted.
So I followed her and found her sitting on a bench in the winery’s reception area. She had her fingers clenched into fists, a determined expression on her face.
It was a hell of a lot better than earlier, when I thought she might cry.
As I approached her, she finally noticed me and I asked, “Are you okay? I couldn’t let you suffer Wendy’s bullshit alone.”
“I won’t lie—what she said hurt. But I’m not about to let her win.”
Since Katie didn’t stand, I sat next to her. “Now that you’ve had a little time to let it sink in, tell me truthfully—do you want to back out of our deal? Because Wendy will become even worse once the news of our engagement breaks.”
Katie laced her fingers together, undid them, and then put them together again. “I know she will. And it won’t make her words any less hurtful. But at least now I’m prepared for her level of meanness and bullying.”
“Katie.”
“Just let me finish, Nolan.” I nodded, and she continued, “However, it tells me that she must be a petty person who doesn’t have much love in her life. Sure, she might be rich and pretty and have a legion of fans. But does any of that really matter if she’s so full of hatred and ugliness inside? It makes me think she’s unhappy.”
“Maybe. But I think it’s more the fact she’s just shallow.” I ran a hand through my hair. “It didn’t take me long to realize that her public persona—which had been much nicer before I broke up with her—was just a front. In reality, she wants a handsome guy she can control, to do her every bidding. Someone to look nice next to her in photos, to further build up the facade of a perfect life, but one who doesn’t get to have anything his way.” I paused, and before I could think better of it, I added, “Like most of the world, she has an image of me in her head and expected me to match the fantasy of Nolan Drake instead of wanting the reality that is Nolan Wolfe.”
Katie placed a hand on my arm, and I looked at her. She searched my eyes and said, “Well, I don’t know Nolan Drake very well. But I mostly like Nolan Wolfe.”
“Mostly?”
“Well, you are annoyingly tall.”
The corner of my mouth kicked up. “Being tall is a negative? That was out of my control, you know.”
“Try being barely over five feet and see how you feel standing next to a veritable giant. It gives a girl a crick in the neck.”
“We’re sitting right now, though, and are nearly eye-to-eye.”
She put a hand to the top of her head and moved it over in a line to hit my nose. “I’m still shorter.”
