‘Katy slept with Travis, yes. It was our first day in New York, and she met him randomly on Tinder. She had no idea he worked for you or that he was married. He lied to all of us, Jimmy!’ I pleaded my friend’s case, knowing now was certainly not the time to reveal that they’d also shagged in the snack cupboard.
‘When did you know?’ he asked, leaning forward. My nerves buzzed. Jesus, this would go down like a fart in a spacesuit. There was no good answer.
‘The day we had our interview,’ I admitted, feeling completely ashamed. ‘But you have to realise this was the chance of a lifetime for us. We didn’t think it was fair that Travis not being able to keep his dick in his pants should be the reason we miss an opportunity like this!’
Jimmy looked too exhausted to reply, rubbing his eyes and sighing as he tried to process everything.
‘Then the messages started,’ I said.
‘What messages?’ Jimmy said, a little more sternly. ‘Ella?’
I paused, realising how much I’d kept from him – feeling a sharp ache of regret for leaving him in the dark, wanting to shield him from the mess. I didn’t want him to judge or think we brought drama. I thought I could fix it alone, without him ever knowing.
‘Katy started getting messages, threatening us to stop working on the app and telling us to go back to Glasgow. They knew about Travis and her, so they tried to blackmail her with it.’ I turned to him, more animated now. ‘We’ve been trying to figure out who it is, Jimmy! I think they have something to do with your previous apps failing.’
He slowly gazed up from the floor, his eyes glassy with hurt. ‘What? So, hold up, you figured all of this out, and still you kept it from me?’
I gulped, knowing how wrong it sounded. But at the time, I was focused on protecting my friend.
‘Yeah, but .?.?.’
‘But nothing, Ella.’ He stood up, looking disgusted. ‘I’ve shared the worst things about me with you. I told you I was in juvie as a kid.’ He laughed as if the whole notion of confiding in me was now ridiculous to him. ‘But someone has been threatening you, trying to destroy my company, my career, and you didn’t think to give me a heads-up? Did you not think to trust me enough to know how to handle that?’
Fuck. I knew he was right, and shame burned inside me.
‘I .?.?. I .?.?. Look, there was so much going on, Jimmy. You don’t get the pressure I’ve been under. I was starting this with you, trying to get over my ex. Then he turns up and .?.?.’
‘What?’ He covered his face, the white cloth on his hand gently unfolding.
‘Nothing happened. I told him about you! I told him how happy I was! But—’
Jimmy chuckled, but it wasn’t a cheering noise. I felt like I was spiralling. ‘Glad you told him something, Ella.’
There was a pause. I was utterly drained, a heavy numbness settling in. Even trying to explain seemed to make it far worse.
Eventually, I said in a soft voice, ‘Look, someone has a vendetta against you. We have to find out who it is before it’s too late. The app is ready, it’s not going anywhere. But we have to find out who this stalker is and why they’re—’
‘It’s already too late, Ella.’ His voice was low. He took a few steps towards the kitchen and placed his hands on the worktop, his back to me. ‘I’m losing the company. There’s a meeting set for Monday morning, at which the board will appoint a new CEO. Hopefully Fee will get it, but I don’t know for sure.’ He shrugged.
‘No, Jimmy!’ I stood up and walked towards him, reaching out to comfort him.
‘Don’t touch me, Ella,’ he said, standing, his whole body rigid.
‘For fuck’s sake. I’m trying to help, can’t you see that?’ I called out, my voice echoing through the apartment louder than I’d meant.
‘You could have helped if you’d told me before the shitshow that was tonight. Why didn’t you tell me all of this?’
His voice was raised, louder than mine, and I stepped back.
‘You know the papers are saying you and your little friends are money grabbers, and I didn’t want to believe it. But maybe they’re right?’ he snarled. ‘You came here, fucked me as well as fucked me over. Ha, you even fucked my sister over, and now .?.?.’ He held his hands up in the air. ‘What now? What’s next?’
‘What’s next is you should fight for your company instead of moping around and blaming me! You should get ready for this app to launch! You know the papers print a load of bullshit! Don’t you dare tell me you think that shit is real!’
Jimmy rubbed his face in frustration and something close to despair. ‘The biggest investor pulled out after I punched Travis. The app is gone, Ella. I’m done, you’re done. We’re all fucking done!’
I felt the wind knocked out of me – all the work, all the planning, all of it for nothing.
‘Can we not find a new investor?’ I asked naively.
