“That doesn’t mean she’s not being manipulative.”
“I thought you were all for this relationship.”
“I still am.”
Abby put her pen to the paper in front of her, signifying the conversation was over. “I have work to do. Do you still want to meet them?” A lump caught in Abby’s throat. She’d been looking forward to having Madeline meet Blythe and Ricki, but not if Madeline had negative thoughts about them.
“Dial the outrage back.” Madeline relaxed against the back of her chair, showing no sign that Abby’s demand was going to get her to leave. “I’m dying to meet them. I just want to make sure you’re not being a doormat.”
Abby refrained from saying,but I do it so well.No, that wasn’t right. Now she was feeling sorry for herself because Madeline made her uncomfortable, but Madeline was right. Abby needed to speak up if she didn’t want to do something. Ricki had taught her that, so she couldn’t blame Blythe if she never voiced her apprehension.
“I’m not being a doormat. Now get the hell out of my office.” Abby cringed at her own words, but she held her head up high and made eye contact with Madeline. “Was that assertive enough for you?”
Madeline laughed. “That was perfect.” She stood. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
Before Abby could respond, Madeline breezed from her office.
CHAPTER 30
Blythe paced and peeredout the front window again. All of her and Ricki’s bags were packed and waiting by the door; now Ricki just needed to get home. Blythe already logged off her Uber app today, hoping they could get an early start. It looked like Ricki’s boss had other plans.
She heard her cellphone ringing in the distance.Shit.She’d left it in the kitchen, so she hurried across the house, hoping it wasn’t Ricki saying she was delayed.
When Blythe got to her phone, her heartbeat quickened.
“Cyn, is that you?” Blythe said into the phone.
“Blythe, I’m so glad you answered,” Cyn said. Her tone was muted, but Blythe was thankful to hear her voice.
“I’ve been so worried about you,” Blythe said. “But you’re okay?”
“I’m getting there.” Cyn let out a small chuckle. “I lost it. Big-time.”
“Uh, well, yeah. What happened?”
“I’d already been struggling. I’d been losing followers, not getting as much engagement, and people were telling me I wasn’t coming up in their feeds. The algorithms turned on me. Hated me.”
Blythe shuddered. Most creators lost sleep over algorithms, which were mysterious moving targets that no one had ever figured out. Though people made huge money claiming they did. Blythe had tried a few online classes, but she might as well have flushed her money down the toilet.
“I’d barely been sleeping,” Cyn said. “And when I did, I’d wake up in a sweat. All I was eating was junk food, if I remembered to eat at all. I kept shooting more and more videos, trying to get something to stick. It didn’t work.”
“And then the trolls hit?” Blythe said.
“You got it. Sleep deprived, malnourished, and my anxiety was off the charts, so it took little to push me over the edge.”
“You sound good, though.”
“I’m getting there. I guess I’m doing well since they gave me cellphone privileges.” Cyn chuckled. “My family had to uninstall all my apps, and I’m in this fishbowl room where the staff are watching me like a hawk. I’m not allowed on social media, but I have an hour to reach out to my friends. They believerealsocial connection will do me good.”
Blythe’s heart warmed. “They didn’t care that we’ve never met in person?”
“I don’t believe I’ll inquire.” Cyn laughed.
“God, it’s so good to hear you laugh. Your live feed was brutal. Uh, sorry, maybe I shouldn’t bring that up.”
“No, it’s okay. It happened. My counselors and I haven’t decided whether I should watch the video or not. To be honest, I don’t remember much. It was like I was in a fugue state. Pretty creepy.”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t watch it.”
