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“Good.”
We all sat in an uncomfortable silence until reaching a standstill traffic in Hell’s Kitchen.
“Miss Dawson?” Ralph was looking at me, not her. “Did you happen to catch the name of this person in the stairwell who doesn’t exist?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, sir.”
“I’m being serious, Miss Dawson.”
“I can’t afford to lose this job,” she whispered. “I’m betting my all on this, and Mr. Carter is clearly looking for any reason to fire me.”
“Your answer will be off the record,” he said. “Mr. Carter can step out of the car if he doesn’t want to hear it. We’ll be stuck in this traffic for a while anyway.”
I didn’t step outside.
“What was her name, Miss Dawson?”
“It was something like ‘Tina’ or ‘Tanya.’” She tapped her lip. “No, Tatiana. It wasTatiana.”
Silence.
“My apologies for asking.” He turned away from me. “That woman is definitely a ghost…”
ACT FOUR
BACK THEN
TATIANA
Reno, Nevada
Travis (Don’t Answer Him)
I could’ve sworn we agreed on nine o’clock tonight.
I’ve called you fourteen days in a row and I know you’re reading my messages…
I have a fight at the lot behind The Underground this Saturday. You should come see me.
Ishake my head as I reread the latest messages from Travis. My past four boyfriends were nowhere near as persistent as him, and if he were related to a lesser opponent, I would’ve picked up the first night he called.
“So, you came in second place this morning?” My stepmother, Elaine, waltzes into my bedroom, stopping in front of my recent St. Clair trophy. “People hardly ever think the person in second is as good as the first.”
“So, what does that mean for you since you’re my dad’s second wife?”
“What did you just say?”
“I said, second place is pretty damn good when you’re not competing in a field you’re used to,” I say. “It’s actually quite phenomenal when you’ve broken tons of other records.”
“I don’t think that’s what you said at all.”
“It wasn’t.”
Silence.
We glare at each other, creating a brand-new stalemate.
I hate this woman slightly more than I hate Harlow, and she’s driven a wedge between me and my father that’s far beyond repair. At this point, I don’t even know who he is anymore, and I’m done trying to figure it out.
