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She hadn’t been like the other girls in her high school. She’d been tall and curvy and dark, and it had seemed like ninety percent of the other girls had been slender and sweet. Beth had grown breasts and hips in fifth grade, and from then on, she’d done her best to cover them with baggy jeans and sweaters. Those efforts had kept boys at bay, though that hadn’t been her goal. Not exactly. She just hadn’t wanted them making comments about her boobs.
But her senior year, she’d finally landed a boyfriend. Christopher West. He’d taken her to homecoming. They’d dated for months. She’d fallen in love. And she’d lost her virginity. The sex had been fine. Nothing spectacular, but nothing awful, either. And if she wasn’t that into the sex, she’d certainly been into the idea of a boy liking her. That part had been exhilarating, that a boy she loved would be so desperate to have her. That he’d beg and moan anytime she said no. He’d needed her. He’d loved her. He’d thought of her every moment they were apart.
Beth had suddenly found herself transformed from a girl no one noticed into a girl who could drive a boy to fits of lust. So she’d liked the sex just fine.
During spring break that year, Christopher’s parents had been working, so there’d been lots of sex at his house. And then she’d made the worst mistake of her life. When Christopher had brought out a Polaroid camera and asked if he could take pictures of her, Beth had been flattered he’d want them. She’d thrilled to the idea that he’d thought her beautiful. So she’d said yes.
She burrowed deeper under the covers at the thought. How many hours of her life had she wasted, wishing she could go back to that one stupid moment and change her words? No, she’d say. Not in a million years.
But no matter how hard she’d prayed, the past always stayed the same. She’d posed naked for him. She’d shyly spread her legs. She’d even let him take a picture of her on her knees in front of him.
Whatever his intentions had been at that point, the responsibility had been too much. He had dirty pictures of his girlfriend. His friends had been teasing him about dating the chubby girl for months. He wanted to prove that the chubby girl was just as hot as their girlfriends. Hotter, even.
Or that had been his explanation later.
Whether he’d meant to hurt her or not, he’d shown the pictures to some friends at a party. Then he’d brought them to school. Someone had grabbed the worst of them and passed them all over.
Beth had been ruined. Ruined. There was no room in high school for a girl who would let a boy take X-rated photos. She’d worn an invisible scarlet letter that begged for insults and abuse. She’d been lower than garbage. And then her parents had been called to the principal’s office….
When she felt the tickle of tears inching down her face, Beth pressed her hands to her eyes and shook her head. Why was she thinking about this? This wasn’t high school. She didn’t have to answer to anyone.
But it had been there all this time, hadn’t it? Part of her inability to relax with a man was caused by her constant fear that he would talk about it. That he’d describe her and what they’d done. That he’d laugh with his friends. That he would use what they’d done as a trophy, especially now that she was running the White Orchid.
Eric had been right. Being the manager of the store was a little like being a local celebrity. Not that she’d done anything to earn fame, but just working at the store brought infamy. And instead of bragging about it, Eric didn’t want anyone to know. That felt safe, despite his lies. Safe to have sex with him, but not safe to love. She could rely on that, at least.
She let a few more tears fall for that seventeen-year-old girl. Those last months of school had felt like the end of her life. In a way, they had been, because she’d never been that girl again. That Beth had been destroyed.
But she was someone better now, so Beth made herself get up and shower and dress for work. She dressed down because she felt like it. No need to try hard to look sexy when she felt sexy all the way to her bones. So she wore jeans with her heels, and a flowy little black top, and she pulled her hair back in a ponytail. She felt like a new woman and she looked like one, too.
When her phone rang there was only a small bit of hoarseness in her voice to betray her earlier emotions. “Hello?” she answered as she locked her door and started down the steps.
“Ms. Cantrell?” The voice wasn’t familiar, so Beth was cautious.
“May I ask who’s calling?”
“Ms. Cantrell, this is Yvette Page with Mr. Roland Kendall’s office. Mr. Kendall would like you to stop in for a few moments today. The address is—”
“No,” Beth interrupted, stopping on her front stairs to try to catch her breath and calm her suddenly thundering heart. There was only one thing he could be calling about. “I can’t today. I’m working.”
“Oh,” the woman said, genuine surprise obvious in that one syllable. Apparently not too many people said no to Roland Kendall. “Perhaps you could rearrange your schedule. He was quite insistent.”
“I really can’t,” Beth said. “It’s impossible. Please convey my regrets.” She hung up before her voice could start shaking. Did he really think she’d show up to his office like one of his children, ready to be browbeaten into obedience?
What could he want, anyway? She’d already told the police. There was no taking that back. So he obviously just wanted to punish Beth for what she’d done. When her phone rang again, she immediately hit the button to decline the call. It was either Kendall or his secretary, and Beth didn’t want to talk to either.
Just as she’d expected, when Beth finally made it to her car, the message indicator on her phone chimed. It was from the same number that had called the first time, but when Beth listened, it wasn’t the secretary’s voice.
“Beth,” Kendall barked. “I don’t know what you think you’re up to. After everything I’ve done for you. I brought you into my home and exposed you to a lifestyle you’d never even dreamed of. And this is how you repay me? With lies about my daughter? I don’t know if this is envy or jealousy. I don’t give a shit what it is. But you’re going to stop this immediately or there will be repercussions in your personal and professional life. In fact…” His words trailed off, and Beth wondered if he’d just remembered that his diatribe was being recorded. “Get your ass down here or you’ll regret it,” he finally muttered before the line clicked dead.
“Oh, sure,” Beth breathed. “I’ll be right there.”
He hadn’t been specific, but Beth was sure he meant to harm the store in some way. After all, how else could he hurt Beth? The White Orchid was the most important thing in her life. It was personal and professional. She felt sick that what she’d done could harm the store and Annabelle.
Too flustered t
o try to calculate the time in Egypt, Beth decided against calling and sent a text instead. Please call when you can talk. XO Beth.
Annabelle needed to know what was happening, just in case, and the sooner the better.
