Page 26 of Such A Bad Girl

“I’m happy for you two, I really am. But I can do without the drama of all that. Just give me a film set, a few drinks, and a quiet, clean house.”

“I think the drama only happens when you aren’t supposed to be together,” Kaylee said. “When you find someone who’s peaceful and easy, it all comes together effortlessly, and the drama never arrives.”

“Well, I’d disagree with that. You and West definitely began with some serious drama,” Violet reminded her. “Surely, you didn’t forget the murders, and mayhem, and secret identities?”

“Okay, fair enough,” she said, shaking her head. “But now? It’s all joy.”

“I’m happy for you, too,” I said. “I’ve never seen West like this, so you must be doing something right. But I truly believe y’all are the exception to the rule.”

Theo’s face flashed in my head again. His eyes, his mouth, his hands…I shook my head, willing the visions away. West’s disapproval aside, it would never work out with me and Theo. We were too volatile. We couldn’t get along. It was anything but peaceful. There was too much tension, too much left unsaid over all these years.

“A healthy relationship may be rare, but it’s not impossible. I’d hate to see you give up hope at such a young age, Everleigh. You deserve happiness. You deserve love.”

“I might deserve it but I don’t have the energy for that. Not that, and tackling this new role, too.”

“Tell us about your character,” Violet said, perking up. Violet was an extremely successful supermodel, but she’d once confessed to me that she’d always wanted to try her hand at acting.

“She’s a doctor,” I said, hearing the wistful twinge of regret in my own voice. I pushed away my old dreams that wanted to rise to the surface “She finds a cure for cancer, but her boss steals her research and sabotages her entire career.”

“Oh, so it’s a film about modern misogyny?”

“Pretty much,” I laughed. “She gets her revenge though. I don’t want to spoil the ending for you.”

Violet and Kaylee laughed, nodding their heads.

“I hope it’s a bloody form of revenge,” Kaylee said, her eyes sparkling.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” I shrugged, waving down the waitress for another martini.

“I know it will be,” Violet said. “I love that everywhere you look these days, the bad bitches are being celebrated in the media.”

“Yeah, baby,” Everlee said, laughing. “It’s bad bitch season, after all.”

“To us, three bad bitches,” Violet said, holding up her drink. We clinked glasses and took a drink, toasting each other.

I wanted to feel like a bad bitch, I really did. I wanted to concentrate on my strengths, recognize the resilience that I possessed in order to be able to have come this far in life.

But all I could think about were those fucking texts, and my feelings for Theo.

As the waitress brought my next martini, I hoped like hell this next drink would be enough to take them both off my mind.

Chapter Thirteen

THEO

“Do you think West will ever come back for these appointments?” I asked as we pulled on our robes.

Rian shook his head.

The three of us had reserved the place for ourselves at the same time each week, for years. While we didn’t touch each other, we did explore other people together. I’d seen every inch of them and they’d seen me. There wasn’t much we didn’t share together.

But now that West was madly in love with Kaylee, I doubted that would happen again.

“Maybe he will. This place is a part of him, just like it is for us. I don’t want to abandon hope just yet. Kaylee knows what this place is all about. West would never lie to her. And, since they’ve spent time here together anyway, she probably doesn’t mind so much. It’s not a mystery to her. If she and West can establish boundaries together, and abide by them, I don’t see why he can’t come back when he’s ready.”

“Sounds as healthy as a goddamned kale salad,” I growled.

“Doesn’t it?” He laughed, shaking his head. I could see the envy in his eyes. He’d never admit it, but I knew he wanted a connection with someone like that. If he ever dropped his gruff exterior for more than a minute, he might find it.

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