Julia brightens instantly. “Oh my God, that issomuch better than the last girl. She didn’t want to doanything. I once walked in on her with her feet up on her desk. No wonder she didn’t last. If you have time and you don’t mind me sending you some things this afternoon, I’ve got a bunch of meeting minutes I have to get typed up. I would love you forever if you took that off my hands.”
“Send them over, I type super quickly,” I say.
Kaitlin throws a hand over her heart and leans back dramatically. “Oh my God, you’re awesome.”
I snort as I finish my pasta. “I might get a second helping,” I say, resolving to get two more pots and take the rest back for Annabelle.
“Whoa, you weren’t kidding,” Kaitlin says with a smile. “You do eat like a horse.”
Julia laughs. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”
Once I’ve been to the counter to grab some more food and get Julia another Diet Coke, I return to find them discussing Crawford.
I sit down, not speaking, absorbing as much information as I can.
“I just think he’s been super shitty lately. Even more so than usual. He’s such a perfectionist, and I makeonemistake in the pitch deck and he chews me out about it for a week.”
“It’s not personal, Kaitlin,” Julia says softly.
“Maybe not, but it doesn’t mean I like getting emails with five exclamation points in them. It’s a good thing he’s hot, or I would have even less tolerance for him.”
Julia rolls her eyes, which seems to be her default expression. I laugh nervously, keeping my eyes on my food.
“I heard his engagement is over,” Julia says, and my shoulders tense up.
“Oh yeah.Megan. What a total bitch that woman was. You remember when she came to the office and asked me to make her a coffee, like I was a goddamn secretary?”
“Shewashorrible, but she did always look amazing,” Julia agrees, drinking half her Coke in one swallow.
“He was engaged?” I ask, trying to stop my voice from shaking.
That idea hasn’t even occurred to me until now. By the very nature of their work, Sterling House could be contributing to wealthy men cheating on their wives every single day. I suddenly realize how naïve I am and feel guilty for not considering it sooner.
“Yeah. They were engaged for a while, but she hasn’t been around in six months or so,” Julia mutters, and a knot loosens in my chest. “He’s super private about it, so I’m not surprised we’re only just hearing the news. I saw a post on Instagram saying he’d been photographed with some model or other.”
“At least it isn’t yet more speculation about the size of the guy’s dick. Someone I know said he swims at the same pool as him, and it’s the length of his arm.”
“Kaitlin, I’m eating!” Julia says in a scandalized tone, and I laugh along with them, feeling my cheeks turning red.
Maybe that explains why it feels like he’s still inside me.
Chapter 7
Amelia
Iget home after work to find my mom passed out on the couch. She’s still in her waitress's uniform, and there’s drool coming out of her mouth.
It looks like she started drinking the second she got home. There are already four empty bottles beside her.
Annabelle is in the kitchen, trying her best to start dinner while leaning on her cane. I grab the bottles and dump them in the recycling before going over to her. She has her headphones on and startles when I touch her on the shoulder.
Her smile is contagious as she throws her arms around my neck and hugs me.
“How did it go?” she asks excitedly, but at the sound of her voice, my mom stirs, sitting bolt upright on the couch.
“Wuh?”
“Mom,” I say. She turns, her eyes bleary as she squints up at the light in the kitchen. “Mom, it’s okay, it’s just me.”
