Holly huffed and stood up straighter.
“Don’t know, don’t really care. He took all of the money we had left and ditched me and our daughter. We have no money to go back home and everything is in his name so there is no home to really go back to. So, you’ll be happy to know that I have sunken so low I have to go get a job like this while you sit up in your mansion with the singer.”
Jealousy filled her eyes. Cleo looked at her blankly for a long moment, blinking rapidly before erupting into a grin.
The grin turned into a low chuckle and then erupted into a full-on belly laugh. Dita and I looked at each other, mouths slack, and eyes wide. Had she gone insane? She was holding her bulging belly, trying to stop herself but she continued grinning like a mad man.
Holly took a deep breathe and spun around, taking a step away from us. That made Cleo stop laughing and sit back up.
“It hurts, doesn’t it? Don’t worry. When he gets bored with her, he’ll come home. He always did.”
Holly turned to shoot daggers at her one last time before storming off. The receptionist had come back to the front desk with a post it note for her. Holly snatched it out of her hand and gave us one last glare before leaving.
Once she had left the building the three of us looked back at each other and then began rapidly talking over ourselves. Duchess, with Chris?
“She’s obviously doing it on purpose. To get under your skin. Or maybe to get under Ethan’s,” I said. Cleo snorted.
“She can try all she wants but screwing around with him, of all people, would get under my skin if anyone’s, but nope. I think it's hilarious and a little sad. Karma’s a bitch. Holly, Chris, and Duchess will all get what they deserve.”
“I still can’t believe she got completely off,” Dita commented. I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, we all are still pretty pissed about it. She claimed momentary insanity brought on by the pressure of being a celebrity. They gave her probation and made her pay a fine. She could have killed one of them and she probably would have gotten off scot-free,” I said.
The whole trial, if you could even call it that, was a joke. She walked in with her team of lawyers, all dressed up like an old porcelain doll, with a smirk planted firmly on her face. She knew she was getting off.
Everyone but Ethan and Cleo came to see it play out. I think seeing us walk in and realizing that her old boyfriend wasn’t with us was the only thing that made her frown. Still, she thought he’d come back to her. She really was insane.
When we got back to Cleo’s, she found Ethan and told him about our meeting with Holly. He was reading a book on the couch when we came in. He looked up, almost bored. He raised his eyebrows, but only chuckled.
“I hope they are very happy together,” he smirked.
“Do you think we should go get a restraining order on them? Or Holly? God, I don’t know. Is Tot making me crazy?” She plopped down next to him. He moved his legs and put his book down. Reaching over, he wrapped tattooed arms around his round wife. She leaned into him and he kissed her hair.
“You’re not crazy. If you want to, we can ask my lawyer what he thinks. It would be just extending Duchess’ and then adding Chris and Holly. I don’t think it will be a big deal. Stop stressing about them. They are nothing. They don’t matter,” he soothed. Suddenly feeling like an intruder on an intimate moment, I nudge Dita and we left the room.
We went into the kitchen and found the twins sitting at the counter looking at each other with hardened faces. They seemed to be speaking to each other with just their eyes. Dallas looked up when we came in but said nothing.
“What’s up guys?” I asked cheerfully, but they didn’t respond. I frowned and went over to them. I put my elbows on the counter and leaned down.
“Is everything okay?”
They glanced at each other again.
“We saw our old Daddy the other day,” Jimmy finally said, her lips trembling. I stood back up abruptly.
“Where?”
“At our school, outside.”
Dallas glared at his sister.
“We didn’t talk to him. He wanted us to come with him, but I told him no,” he added.
“Are we in trouble?” Jimmy asked, her little eyebrows scrunching together. I shook my head.
“No, of course not. You did exactly what you were supposed to do. If you see him again, do the same thing.”
I hurried back to their parents and told them what the twins had just told me. Ethan leapt up and went to find his kids. He demanded they tell him everything. Cleo started crying. I didn’t know who to respond to. Turning to Dita, I told her to stay with the crying pregnant woman, and I would see to her screaming husband.
