“Just forget it, Jillie. If you want to go out with him, go. But don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she tells me, backpedaling.
I lean toward her. “Was it you?”
She meets my gaze and I see anguish. I feel like a total asshole, but what she’s got on me is way worse.
“Was it?” I whisper.
She huffs. “Yes, okay! It was me. I was stupid and went out with him thinking I mattered, but he threw me away when I got… he said to just go away.”
“That bastard. What did your friends say? Did they go after him? Key his car? Slash his tires? Because I’d be out for blood,” I inform her.
She looks away, over at where the water is sprinkling over the grass.Isn’t that illegal in California with the water shortage? Maybe churches get special privileges, but I doubt it. Whoever runs this church needs to say some Hail Mary’s because they’re sinning big time.
“They didn’t know. No one knew I was seeing him.”
“Tell me it wasn’t your stupid rules.”
She shrugs. “Partly. But mostly it was more fun that way—all secretive, doing scandalous things with someone no one else knew about.”
“The thrill of it?” I question.
“Kinda. I just really liked having him to myself, not having to listen to my friends tell me it was wrong or whatever they’d have said. Why am I telling you this?” she asks herself.
“I think you’re trying to protect me from Damon—or maybe keep him to yourself… still. But I don’t think you need to. I think the reason Damon tossed you aside is because you kept him as your dirty little secret. Guys like him aren’t too keen with that. They want the acknowledgement, the attention they can get from being with someone like you.”
“What did you say?” she lashes out.
“They’re back. They got everything except her phone,” Audrey whispers in my ear. That’s on me. I can handle that.
I pat my pockets like I’m looking for my phone.
“Shit. Can I use your phone real quick? I must’ve left mine in the car, and I need to let my aunt know I’m going to be late.”Will she buy it?
She hands it over. “Make it quick, and then you’re going to tell me just who the hell you think you’re talking to.”
I pretend to dial my aunt, hold up a finger to Ella, and walk a few steps away, turning my back to her. I pretend to talk to my aunt just loud enough that she can hear me but I’m searching through her phone instead. Finally. I hit delete then empty the “recently deleted” bin.
“What the hell are you doing?” she seethes, snatching the phone back.
“Just deleting something that shouldn’t be on there,” I admit, tilting my chin up.
She laughs. “Is that what this little ‘session’ was about? I hate to tell you, but I’ve got copies on my laptop and still in the camera.”
I nod. “Maybe, but now I’ve gotthis.” I wag a finger between her and me.
Her eyes narrow. “What have you done?”
I shrug. “Just a little video recording like you did, only the one you had is now gone—from everywhere.”
“I told you—” she begins.
“It’s all gone, Ellen,” Leo tells her stepping out from the side of the building.
Her face goes pale. She sways, so I push her to sit down.
“I went to your house and deleted the video you took of me and Jillie in compromising positions. Fromeverywhere—including your cloud,” he informs her.
“But… but… Leo?”
