“Total douchebag,” Sophie agrees.
“Sociopath,” Lily adds, pointedly.
That one hits home because I know she’s right. How could someone so easily play with the lives and emotions of others without having some remorse, unless they were incapable of feeling guilty on some level?
“He claims I still owe him that profile piece, even though I told him I don’t have a contact there anymore.”
Sophie straightens in her seat. “Technically, you do. Kind of.”
“Oh?” I stare at her as if my life depends upon what she says next, and in a way, it does.
“They picked up the article I wrote about Luke last season, and Rebecca introduced me to Peter Orion, their chief editor, during a game.”
I frown at her. “You’d be willing to write one about Chase?”
Her mouth slides into a maniacal grin. “Yes, but not the article he’s expecting.”
She swings her gaze to Lily in a silent exchange, then lifts a brow in question.
“I still have some contacts. I can get you a detailed analysis of the image by a known expert,” Lily asserts.
Mia holds her hand up. “I’ll proofread and handle moral support.”
Tears cloud my eyes before I feel the burn. I’ve felt so alone and isolated in my attempts to deal with Chase and cut him permanently out of my life. And just when I was about to lose hope of ever being free of him, I’m discovering I’m not. I have a group of women who not only believe me, but are jumping in to help without hesitation.
I glance at each of them. “Thank you. I was going out of my mind trying to figure out how to deal with this alone.”
Sophie reaches for my hand. “We’ve got your back, Bree.”
Mia slings an arm over my shoulders. “Nobody messes with our girl. Right, ladies?”
Lily’s smile turns calculating, as if she already has ideas. “Not without seriously regretting it.”
Again, so glad that woman is on my side. Relief washes over me like the cool waves lapping the beach below the restaurant. I didn’t expect to get help with Chase, just with figuring out my situation with Wade.
Might as well tell them that, too. “There’s one more thing.”
Lily narrows her eyes. “More?”
I let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah…something happened the day Chase sent me that image. With Wade.”
Sophie gasps. “Oh no, did you tell him?”
Mia groans. “Did you show him the picture?”
I shake my head emphatically. “Good grief, no. I was too afraid of what he might do.”
“Smart girl,” Lily chimes in.
Mia side-eyes me. “Then what happened with Wade?”
I swallow down the ginormous lump in my throat and hunch my shoulders. “I kind of…kissed him.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
BREE
“What!?!” Mia shrieks, drawing the attention of half of the restaurant.
