“What exactly did they accuse him of?”
Daisy is fully cornered. In desperation she glances at the Glass House. She will have to go through the house to get to her car. She must find a way to politely excuse herself. How did she even get started down this road? But part of Daisy knows the answer. She craves an ally, a real friend. She’s lonely. It’s human nature to share, unburden. But it was a mistake. Her brain is acting strange. She feels so tired. So confused...She needs to get home. She needs a nap.
“Daisy?”
She shakes herself, clears her throat. “They accused him of sexual assault.”
Vanessa stares at her, shocked.
“Of course he didn’t do it, Vanessa. It was all lies. All attention seeking. When you’re famous, the higher you go, the harder people try to tear you down. It’s human nature. They lied about the pregnancies, too. Totally lied.”
Vanessa’s face changes. Daisy is terrified now. She’s crossed a Rubicon, and this friend of hers is about to become an ex-friend.
“You have to understand, Vanessa, Jon was under a lot of pressure in the lead-up to the Olympics. He was young. He got very drunk at a party, had a one-night stand with a girl who was infatuated with him and also very drunk, and she threw herself at him. And the other guys egged him on and kind of got involved, too.”
Vanessa’s jaw drops.
Daisy cannot stop now. She has to normalize this. Shemustmake Vanessa understand. SheneedsVanessa to understand, to approve of her, to support her.
“The girl took it out of all proportion. She cried rape—gang rape—and then she started saying she was pregnant with Jon’s baby, but thankGod no one would back her up. She went to the cops, and they felt obliged to open an investigation, but even the police couldn’t get any corroborating witnesses or find any evidence, because there was none, and so of course there were no charges.”
“So he claimed the sex was consensual?”
“It was.”
“And with the other guys as well?”
“Whatever happened, they were drunk teens having a bit of fun, including her. Jon screwed up by trying to deny the intercourse at first, because he was embarrassed. I mean, she was so not his type. She was this overweight, unattractive thing with bad skin and a bad reputation, and he was blind drunk. Plus he was going out with me. And then when she said she was pregnant with his baby, that’s when he confessed it was consensual, and that there were other guys involved. It could have been one of theirs.”
“Was a paternity test done?”
“The girl went away. I never heard anything more about any baby, so it was clearly a lie. That girl’s accusations could have cost Jon and half the ski team. It would have meant no gold medals for the country the following Olympics. She could have destroyed Jon’s future—”
“And yours.”
A bolt of irritation goes through Daisy. “Yes—yes, and mine. Jon and I had plans for the future.”
“But, Daisy, what if the girlwastelling the truth?”
Daisy rubs her face. “Look, even if there was an element of truth, my mother gave the girl’s parents a fortune for her college fund provided she retracted everything and stopped making trouble. Her family wouldneverhave gotten that kind of money, Vanessa, not unless they won some lottery. They scored in the end. Her mother was a maid. She cleaned hotel rooms and houses. Her dad worked at the sewage plant.If you really think about it, they were lucky Jon never suedthemfor damages; plus they got a ton of money.”
“Hush money?Yourmother paidherparents hush money?”
“I need to go home. I’m not myself today. I’m sorry I ever broached this. Can we just let it go, please?”
Vanessa stares at Daisy. Her gaze bores a tunnel right through Daisy’s head. She feels ill.
“Did you pay off the woman in Colorado as well?”
Daisy pushes herself up to her feet and wobbles slightly. “Thanks for lunch. I need to get home.”
Vanessa stands. She places her hand gently on Daisy’s arm. “I’m so sorry you went through all that, Daisy. Men suck. They can really suck.”
Tears fill Daisy’s eyes. She nods.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“No. I—I’m fine. Honest.”
