Her boyfriend is Josh.MyJosh.
Maybe I’m wrong.
Maybe Josh is her brother? Cousin? Some other distant relative? Maybe they both happened to be in the same place at the same time and both wanted to get a picture with the Mills guy.
I tap the screen. “Who is this next to you?”
“That’s my boyfriend, Hinds.” She laughs and rolls her eyes. “I mean, Joshua Hinden,” she says with her nose wrinkled. “Now that he’s been named partner at his father’s law firm he hates the nickname, but it’s a hard habit to break when I’ve been calling him Hinds since we were at Vandy.”
Different last name. Does that mean my Josh gave me a fake freaking last name?
Wait. If they were dating since Vandy, that means they’ve been together since college!
Oh no…
He isn’tmyJosh at all. He’sherJosh.
Oh, shit.
That meansI’mthe other woman.
Rebecca squeezes my arm, her concerned expression only making me feel more guilty. “You okay, Loren?”
“Oh, yeah. Fantastic.” Handing back her phone, I swipe my sweaty palms down my skirt. This is bad. This is so, so,sobad. Rebecca is literal perfection incarnate, and Josh is cheating on herwith me.
Do I tell her?
How can I? This isn’t exactly morning-coffee conversation. This is the sort of thing you say in a text after you’ve moved countries and changed your name.
I should really get a passport.
Not that I have the money for an international flight.
Unless I sign up for another credit card.
No, no. Credit cards are the devil, and my credit is already shot.
Keep it together, Loren. You’ll figure this out.
Meg gives me a weird look, like it’s obvious I’m totally not keeping it together at all. “Why are you smiling like a serial killer?” she asks with a chuckle, taking Rebecca’s phone to have a look at the picture herself.
I’m not smiling like a serial killer.
Am I?
I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the microwave door. Balls. She’s right.
Meg chokes on her sip of coffee and starts coughing and gasping. I take the mug from her so she doesn’t spill it all over her tan dress slacks and pound on her back, silently pleading with her to get it together so we can figure out what to do.
Meanwhile, Rebecca runs over to the sink to fill a glass with water.
Why does she have to be so amazing?
Not that it would make sleeping with her boyfriend any less wrong if she were a raging bitch, but at least it would make sense why the hell Josh would waste even a second on me when he’s dating someone like Rebecca.
“Are you okay?” Rebecca’s brow furrows as she holds out the glass toward Meg.
“Yeah. Sorry. Sometimes I choke.”
