Page 24 of Slow Hands Cowboy

“I have a feeling I’m not going to have to put out a statement. I have a feeling I’m going to get contacted by the media. Given that I’m the one in the video.”

“Well, then figure out what you’re going to say.”

“Yeah, I will. You know me. I’ve always been good at press releases.”

“Sure.”

Which just meant that he had to figure out how to spin it, and it was going to be a little bit tricky, considering all the personal relationships involved here.

But he would figure it out. What was the alternative?

There wasn’t one. This was his business, his livelihood, and he wasn’t going to simply survive this viral moment; he was going to make it worth something. For both of them. Because why the hell not?

He was also going to have to figure out how to tell her that her moment of humiliation had become a global source of entertainment. Because there was no protecting her from that, and he couldn’t just give her the phone back and let her be shocked.

He was a strategist. He wasn’t especially forgiving, and he wasn’t actually all that nice, but what was between him and Addison was between him and Addison.

He would deal with her personally as he saw fit. This was different.

What was good for business mattered too, and he was going to deal with this with an eye toward that as well.

He got his horse put away and took his truck back to his place.

When he got out of the truck and walked into the house, he saw her lying there on his couch, looking like a melted snowman, her dress sadly wilted around her, her posture dejected, her eyes open wide, and dry as she stared up at the ceiling.

“I’ve got your phone.”

She didn’t move. “And I can see that you’re having a little bit of a difficult time with this, and I don’t think that I’m going to make it any better, but I have to tell you, the video of the wedding has gone viral. So, I imagine we’re going to get contacted by media outlets.”

She still didn’t move.

“Now that that’s out of the way, I can give you your phone, but I would advise you against going and looking for the video.”

She still didn’t move.

“Anna is working on how to deal with this as it may affect the campaign. Lydia and Denisha are contacting anyone who may have questions. I have told them not to let anyone contact you. However, a cursory glance at your phone screen suggests that you have still been contacted many times, but you’re under no obligation to respond to them.”

She still didn’t move.

He walked over to the couch, picked up a throw pillow, and dropped it on her face. She arched up and swatted at the pillow, giving him a furious glare.

“Well, thank God. I thought maybe you died.”

“I’m not dead,” she said. “I’m… in shock. I think.”

“Well, that’s too damn bad.”

She blinked up at him. “How am I supposed to feel?”

“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with how you feel. It’s a shame you feel that way, though. It’s too bad. I’m sorry you’re poorly.”

“Poorly? Poorly? I was jilted.”

“Yeah, and I expect that leaves you feeling pretty poorly.” It was the weirdest thing, because he did kind of feel sorry for her. He couldn’t help it. But, as was the way with Addison, everything was a tangled-up mess of fucked up.

Because this was like some kind of karmic revenge for the way that she had ghosted him at prom, and yet, it was so much of a bigger deal it felt a little bit outsized, and then it also made him feel like he was somewhat responsible for rebalancing the scales because karma was apparently a bitch that liked him a lot, and had gone a little bit too far meting out the reckoning. Or whatever.

So yeah, somehow this felt like his fault. It shouldn’t, but it did. He also couldn’t say that he was very pitying.