“I know you’re right,” she continued. “But I’m dying to talk to Candace. First, to plead my innocence. Second, to see if the three of us can figure this out together.”
Aubrey licked a drop of whipped cream frosting off her finger. “Having once been falsely accused of cheating on my ex-fiancé, I speak from experience. Don’t do anything to fuel the flames. People will believe what they want to believe until you have solid proof.”
“You were engaged to someone before you married Cash?” It was the first Gina had heard of an ex.
“It’s a long story.” Aubrey waved her hand in the air dismissively. “What I’m saying is that without proof that the pictures and texts are fake, you’re—”
“Screwed,” Gina finished. Aubrey was right and it was beyond frustrating. “But how do I get solid proof when I can’t even talk to the other victims?”
Both women murmured their understanding. It was a challenge, to be sure. But having two women friends to share her angst with was a bonus she’d never expected from hiding away in the boonies. Besides Sawyer, who’d become the object of her late-night fantasies, Charlie and Aubrey had become one of the best perks of temporarily making her home at Dry Creek Ranch. She now had pals, which in her former life hadn’t been the case. No time for girls’ nights out or gossiping on the telephone.
Or maybe she hadn’t let herself make the time.
That protective shell she wore like armor wasn’t exactly a friend magnet. But it sure the hell kept her from getting hurt. It took ten years of therapy to learn that she wrapped herself in her accomplishments, instead of human connections. Dr. Peggy Regis, her two-hundred-dollar-an-hour shrink, attributed most of Gina’s fear of relationships to her father’s death and her mother’s disapproval.
The bottom line was Gina had—among other neuroses—abandonment issues, according to Peggy.
In high school, Sadie had never approved of her friends. Not that she ran with a bad crowd, just mid-listers in Sadie’s eyes. The children of Hollywood and Beverly Hills parents who weren’t household names. Some of Gina’s inner circle didn’t even live in Beverly Hills, but had used the address of employers or relatives to get into the 90210 school district. Sadie considered those kids leeches, too beneath a DeRose.
So when Gina went to SDSU her mother directed her to rush the most prestigious sorority on campus, a consolation for not getting into USC and for making shitty friend choices in high school.
Gina’s heart wasn’t in it. Not really. Not when she had next to nothing in common with most of the girls other than wealth and privilege. She’d even overheard two girls in the sorority house whisper behind her back that she wasn’t Alpha Chi material, which everyone knew meant she was either not pretty enough, not popular enough, or not rich enough. Lord knew the last one didn’t apply, leaving Gina to assume it was the first two.
It came as no shock when she didn’t make the cut. Still, it ruined her freshman year. Her peers’ rejection and Sadie’s stinging displeasure had been overwhelming.
The experience set Gina’s social course for the rest of her college years.
Keep my head down, my mouth shut, and get out as fast as I can.
She’d graduated in four years, a major feat given that it took most students that long to find parking in the overcrowded lots.
But Sadie was no longer alive to approve or disapprove of Gina’s friends. And when it came to Charlie and Aubrey, Gina wouldn’t have cared, anyway. They were smart, accomplished women, who unlike the rest of the world, didn’t think she was a home-wrecking slut.
“Enough about me.” The entire point of a girls’ night out was to laugh and eat and drink too much. “Let’s talk about something cheerful.”
Aubrey and Charlie exchanged conspiratorial glances.
“You and Sawyer seem to be spending a lot of time together.” Charlie covered the cake with a glass lid, one of her charming, vintage tableware pieces. “I’m saving the rest for the boys. Back to Sawyer. What’s going on with you two?”
“Uh, nothing,” Gina said too quickly, conveniently leaving out the kiss. “Nothing at all.” Jeez, even to her own ears, she sounded like she was protesting too much.
“Really? Because it looks like there’s something going on to me,” Aubrey said. Between her and Charlie, she was the more outspoken one.
“Nope. Just friends. Well, not even friends. More like chef and professional taster. I cook, Sawyer eats. That’s about the extent of our relationship.”
Charlie’s eyes were laughing at Gina. “He appears to be doing more than just sampling your recipes.” She made it sound sexual. “Hasn’t he been advising you, giving tips on how to avoid negative press? He has to like you, or he wouldn’t get involved.”
Gina shrugged. “His parents represent me. He’s just taking part in the family business. So what’s the deal with his sister?”
Again, Aubrey and Charlie exchanged looks. This time, not conspiratorial but surprised.
“He told you about Angie?” Aubrey lifted the cake lid and took another swipe at the whipped cream.
“A little. I offered to go with him to New Mexico to check out this commune where she supposedly lived. I mean, it’s the least I can do since he’s helping me out. But he wasn’t interested.”
“He didn’t tell you the latest? About the email?” Charlie asked.
Gina shook her head. “No. What email?”
