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Oh dear. She’s bringing this stuff up now, is she? How am I going to get out of this one?
‘Sorry to hear that,’ I tell her. ‘I hear fashion is a difficult business to get into. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know, and all that…’ I wonder what kind ofspecialistfashion she’s involved with. Vee never told me the details of her career.
‘Well, someone I don’t know at all ruined my business for me. A total stranger. Can you believe that? All it took was one stupid cyberbully. A troll. Some anonymous bastard. He made all these false claims about me, wrote this big exposé of my business on this website.’ She pauses for a moment, as though trying work out exactly what to say to me. I wonder why she’s being so elusive. ‘This person basically said I was a liar. That I don’t live the kind of life I claim to live. Can you believe it? Why would anyone want to ruin a small, honest business like mine?’
I may not know about the ins and outs of her business, but I knowexactlywhy someone brought it down. More than that — I knowwhodid it too. But I simply shrug. ‘Beats me,’ I say. At least that part is honest.
‘Aside from all the lies about my private life, he said my business claimed to be eco-friendly, but that some of my clothes were made using factory-farmed fur, that the animals were electrocuted and beaten to death. That I even once sold a coat made out of cat fur from China, where the animals were skinned alive. Well, I only ever designed one fur coat, and it was made out of acrylic. Totally synthetic. But, of course, my Etsy account just blew up.’
I don’t know what Etsy is. But I know about skinning alive, so I just nod.
‘I lost all my big clients, my online orders dried up. I wrote a rebuttal to the article, denying it all. I tried to get something in the same website, but who wants to publish a story that contradicts another one they’ve just published? Nobody cared. People just wanted to be outraged. Especially in thecommunityI’m a member of. They wanted someone to point a finger at. And that someone was me.’ Addison tickles Eric behind the ears, and he pants happily. I know this poor girl could barely inflict damage on a fly. Well, except maybe for the couple skeeters she’s slapped since being here.
‘That’s terrible,’ I say. ‘I’m sure, in time, folks will forget all that stuff. People will start liking what you do again.’
Addison lets out this strange, small little laugh. I’d wager that it’s a laugh that’s really masking a cry.
‘Funny thing is, Ihadkind of lost my head in the fashion business. My designs wereinspiredby nature, you know? But they weren’t actually eco-friendly. I never lied. I never said that they were. But I could have been more careful about where I sourced my fabrics, how they were made, who made them, and what chemicals they used. I’m not going to say that prick did me a favor or anything, but itwasa wake-up call.’
It’s odd to hear Addison use a word like that. Prick. Seeing it pop out her polite little mouth, a dirty word like that, is kinda hot. Shouldn’t be, but it is. If I were her Daddy, of course, I’d be telling her off right now. But I’m not, of course.
‘Anyway,’ sighs Addison. ‘I’m not going to let some internet troll ruin my life. Even if it currently feels like they have. I just wish I didn’t feel like I’d wasted all my inheritance on that. Pops would be so disappointed in me.’
It hurts to hear her talking like this. Gerald would be damn proud of this girl, as any father would be. She might not have a business right now, or any cash in her bank account, but she has other things. Things that mean far more than that stuff. Integrity. A fighting spirit. A pair of tits that could drive a man insane.
Careful, Finn. You’re doing it again.
Addison looks at me, and then yawns. ‘You know what? I think Iampretty tired, after all. I’m going to go through to my room now. It’s just that door there, I take it? Next to the bathroom?’
‘That’s the one. You got everything you need?’ I take Eric off her lap, and he licks his nose. Don’t go changing the habit of a lifetime, Eric…
‘As long as I’ve got a mattress and blankets in there, then yes. Thanks.’
‘Mattress might be pushing it,’ I say, teasing her. ‘But there’s definitely blankets.’
Her green eyes sparkle, gutsy and bright. ‘I’ve slept on the floor before,’ she says, ‘and I’ll do it again.’
The image of her lying on the floor is one I have to push to the back of my mind right now, for obvious reasons.
‘Well, goodnight,’ I say. ‘Sleep well.’
‘Goodnight, Finn.’
Hearing her say my name sends shivers right through me.
Seven Years Ago
‘I can’t believe you’re going home in two weeks, you lucky asshole,’ I say, throwing down two aces onto the tiny table between us.
Tyson grins. ‘Yeah. Just a couple more weeks of five a.m wake-ups and thensix looong weeksof getting up at noon.’
‘Watch it,’ I say, with feigned anger, ‘or you won’t be making it home at all.’
Tyson chooses to ignore my jokey warning and throws down a triumphant full house.
‘Aw, fuck, Ty, told you you’re a lucky asshole.’ I push a stack of dollar bills toward him. ‘Another round?’
‘Think I’ll stop there, Finn buddy. Can’t keep going forever. I don’t wanna take all your money.’
