I glance at the Instagram account—which belongs to “Katt”—and scowl. It has tons of photos, most of them too perfect to be mere snapshots, although she tried very hard to make them seem that way. Many of them are of me and her, except I don’t remember being this close to her. When I go to any sort of social gatherings, I stick to my network, people who have been vetted not to have any connection to the Dunkels. When I go clubbing and hook up with someone, I make sure to pick women who are so transparent Mom would never consider using them against me.
“These photos are fake,” I say.
Klein’s eyes turn as round as mini saucers. Guess it’s never crossed her mind that her sister might be a liar. “They are?”
“I was never around her like this. Besides…” I squint at one where I have my arm around Katt’s waist and a shit-eating grin on my face. “It’s AI. I certainly never put my arm around her.”
“AI?”
“Yeah. Look at the fingers.” I point to the corner. “They’re a bit too long and awkward.”
Klein takes her phone and stares. “Oh wow. You’re right.”
“So you don’t have to feel guilty toward your sister. You haven’t ruined anything, Klein. You could never ruin anything.”
She lowers her phone and gives me a soft, shy smile. “Thank you. I think that’s one of the nicest things anybody’s ever said to me.”
I shrug. “Just being honest.”
“Well, honesty deserves gratitude, too. Also, thanks for coming to the rescue, boss. I’ll find a graceful way to get us out of the situation soon. Count on it.”
Her reassurance should cheer me up. After all, isn’t this what I want? To protect her from the humiliation of being deceived by Chad and the judging eyes of her shitty parents? I knew I had tocome up with a plan to undo my lie about proposing to her—even reminded myself of all the reasons I’m not right for her.
But I can’t feel anything positive about her eagerness to be free of me.
Chapter Ten
Ailee
By the time I get home, my phone is about to explode with notifications from my parents and Katt. They kept texting when Josh bought me doughnuts and coffee. Ignoring them didn’t seem to help. The longer I stay silent, the more determined they become.
Now a new text arrives every minute. I ignore them, since nothing good will come of it. I don’t want to upset myself anymore, especially when I’m still reeling from what happened.
I can’t figure out why Josh jumped in like that. He’s a lawyer—a great one—not a sucker. He has to know lying like that in public would create problems for him. He even gave Katt a verbal smackdown, then said he didn’t know her.
Surprisingly enough, I believe him. I even believe him over the photos on her Instagram account. The fact that I trust him so easily is a bit surprising. After all, I just got burned by Chad. You’d think it’d be a long while before I’d believe any man again. About anything.
Josh offered to buy me dinner, but I declined since I didn’t want to take up more of his time, especially when he’d already eaten and probably wanted to go back to his brothers. They’re tight, unlike me and Katt. I envy the bond he has with them—it would be nice to have people unconditionally on my side. The only time my family’s on Team Ailee is when it can benefit Team Katt.
Letting out a breath and expelling the messy emotions from the evening, I toe off my shoes and toss my bra into the laundry basket. I microwave the leftover lasagna and grab a flavored tea from the fridge. Although the doughnuts were fabulous, they aren’t a substitute for real food.
About the time I place the reheated lasagna on the table, the door opens and Max walks in. She vibrates with the boundless energy born of late-afternoon cappuccino. Her copper-red hair lies sleek—unlike mine—and her makeup is flawless, the mascara and eyeliner still looking fresh. Even the emerald sheath dress she put on yesterday morning before going to the office is wrinkle-free and pristine. Her green eyes are wide as she comes straight for me.
Before I can say, “Hey,” my best friend lets out a piercing scream of excitement and outrage and hugs me.
“You’re going to turn me deaf,” I say, wincing.
Finally, she calms down enough to pull back and articulate. “Holyshit, roomie! What thehell? The fucking asshole ismarried, and you’re actually engaged to your hot-as-hellboss?” The glint in her eyes ping-pongs between rage and admiration.
I blink. “What? How did you know? Did Katt harass you, too?”
Max snorts. “She wishes!” Unlike most people, Max isn’t impressed with Katt’s fortune or fame. Probably because she was our next-door neighbor and grew up with us since we were five. “It’s all over the internet.”
“Wait, wait, wait. What is? Start from the beginning.” I take a bite of lasagna.
“Everything that happened to you today since you got to the restaurant. By the way, Katt’s a bitch for having you go to Peking Town. I think somebody filmed it when they saw her talking with the fan girl, you know, the one who turned out to be yourdentist fiancé’s pregnant wife? And then they couldn’t stop themselvesand posted the whole thing live on Instagram, and it went viral. It’s like Jerry Springer, but more modern and upscale, without the moron audience.”
I wince and swallow the lasagna.Great. “Was I recognizable in the video?”
