Text from Mum:Nora, do you still have Kat at work at this hour? If so, you should really start paying her.
I stare at her text for a few seconds, trying to figure out how to answer. First off, Kat left over five hours ago. I don’t want my mum to panic, but on the other hand, if there’s reason for her to panic, she should know about it. Second,Ishould be paying her? As if it’s up to me? Grrr….
Instead of answering Mum, I text Kat.Where are you? Mum’s asking if you’re still at work, and I don’t know what to tell her.
I wait a couple of minutes and finally see she’s typing a reply.
Kat:I’m out with Gwen and Lola. Just sent her a message to let her know.
Me:Okay. See you tomorrow morning at eight!
Mum:Don’t worry. I just heard from Kat. She’s out with her girlfriends. You okay?
Me:I’m fine. Filming wraps up in a few days, which will be a huge relief.
Mum:Hang in there. Dad and I are praying for you.
Me:Thanks, Mum. Hugs to you and Dad.
I read over our exchange, thinking about what a huge relief it will be when I never have to see Theo again. But not because I hate him. It’s because I now want something I can’t have. So badly it hurts. But hopefully, that feeling will morph back into hating him again soon.
* * *
I’m still stinging from last night. My face feels all hot and itchy, and my stomach is churning like there are a couple of pioneer ladies in there with long wooden sticks. I guess I should be grateful I found out before I knocked on his door. Imagine how humiliating it would have been if I’d shown up and did the whole “can I do anything for you before I leave?” thing while Carolina was there?
Urgh! How can he seriously be planning to marry that woman? She’s a terrible human being, and he’s…so very capable of not being awful at all. Except maybe he’s not. He did almost sort-of lead me on, didn’t he?
Did he think I’d be one last fling before he settled down? Or maybe he’s the type that will cheat on his wife. If that’s the case, I definitely dodged a bullet by not getting involved with him. Carolina could be in for a lifetime of misery. She pretty much deserves it, but still, it doesn’t exactly make Theo a good guy.
Whatever. I have work to do. I’ll have to put Theo Rojas out of my mind for good. My heart too. Evicted. Get out. Done. I don’t want any.
I wake up my laptop, which went to sleep while I stewed. Kat finally appears for the day—only twenty minutes late though, so I suppose that’s an improvement. She glides across the lobby to her desk without looking up from her phone.
How does she do that without bumping into things? That must be a skill the younger generation has developed, due to having mobile phones attached to their hands at all times. Kat lets out a giggle, then sighs.
“What’s that all about?” I ask, trying to sound like a casual, friendly older sister, the type that’s cool with whatever’s happening, but I’m not and she knows it.
“Nothing. Just a funny meme. You wouldn’t get it.”
Yeah, right. Likely story.She has something going on with a guy. I’m positive about it. I open my mouth to ask and then shut it, not wanting to know. If she has started up with one of the people involved in the show, I’m better off staying in the dark. They’ll all be gone in a matter of days, anyway, and if I don’t know anything, I don’t have to deal with it.
I have enough on my plate as it is. The flair challenge is today, but even more importantly, the survivor challenge is coming up in two days. The current Eden guests will vacate the island tomorrow at noon, which will bring with it a flurry of activity. Vincent wants me onsite as much as possible. He’s been calling me his eyes and ears at Eden since our meeting last week. As great as this will be for my career, I am not looking forward to going back to the island, where I spent one perfect night with one not-so-perfect man who I thought was perfect.
Argh! Stop thinking about him and get back to work.
* * *
Email from Vincent St. Pierre
To: Nora Cooper
TOP SECRET!!! Flair Challenge Results
Nora,
HUGE UPSET TODAY! HUGE! Paz Castillo, king of the flair pour, went down in flames today. I have a sneaking suspicion he was either incredibly hung over or was still drunk from last night.
Anyway, you know the drill. Paz no longer has access to practice spaces.
