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“I thought he was, too,” she said, returning to her reflection and fluffing her hair. “But it must have just been that thing with his balls. I do it exactly the way he likes.”
She smiled at me. “I’m not even mad at him, though. He’s great. I’m mad at me. I think I got too inspired by my own pep talk. I’m the one who started hoping—and that was a dumb f**king move. If I hadn’t hoped, I’d be psyched that I was getting a South End condo and a Range Rover. Now all I’m doing is crying.” She blew her nose loudly.
“You should give him a chance,” I said. “See what he has to say for himself.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said and gave her hair one final fluff. “In the meantime, I need some liquid courage to keep up with these people. Rich people sure drink a lot, huh?”
* * *
Much to my chagrin, we passed Celia Preston on our way back to the restaurant. “May I have a word with you, Audrey?” she asked. She looked at Jenny. “Alone?”
“Of course, Mrs. Preston,” I mumbled. Jenny shot me a worried look but obediently headed back to the table; Celia was not someone you said no to. “What can I do for you?”
“You could start by doing what I asked,” Celia said tightly. “And stop digging your acrylic claws further into my son.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“You heard me. We agreed that you would break up with James after this trip. I want to make sure you keep your part of the bargain.”
“Excuse me,” I said again. “I never agreed to break up with James after this. You asked me to. I said I would think about it. You offered to bribe me. I said I would think about it. I promised nothing.”
“You’re going to promise me now,” she said, her voice dangerous.
“No. I’m not.” I shook my head. “I’m not going to do that, Mrs. Preston, even though that’s not what you want to hear.”
She grabbed my wrist painfully. “You listen to me. I told you before—I know you have feelings for my son. You need to do what’s right for him. Don’t be selfish, Audrey. Don’t ruin his life by dragging him down with you.”
“Just because I’m not wealthy like you doesn’t make me a bad person,” I said. “I think you’re being a little dramatic.”
“Being poor doesn’t make you a bad person,” Mrs. Preston said. “Being a hooker does.”
I felt as if she’d punched me in the gut. Inside, I was reeling. Outside, I tried to appear unruffled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied. “Are you feeling well?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Celia let go of my wrist and I rubbed it; she had a surprisingly strong grip. She studied my face. “I know all about you and your little friend in there,” she said, motioning toward Jenny. “Don’t look so surprised, Audrey—you’re not the first whore I’ve had to keep away from my sons.”
“What?” I asked, my voice coming out small.
“Once I realized that my son was going to fight to keep you, I did some investigating. Rather, I hired someone to do some investigating. When you have money, position, and means, you can do things like that, dear. I’m sure you wouldn’t know. And I found out all about you. The fact that you’re not an orphan, and you’re not a student. I also found out about your mother and your brother. I saw the low-class neighborhood where you really live. I know all the little secrets you’ve been keeping,” she said.
“My secrets are none of your business,” I said. My voice sounded faraway to my own ears and I felt sick, remembering the limousine that had slowly driven down my street the morning after the wedding.
Celia sniffed in disapproval. “I disagree. You have to understand something.” She looked at me levelly, her unnaturally smooth face a mask of superiority and disdain. “You could ruin my son’s life. Just by being with him. Have you considered that he might hate me enough to do this to me? That he might pick you just to spite me—do you understand that, dear? Do you understand that isn’t the same thing as love?”
“This isn’t about you. That’s not why he’s with me,” I said quickly. “James isn’t spiteful. He’s a good person.”
“See?” Mrs. Preston said triumphantly. “You do love him—I knew it. That’s a good motivator, Audrey. If you love someone, you should do the right thing for them. You are not the right thing for my son. He can’t have anything to do with you going forward. Do you understand?”
