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“She’s crazy.”
“Let’s just hope it goes away. Some other scandal will happen, and this will be forgotten.”
“But she has more ammo,” Reese said. “She’s only posted a few things. And of course she omitted all the things she said to me. I didn’t keep any of that stuff because I didn’t want to remember it. Other than your word and maybe a few others we trained with, I don’t have proof. She’s got all the documentation. Plus, won’t people think you’re all just saying that to support me? They would expect you to.”
“People will see through her.”
“I hope so. Until then, I’m on lockdown. Marnie and John want me to keep a low profile.”
“Tell you what, I’ll come down for a few days and keep you company. How does that sound?”
“I’d like that,” Reese said, mustering up a smile.
“I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.”
They said their goodbyes and as Reese stood from her living room sofa, she saw a piece of paper someone had tucked under her door. Her heart began to pound. Was it a death threat? Someone leaving her a nasty note? She thought to preserve it in a Ziploc bag and hand it over to John and Marnie as evidence, but as she got closer, she could see “Neighbor” written in scratchy handwriting. She picked up the folded paper and opened it.
I’m sorry what’s happening to you. I’ll keep the music down.
If you need anything, call or text.
He’d left his number with a smiley face, and it made her want to cry all over again.
ChapterThree
Reese was staring at the login screen of her old email provider. Who remembered a password from ten years ago? Was it Monty, the name of their cat at the time? Was it Cam’s dog’s name? She’d tried everything and come up empty. This was the email address she used for skating-related stuff. And she’d turfed it years ago for reasons she couldn’t remember. As for her old phone, her mother had told her that was probably long gone, but she’d still take a look. The call had been hard to make. Reese hadn’t seen her mother in almost a year, and they spoke on the phone maybe once every couple of months. Asking Fran Beresford to do anything was a chore. Worst of all, Reese was subjected to her mother’s analysis of the situation.
“How could you have been so stupid? Say it, forget it—write it, regret it. How many times have I told you that?”
Reese had tried to stay calm because angering her mother wasn’t going to help matters. So she clenched her fists and put on her most pleasant voice.
“Mom, you know that Jennifer wasn’t very nice to me. Right?”
“Who was she again?”
Reese could hear her mother sucking on her cigarette. It was a filthy habit she’d taken up after Reese’s father had left. Reese had been so angry at the time, feeling he’d abandoned them, but in retrospect, could she blame him? If Reese could have, she would have left too. And that had been the problem. Her father had left her behind when she so desperately wanted to go with him.
“Blonde hair, blue eyes, and she was the only skater with breasts.”
“Right, her. Such a beautiful young woman. She had a shape.”
Reese tried to ignore that insult. Reese had always had the body of an athlete, while Jennifer had curves, like the perfect swimsuit model. All the boys followed Jen around, trying to get her attention when all she wanted was Cam’s. Reese wasn’t sure what had prompted Jennifer to target her. They’d gone to the same school since the sixth grade, but they didn’t have any of the same friends. And with the exception of skating, they never found themselves together. Hell, Jennifer skated singles while Reese and Cam were in pairs. Why did Jennifer care?
“Anyway, if you could look around. I can even come to Barrie to help you.”
“No need. I’ll look. If I find anything, I’ll let you know.”
And that had been the end of the conversation.
Nearly six hours after she’d called Jordy, he’d found the time to call her back. She couldn’t help but be a little annoyed.
“Hey, babe.”
“Were you tied up today with something?” she asked as pleasantly as possible. She didn’t want him to know how angry she really was.
“Aw, the usual stuff. I got your message, but I was busy with a few things.”
Her eyebrows furrowed. What could be more important than her life imploding? “You know what happened?”
