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“What?” Olivia’s voice was shrill and loud. “Why?”
“I slept with one of the richest people in the world, and I convinced myself it wouldn’t have any consequences. I thought we’d be able to just...to move on, as if nothing happened.” I laughed without humor. “What an idiot. A total fool. Worst of all, I was starting to think I cared about him. That there was something more to it all than just a quick fuck during a wild weekend.” Now my voice broke. “God, I don’t know how I could have allowed myself to get into a mess like this. I’m supposed to have higher standards.”
“Come here, honey.”
She folded me into another long hug, and I let a broken sob escape my lips as I considered all the implications of what was happening around me. Just one day earlier, I’d been on a high, celebrating my accomplishments, reveling in the success of the profile, and enjoying what was about to come next with Landon. Things had seemed like they couldn’t get better.
Now the opposite was true.
“This is going to get so much worse,” I said into her shoulder.
As if on cue, the intercom buzzer rang again. I pulled away from my friend and turned to the screen, which showed another news crew crowding the front step between the sidewalk and the main entrance to the building. They were multiplying.
“You were right. You were so right,” Olivia breathed.
“Here I am, basically a prisoner in my own home.” I threw up my hand and wandered aimlessly into the large living room, where I sank into the center of the couch. Olivia followed and took a seat in the matching armchair. “RIP to ever going outside again. Ever living. Ever doing...anything.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Stay here forever.”
“Come on, you can’t do that.”
“Oh, believe me, I can.”
“If they think you’re here, then they’re going to camp out until you leave. It’s like a siege.”
“They’ll move on at some point.” I shrugged and eyed the wine rank on the open kitchen counter. A drink would be nice.Or five. “Maybe. I mean, they must at some point, right?”
“You can’t stay here forever. I mean, this would basically be a prison.”
“What else am I supposed to do?”
She stared at me for a long moment, her mouth screwed together. “My family has a cottage in the Hocking Hills. It’s remote. You can...you can go there.”
“What?”
“It’s not perfect, but it’s an idea. It’s kind of nice. Not far from the trails and nobody’s using it this time of year.”
I shifted on the couch. “You’d do that for me?”
“My parents won’t care. They’re still in Florida, and they only stay in it during the summer, anyway.”
“But—”
“But nothing. You can’t lock yourself in here. You can’t.” She smiled, and her eyes brightened a bit. “It’s two bedrooms, one bath. Simple stuff, but it’s safe, and it’s not far from McArthur. Nobody will suspect you’re there; nobody will bother you.”
I considered the possibilities. “I mean, if I went, it would only be for a couple of days.”
“A few weeks, maybe. Just until this dies down.”
“And it will. People won’t care after a while. They’ll move on to something else.”
My friend nodded a few times. “Has Landon tried to contact you?”
I shook my head. “Not this morning. At least, not before the last time I checked my phone.” My stomach twisted, but I resisted the urge to check my device. “Frankly, I’d be shocked if he did reach out.”
“Why?”
