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Good to know.
“Lottie!” Eva practically squealed her name when she came rushing into the restaurant, her blonde hair pulled up high in a ponytail. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages. I’ve missed you!”
Tears blurred Lottie’s vision as she stood to accept her friend’s hug. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“Portia will be here in a sec. She spotted this to-die-for bag a couple stores down and she said it couldn’t wait. But I couldn’t wait to see you.” Laying her hand over Lottie’s, Eva squeezed, concern filling her dark eyes. “I’ve been meaning to call you and check on you, life just got… well.” The corners of her mouth tightened. “Life got in the way, I suppose.”
“Tell me about it.”
But before either of them could say anything further, Portia came hurrying in, her cheeks flushed with excitement, though whether it was the excitement of seeing her friend or of snagging a great sale, Lottie wasn’t sure. “Lottie! I’m so happy to see you! You’ve been so quiet lately. Is everything okay?”
That little bit of concern was all it took to break her. Looking from one of her closest friends to the other, Lottie opened her mouth—and promptly burst into tears.
“Oh my god. What did you two say to her?” Frankie’s voice cut through the sound of Lottie’s sobbing. “Come here, Lottie baby. What’s wrong?”
But she was crying too hard to do more than shake her head.
“We didn’t do anything, swear to god!” Portia’s voice had pitched up to almost a panicked squeak. “I just asked her if everything was okay because we hadn’t heard from her in a while.”
“Same,” Eva said. “What’s going on, Frankie?”
“It’s a long story, and it’s not mine to tell.” Someone pressed a wad of tissues into Lottie’s hand as Frankie gently rocked her. “Lottie, honey, people are starting to stare. Gonna need you to take a deep breath for me, okay?”
Dragging in a deep, if shaky, breath, Lottie dabbed at her face with the tissues. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I just—I really fucking love you guys.”
“We love you, too.” With a smile that was as much confusion as affection, Portia patted Lottie’s hand. “What’s going on?”
“Okay.” Lottie dragged in two more deep breaths and forced a smile. “Okay. Like Frankie said, it’s a really long story and it would be super helpful if you guys could just listen and let me get through the whole thing, okay?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Of course.”
And to their credit, they didn’t interrupt, not even once, as Lottie took them through the whole sordid ordeal. Through uncovering her father’s debts, to Frankie telling her about the auction—which did earn Frankie a shocked gasp and a glare from Portia—to having her virginity purchased by a mob boss and then basically sold again to Braden, to her and Braden’s growing relationship, and finally to her father finding out and Braden chasing her into the mountains to propose.
“So, yeah. It’s been… a lot. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys sooner, I guess I was just embarrassed.”
Eva frowned. “Why would you be embarrassed? You aren’t the one who gambled away your fortune.”
“I know. But a part of me was worried you guys wouldn’t want to be my friends anymore if I wasn’t, you know, as rich as you, anymore.”
“Wow, you have a really shitty opinion of us,” Portia said, her baby-blue eyes snapping with anger. “You really think we’d dump you when you needed us the most?”
“No. I don’t know. It’s just, we’ve spent our whole lives going on these extravagant vacations and shopping and having brunch. I didn’t think you’d want me around if I couldn’t do those things anymore.”
“You know, it really sucks to have the rest of the world think we’re shallow and vapid. I never expected one of my best friends to see me that way.” Hurt echoed in Portia’s words and to Lottie’s surprise tears shimmered on her lashes. “I thought we knew each other better than that.”
Lottie winced. “You’re right. And I’m sorry.”
“We forgive you.” Eva shot Portia a dark look when Portia opened her mouth to protest. “I wish you’d come to us, but we understand how upset and stressed you must have been. Don’t we, Portia?”
Although she didn’t look at all like she was ready to forgive, Portia nodded stiffly.
“I really am sorry. I think I let my own insecurities get in the way and I projected that onto you guys, and I shouldn’t have. I’ll do better.”
Waving a hand as if to brush all the hurt and upset aside, Eva leaned in, her eyes sparkling. “Now that we’ve got all the messy stuff out of the way, you have to tell us. How’s the sex?”
Portia groaned, but Lottie couldn’t help but grin. Finally, it was her turn to share all the delicious, dirty details of her sex life. “Fucking spectacular.”
