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Chapter Thirty-Two
Don’t let her see you cry. You hardly know this crazy socialite; don’t let her see you cry.
Emily slid down into her seat and gave in to her tears.
The convertible swerved as Eva reached over to pat Emily awkwardly on the shoulder. “You want me to turn around? We can go back to Nash.”
Emily shook her head, trying to cover her face. “No—nooo, he has to figure things out on his own.” This gave her flashbacks of her brother, and what they’d gone through. Everything that Emily cared about was crumbling through her fingers, just like it had done before.
She had to do something! Crying wouldn’t bring Nash back. She felt so helpless… and she wasn’t! She was stronger than she was all those years ago. Nash thought that he was doing this for her, did he? Well, what if she took that excuse away from him? She straightened, wiping at her eyes. “Eva, you’re his friend, right?”
Eva nodded, her pouty lips pressed together.
Emily knew what she had to do. “Get him to send you that video of me. And–and, put it on your social media. I mean, you’re an influencer, right? You can put something snarky on it, like, ‘Looks like #LittleMissHarvestRanch has a secret,’ something like that.”
Eva sighed, pushing her shades into her hair. “Sorry, but I can’t do that to Nash, and… not to you, either. I’m not some mean girl.”
Disappointment flooded through her. “You’re going to let your daddy own him then?” Emily wasn’t going to go down without a fight. If Eva Trout had a soul, Emily would drag it out of her. “He already owns the love of your life. That can’t sit right with you.”
Eva shook her head. “You’ve got it wrong.”
“Do I?” How did Eva lie to herself like this? She had to know about her father’s shady business dealings. “Fine. You don’t have to put it up, I will. Just get it for me.”
“I’m not doing it.” Eva’s fingers tightened on the wheel. “Nash said that he doesn’t want it out there.” Was she kidding her right now? Eva’s blonde hair swung around her shoulders as she turned to face her. “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m sorry! You’re the one who asked if I was his friend or not, and I am. That’s what friends do—we honor their wishes.”
Maybe if they were in the mafia. This was serious stuff. “They don’t…” Emily groaned. There was no talking sense into Eva Trout. They came from two different worlds. Well, Nash wasn’t the only one who could be self-destructive. She dug into her purse to snatch out her phone. She’d announce to the world that she was a fraud on TalkieTalk. She checked out her hair on her phone first. No use being completely pathetic.
She picked a filter and pressed record. “Hi guys, I have a confession to make.”
“Is that live?” Eva asked tensely.
“No,” Emily admitted. “I’m recording it first and then…” Did people do these live? Emily started to check her buttons on the app.
Eva made a sound of disdain, her glossy red nails tapping the steering wheel. “If you publish that video,” she said, “I swear that I’ll throw your phone out the window.”
Someone was showing her true colors. This was definitely the daughter of a crime boss. Emily glared at her over her phone. “You really think you can stop me? I can do this when I get home too, and–and…”
Eva snatched at her phone.
Emily swiveled away, protecting her phone with her shoulder. “Get your nails off my stuff!”
“Relax,” Eva said. “I’ll buy you a better one than that dinosaur.”
“Wow, thanks.” Emily scoffed. She pressed a live video feed this time. “Hey friends, I just got back from my weekend getaway, and well… I’ve got something that I want to tell you. It’s… well, I was with Nash, and…”
Nash’s face flashed through her memories—his mischievous laughter, his concerned looks, the passion of his blue eyes before he kissed her. A horrified thought washed over her, and she pushed stop on the recording.
If she got rid of Nash’s excuses, then he might face those thugs on his own, with no thought for his own welfare. The only thing keeping him back was Emily’s reputation. She glanced over at the seething Eva. “What happens if Nash turns against your father? Will he get hurt?”
Eva snorted. “Who do you think my daddy is? Al Capone?”
Emily didn’t think that Eva knew her father that well if she didn’t think there would be some repercussions. “You think Nash can just walk away from this with no retribution, even with Lacy Lynch making his threats?”
Eva’s hands tightened on the wheel. “I could just… talk to my daddy and–and Nash should be fine.”
Hope filled Emily. “Your father would listen to you?”
Eva sucked in her breath. “No.” It came out a whisper.
