Holly set her hand over Maddy’s. “Honey, what’s going on? Did you lose the promotion? It’s not the end of the world. You’re still assistant manager of Charlotte’s most prestigious restaurant. There’ll be other opportunities for—”
“I caught Nick and Evangeline together.”
Holly blinked. “Evangeline, the owner? What do you mean, ‘together’?”
“I mean exactly what you think I mean. They were all over each other.” The image of it made her heart crumple up like a wad of trash.
Holly’s eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared. “That jerk.”
“But it’s worse than that. I heard him accepting the promotion.”
“What?” The indignation on Holly’s face was like salve on a raw wound.
But his words still haunted her.You made the right decision... Maddy’s a terrific girl, but she gets frazzled... Wouldn’t be able to handle more responsibility...
Was there a nugget of truth in what he’d said? Had she been deluding herself all along?
“Did they see you?”
Maddy gave a harsh laugh. “Oh yes, they saw me. I stood there like a guppy, my mouth just working.”
“Who could blame you? You were blindsided, you poor thing.” Holly’s eyes pierced hers. “How long do you think it’s been going on?”
“I don’t know, but when I saw them together... I ran. I just ran away. Oh, Holly, he planned this, didn’t he? He played me like a fiddle.” Tears seeped out the corners of her eyes.
“I could just throttle him.”
It almost brought a smile to her face, trying to envision petite, pacifist Holly doing any such thing. She’d never cared for Nick, not that she’d said as much, but Maddy could tell. She should’ve trusted her friend’s instincts since, apparently, she couldn’t trust her own.
“I thought I was a shoo-in for that job.” Pirouette’s general manager was retiring and, as assistant manager, Maddy was next in line. “I feel so stupid.”
Nick, the restaurant’s beverage manager, had pursued her for months before Maddy finally went out with him. Holly had been encouraging her to put herself out there, and six months ago Maddy decided to give Nick a chance.
One date led to another. He was easy to talk to, he shared her faith, and since they were both passionate about the restaurant industry they found plenty to talk about.
“Let’s keep it professional at work,” he’d said as their relationship progressed beyond casual. It had seemed like a wise idea. But now she realized she may have played right into his plans.
Holly squeezed her hand. “I’m so sorry, Maddy. You don’t deserve this.”
“I’m not gonna lie, losing the promotion is bad, and losing my job is even worse. But having Nick betray me like this... You know how hard it was for me to take a leap of faith like that.”
“Aw, honey.” She drew Maddy into an embrace. “I just hate this. It won’t always be this way, Mads. Someday you’ll find the right man to love, and it’ll all be worth it. I promise.”
“Was this his plan all along? To keep me out of the way while he sucked up to Evangeline? Did he ever care for me? I thought he did, but what do I know?” Maddy’s throat constricted around her words.
Holly rubbed her back. “Would it help if I told you he’s not worth the lint on this old, smelly T-shirt you’re wearing?”
“I feel like such an idiot. I keep remembering little things he said and did. I must’ve had blinders on.”
“Hey.” Holly pulled back and gave Maddy one of her stern looks. “Don’t you be putting this on yourself. You trusted him. You gave him the benefit of the doubt. Nick’s the idiot. Anyone who tosses you over like that needs his head examined.”
Maddy absorbed the warmth from Holly’s eyes. “I don’t know what I should do now.”
“You should tell Evangeline, that’s what you should do. Tell her you and Nick have been dating for six months and he was cheating on the both of you.”
“I’d love nothing more, believe you me.” She gave Holly a guilty look. “But I told Nick about my résumé.”
The air escaped Holly, deflating her posture. “Oh, Maddy.”
