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“No, I didn’t, it is true and I can only offer my sincerest apologies,” I said.
“Everyone’s already sitting down to eat,” Derek said.
“Sounds like I’m just in time,” I said, slipping past him.
“It isn’t really good manners you know, to say you aren’t coming and then to show up late.”
“Yes, I am aware,” I said.
“Glad you could make it,” Reece said, as Ava pulled me towards the table.
“Get another chair!” she ordered no one in particular.
Simon got up and did the honors, scotching his own chair over so I could sit between him and Reece. Not the worst place I could think of to be. At least I would be flanked by allies, come what may.
“So nice of you to make it,” Maya said, as I sat down
“I did my best,” I said, honestly.
“Better late than never,” Gia added.
“Here, here,” Reece said.
Derek stared swords at me but he seemed to be the only one really taking offence to my presence.
“Who’s that?” asked a voice from the kitchen, “I only made enough for the people who RSVPed.”
“We made an exception,” Maya called back, while looking straight at me.
I couldn’t exactly tell but she seemed to be on my side. It was nice to have support. Especially when trying to correct a wrong.
“Sally,” I said.
“Yeah,” Sally asked, coming out from the kitchen. She stopped dead as soon as she saw me, “fuck.”
“I got -”
“A video,” Sally finished.
“You too?” we asked in unison.
“What was yours?” I asked.
“You first,” Sally said crossing her arms, the assembled guests ping-ponging back and forth between us.
“I can’t really -”
“It’s okay,” Reece said.
Then Catharine came out looking all business. An affect helped by the fact she was wearing a sleek black dress with matching heels.
“Go upstairs and figure it out, yeah? I’ll save you some food,” Catharine said.
“Good idea,” I said.
“Sure,” Sally agreed.
“I’ll go first,” I said, sitting on the bed.
“Okay,” Sally said, sitting down beside me.
“I got a video on the On the Go app, showing Jessa at your apartment and you were hugging her. I assumed the worst.”
“That we were in cahoots?” Sally asked.
“Yes,” I said, trying not to laugh at her unironic use of the word ‘cahoots.’
“Understandable considering her reputation” Sally said.
“It was still an assumption though. I wasn’t really thinking clearly. It didn’t really make sense given the facts.”
“At least you figured it out,” Sally said.
“I didn’t actually,” I admitted, “it was a Reece who talked sense into me.”
“He’s good at that,” Sally said
“So I’ve noticed,” I said, “what was your video?”
“It showed you and Jessa, you were being, um, physical and she was -”
Sally didn’t finish, the tears got in the way. I held her as she cried, rocking her gently as we sat on the big bed.
“She was saying it was good to be back together right?”
“Yeah,” Sally said.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better I shoved her away.”
“Hard?” Sally asked.
“To the floor,” I said, neither proud nor ashamed.
“Wow,” Sally said.
“I also told her, in no uncertain terms, that she and I were not back together and I ever wanted to see her again.”
Chapter Sixteen
Sally
The pang almost hurt. Could hardly believe I had been so wrong. I knew what I saw in the video but always knew it didn’t make sense. Mike was clearly not a fan of Jessa and seemed to smart and stubborn to get back with her no matter what Jessa tried to pull. Not to mention the fact that in the video it was Jessa doing the talking and the hugging, Mike seeming to not want any of it. It was easy to believe that he would have pushed her away.
“Okay,” I said, pretending not to me moved as I was.
“I’m sorry for thinking you could ever do anything like that,” Mike said.
“I think we both made mistakes,” I said.
“How do you know Jessa anyway?” he asked.
“She was a really good customer, particularly at the beginning when I had just opened. She basically kept me going the first year.”
“Right, I thought that might have been it,” he said.
“You remember?” I asked.
“Only vaguely, to be fair I was still drinking then. There were a lot of black outs. Probably why I didn’t notice that Jessa was planning to screw me over and steal On the Go.”
“I was wondering about that,” I confessed, “I’d always heard that you were developing it, it was your thing and then, suddenly, she is being named the CEO.”
“Funny how that happened,” he said.
“Looks like she screwed us both over,” I said.
“Tried to,” Mike said, “luckily we have good friends who managed to figure it out.”
“Did you talk to Gia?” I asked.
“No but Reece did.”
“That makes sense,” I said.
“I think she might have know something was off first, when you told her it was over. She told Reece and they worked it out before he told me. At least that is the series of events that most makes sense.”
