Abby twirled her fork between her fingers. “Obviously, I don’t know Ricki like you do, but she’s been a lot of fun when I’ve been around her. I wouldn’t have guessed she was depressed.”
“The weekends are the only time I see my fun-loving friend, but even then, she has her moments. You’ve seen them, but during the week, it’s worse.”
Abby nodded. “What do you need from me?”
“Be a distraction. Like you have been.”
A frown tugged at the corner of Abby’s lips.
“Shit. That came out wrong. You’re a wonderful distraction. I’m just worried she’s going to go back to the bar where Missy works. Implode her life.” Blythe shook her head.
Abby bit her bottom lip. “Do you think our relationship is bothering her?”
“What? No. Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know.” Abby shrugged. “I mean, she’s alone and we’re together. That’s hard on some people.”
Blythe shook her head. “Nah. Ricki’s used to it.”Shit.“I mean, you know I’ve dated a lot, and it’s never bothered her. She’s a hopeless romantic, waiting for the fairytale.”
“And she thought Missy was it?” An expression of distaste settled on Abby’s face.
“Oh, Missy is good. And I don’t mean that in a positive way.” Blythe curled her lip. “She did all the right things—said all the right things—to make Ricki fall for her. Then once she had Ricki in her clutches, Missy’s true colors came out. Hell, the first six months, I thought Missy was perfect for Ricki.”
“That’s awful. I’ve read that narcissists cause their targets to stop thinking straight, and then they lash out at others when they point it out.”
“It’s true. I have the scars to prove it.” When Blythe saw Abby’s eyes widen, she held up her hand. “Scratch that. I meant it figuratively, not literally. I have the emotional scars to prove it, not physical ones.”
“Oh, good. You had me worried for a minute.”
“My bad. Terrible choice of words.” Blythe blinked back tears. “Damn it. I’m not a crier, but thinking about it still gets to me. It’s painful when you can’t help someone you love. I tried everything, but Missy had her narcissistic tentacles around Ricki so tight that I couldn’t get through to her.”
“How did she get away from Missy?”
“Luck. Missy met someone else. Found another victim and threw Ricki to the curb. Kinda.”
“Kinda?”
“She didn’t want to give up Ricki completely, so she kept her on a string, and just when Ricki started to heal, Missy would show up or call her out of the blue.” Blythe smiled. “After almost six months of back-and-forth, Ricki finally put her foot down. She blocked Missy and refused to speak to her. I was so proud of her.”
“But now you’re terrified?”
“Beyond terrified. Missy is not a good person.”
“I’d love to help, but I’m not sure how much I can do.”
“We need to keep her distracted—busy. She seems better today, but even so, something isn’t quite right.”
“She couldn’t sleep last night,” Abby said.
“Huh?”
“After you fell asleep, I got up to make myself a cup of tea. She was in the kitchen eating popcorn, drinking a beer, and reading.”
Blythe smiled at the image. “Typical Ricki.”
“She said she was having trouble sleeping. She didn’t mention the text from her boss, but perhaps that’s all it was.”
Blythe shook her head. “No. It’s more than that. I’m sure it’s Missy.”
