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Ronnie took a mouthful of coffee and stared out the window. “For a while, I thought of Maddy as a friend. We shared confidences, shopped, and went out to dinner together. For the first six months I knew her, she fed me a lot of reliable news about A-listers.”
She clasped her hands together. “Those were early days in my blogging career, and she was one of my most reliable sources. After building my trust for months, she started hinting something hot and heavy was going on between the two of you.”
“Maddy fed you lies about me and her?” I asked.
“Yes, and she must have stalked you because she provided details about your movements that certainly weren’t public. I’ve physically followed a target, so I know the sort of things a person can learn that way, but she’d been so reliable in the past, I accepted what she told me as firsthand news. She made it sound like she’d been on your boat when you sailed out of the harbor on Canada Day. She knew enough about the inside of your penthouse to convince me that she’d seen it firsthand. Then one day she asked me to meet her for coffee at the Lightning Bird Café. I arrived to find her having coffee with you instead. She gave me a slight shake of the head to indicate I shouldn’t interrupt.”
“That was one of only two times I was in public with her. She invited me to have coffee with her because she had to ask an enormous favor.”
“She wanted you to take her to the opening of the new Grand Meadows clubhouse?”
“Exactly. I hadn’t met her before, and she seemed polite and a little bit vulnerable. Her date was a military man who wouldn’t be able to make it. I thought it was time I tried dating again. First time since my late wife passed. I was more vulnerable than she was.” I couldn’t keep the self-disgust out of my voice.
“She’s smart. That night she sent me a selfie she’d taken of the two of you walking by the harbor after that coffee date. She told me that you’d asked her out, not for the first time and that she’d finally said yes. She hinted that I should get ready for a big announcement before too long.” Ronnie hesitated.
“Go on,” I said.
“The very next day I got an invitation to that opening as well. That was the first time I’d ever been invited to an A-list event. Then I saw you two together there and realized that was what I was meant to see. That night I went home and posted my first Maddy and Simon story.”
I groaned and covered my eyes with my hand. “That was the worst fucking night of my life. I couldn’t get away from her. When I walked her to her door after, she practically dragged me into her townhouse. I had to pry her hands off me.” I blew out a breath at the unhappy memory. “Then the next morning my phone burned hot with calls from people who’d seen your feed and wanted more details about the two of us. But there was no ‘two of us’. And fucking hell, the more I denied it, the more convinced some people became.”
“I am sorry, really.” Ronnie said solemnly. “It took me ages to figure out that she’d used me to try to convince the world, maybe even to convince you, that you two were a couple. Much later I found out she’d bribed your cleaner to let her into your penthouse. She’d seen you on your boat on Canada Day when she was sailing on someone else’s.”
“I didn’t know that she’d manipulated you. All I knew was that far too many people had read and believed your article, including my own sister. From that moment on, I labeled you as poison. I knew what Maddy was,” I said.
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. So am I. We’ve both wasted a lot of time and too much emotional energy because of her deception and greed.” I smiled. “But I don’t think she’ll bother any of us in the future.”
“Why not?” A hungry look sparked in Ronnie’s eyes at the possibility of a good story.
“You’ll have to verify this with independent sources, but I had a long talk with Michael McDonald last night. He has found a resort where he is going to take his odious wife for an attitude adjustment.”
“Really?” Ronnie’s eyebrows shot up.
“Really. Apparently, it’s a little piece of paradise with facilities that help its residents develop a kinder, more thoughtful, attitude toward others. Michael is going with her so he can learn some of their techniques to use at home.”
“C’mon. You have to tell me more than that,” Ronnie said.
“No, I don’t. I’m telling you this much in good faith. It doesn’t involve Sadie and me so you can do with it what you want. But find your own source to confirm it. You didn’t hear it from me, understand?”
“Yes and thank you for trusting me.”
“You’re welcome but what you do with this information is a test. I hope you won’t disappoint us. And now, our business here is done.” I stood and walked to the door.
With Ronnie gone, Sadie and I took our seats around the visitors’ table again.
“I wondered why you hated Ronnie so much,” Sadie said, shaking her head. “She’s sly, but I didn’t realize how dangerous she could be. As to Maddy, do you think reform school for wayward wives will really help her? Will she even go?”
“Michael has told her she’s going. He was embarrassed by her prank at our party. Said she’s made herself and him, by association, laughingstocks. He told me that he has taken all her jewelry and locked it in his safe. To underscore the seriousness of his intention, he’s had their housekeeper remove almost all her clothes into a storage facility that she can’t access. Lastly, he’s canceled all her credit cards and reduced her allowance to one hundred dollars a month until she has taken this mandatory vacation.”
“Some vacation. I hope you never do that to me.”
I touched her cheek. “You’ll never need it because you’re not a vicious bitch to start with. Besides, I can handle your misdeeds without help.”
She smiled happily. “You sure can.”
“Now I have another secret to share.”
