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It would also show that asshole how wrong he is about me.
Okay, so my motives aren’t pure and spite is one of them, but I’m only me. Just a little better than I used to be.
I think I’m going to like this Ashley Foley.
I book a flight to New York before heading to bed, but I don’t sleep. After a few hours of tossing and turning, it’s time to get up. I pack an overnight bag and walk downstairs.
Celia is standing in the kitchen, her back to me as she makes a coffee.
She must be here to see Lauren. Or maybe to check on the property for Timothy. Or—
She glances over her shoulder. “Oh, good, you’re up,” she says brightly. “We need to talk.” Her brows knit together when she sees my carry-on bag. “Are you going somewhere?”
“New York.” I leave the bag by the door and join her in the kitchen. “What do you want to talk to me about?”
She sighs and hands me a cup of coffee, turning to make another. “I’m sorry this whole fake dating thing turned into such a mess. That was never my intention when I suggested it.”
I perch on a bar stool and take a sip of coffee. “It’s not your fault things got messy.”
“Well, I’m here to help clean up, whatever my role in this. My lawyers are ready to represent you and they’re already looking into our legal options.”
“That’s not necessary.”
She gives me an unimpressed look as she tucks a loose strand of auburn hair behind her ear. “It really is. You shouldn’t have given his lawyers access to your personal records—they don’t prove anything, as you could’ve received a cash payment and used a burner phone. But I hired an investigator. I met with him yesterday.”
My eyes burn with tears. The aunt I sold out when I was a kid believes in me and the man I love doesn’t. It twists my heart a little harder. “You didn’t have to.”
Celia waves it off and pushes a box of doughnuts toward me.
“Aunt Celia, I’m sorry I told your secret to my father—”
She hisses. “Don’t mention that man.” With a heavy sigh, she leans over the island and grabs a doughnut for herself. “You were a child. You didn’t know.”
“I knew.” This was where it all started. My villain origin story. She can say I was a child, and a part of me wants to believe her, but the day I went home with her secret in my head, wrapped up with Jessie’s warning about why I couldn’t tell anyone, I made my first real choice to use something that wasn’t mine to get what I wanted, even though I knew people would get hurt.
“I didn’t blame you then, and I don’t blame you now.” She takes a bite of her chocolate doughnut. “Which one of the kids told you, anyway?”
“Jessie. She saw you and your…friend.” It feels weird to sayloverwith my aunt.
“Olivia was my friend. And for a time, she was something more.” Celia sighs, but it’s wistful. “You didn’t know the whole story. Neither did Jessie. William and I opened our marriage for a while. We were so young when we got together. We didn’t have time to explore all the facets of our sexuality. But at the end of the day, William is my person, and I’m his. We chose to close our marriage again to ensure our personal lives stayed private. We should’ve been upfront with the kids. Jessie and Timothy were teenagers, and Amanda was an adult—they probably would’ve understood. We told ourselves it wasn’t their business. Until it was.”
“I’m sorry.”
Celia smiles. “We had a few months to live out some fantasies. Besides, my friend and I had some wild, dirty times together, and William enjoyed his time with another married couple. We learned a lot about ourselves and our relationship. This one time, Olivia and I—”
“I have to get to the airport,” I say quickly. Celia isn’t my mother, but an aunt is close enough and this is way more than I need to know about her sex life.
Celia laughs, completely unembarrassed. “At least we didn’t defile a gas station bathroom.”
“Oh my god.” I lower my head to the smooth surface of the island to hide the tears. I can’t hide the little sob that bursts out. I’d give anything to have Gabe want me enough to defile a gas station restroom again.
“It’ll be okay,” Celia says softly, coming around the island to gently rub my back. “It might not seem like it now, but things will work out.”
In a way, she’s right. Things can work out, though not in the way I want them to. Gabe is lost to me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do something meaningful with my life.
On the flight, I pull Wendy’s script out of my bag. It’s about a reality TV dating show gone horribly wrong—research for it was a big reason why she wanted the chance to go back on the show. It immediately pulls me in with its sharp humor and heartwarming relationships, and I can see the places where my notes and experience added depth. I loved the earlier draft and I love this one even more.
When the plane lands, I message Wendy and ask her to email me a copy and can I pass it along to a few people. I doubt sending it to Celia will do anything, but the woman has money and connections.
