Page 105 of Deck the Hauls

Emily, I just saw the article about Phillip. I hope you’re doing okay. Let me know if you want to talk or be distracted, and I’ll be there in a heartbeat. Much love, Mihira

“Oh, my brother’s calling,” Cat said, her voice wavering. “Shit, I forgot to tell him. I better take this. Thanks for being on the line with me. Maybe we could catch up for a coffee next week if you’re around in Brooklyn?”

“That would be great,” I said.

Something wet dropped onto my arm, and I realized I was crying. Crying for all his victims, for my career, for Cat, for all the other women affected by Phillip’s wrongdoing.

Hopefully the world would see the article and realize they had to take action to prevent this sort of harm from continuing. Certainly the people involved in covering up Phillip’s actions hadn’t come off lightly in the article.

Another message came through.

I hope you’re holding up okay. Let me know if you feel like a call. I’ll make sure I’ve got cell reception for the next hour just in case. Dana.

The tears streamed down my face even faster now.

Finally, Phillip was getting his comeuppance.

I just wished Dana was here to share it with me. Trying to communicate through texts and phone-tag calls wasn’t enough.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

DANA

I sat at the window table at Novel Gossip, scrolling on my phone. There were no new calls or messages from Emily, but plenty of news about Phillip. Every day there seemed to be another horrific account of a woman who’d been targeted by him, pressured into sleeping with him. Thankfully, despite Phillip’s denials, no one seemed to be taking him seriously and his promise to ruin Emily and Catherine had not eventuated—at least, not yet, as far as I could tell.

There’d been articles on Emily and Catherine too, most of which had been sympathetic, although I’d tensed at one article containing a photo of Emily leaving her house. What an invasion of privacy. On social media, the reaction had been more mixed. Some people, almost all men, tried to downplay what Phillip had done, suggesting that Emily and Catherine had ulterior motives for speaking out, that they were attention-seeking and lying. While they were a small but vocal minority, I’d had to stop reading social media posts and comments because it was too infuriating. I clenched my jaw.

A message popped up.

I’d removed her from my contacts, but I still recognized her number.

Kelsey.

Why was she messaging me?

Hey Dana, I am so sorry to bother you. I just wanted to let you know that if it would make it easier for you to attend Christmas with your parents, I’m happy to sit it out. I know it would mean so much to your parents if you could be there. Kelsey.

Christmas.

The last thing I felt like was celebrating Christmas right now.

I’d let myself seriously contemplate it...going back home, with Emily there for moral support. I’d thought perhaps, with Emily by my side, I could do it.

But that wasn’t an option now. Even if Emily was still willing to go, her presence would be more confusing than comforting. I knew Emily wanted to go back to being friends again and I was trying to make that happen, but it was going to take me a while to adjust. And less than two weeks was not long enough. I couldn’t have our first physical reunion as friends be at Christmas dinner at my parents’ house, in front of my estranged brother and pregnant ex.

I pulled up Emily’s number. She almost certainly wasn’t planning to accompany me to Christmas anymore, but it didn’t hurt to make that clear.

Hi, I hope you’re holding up okay. I just wanted to let you know I’ve decided I’m not ready to go back home for Christmas, so don’t worry about that. Just enjoy your day with your family.

I typed an X at the end of the message, then deleted it. My thumb hovered back over the X. It felt strange, not signing off with one—I’d gotten accustomed to it over the past few weeks. But it didn’t feel appropriate now. I shot off the message. I would respond to Kelsey later.

I went back to scrolling articles about Phillip until another message popped up. My pulse quickened. Emily.

I could still come with you, if that would help? If we arrived and left separately, it’s unlikely anyone would see us. But I completely understand if you’d rather not.

Pain flared in my chest. As much as I wanted to see her, I didn’t want it to be in those circumstances.

No, that’s okay. I don’t want to go.