Page 127 of Strictly the Worst

“Well maybe you should have.”

For a moment the implacable mask drops. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asks. I’ve never seen her like this before. So fucking harsh.

“It means that instead of using me as your emotional crutch you could have found somebody your own damn age.”

She flinches. “That’s unfair.”

“Is it? Or is it unfair to expect your kid to be the one to mop up the mess you left? Do you know how much that day I walked in on you unconscious affected me?”

Her eyes widen. “We are not going to talk about this right now.”

“Of course we’re not.” I roll my eyes. “We never fucking talk about it. I just have nightmares about it instead. Did you know that? Because Tessa knows.”

“You told her?” Mom asks, sounding appalled.

“Yes I told her. And I felt better after. I should have told somebody else a long time ago.”

Mom’s eyes start to glisten. “You promised…”

“I know I did. But I shouldn’t have. And you should never have asked me to. So before you go being a bitch to the woman I love, maybe you should start looking at your own shortcomings.”

A tear rolls down her cheek and I immediately feel bad. But before I can say anything else, she turns on her heel and walks across the room. Linda takes one look at her face and starts to follow her.

Jesus, I need a drink. As soon as coffee is served, I’m getting Tessa out of here.

CHAPTER

THIRTY

TESSA

“Your daughter is so beautiful. I hope we get to meet her soon,” Ava says. She and Sophie have been so sweet to me, asking to see pictures of Zoe and showing me some of their own kids. They’ve already asked me to visit them in West Virginia – where they both live – this summer, and told me that everybody thinks I’m perfect for Linc.

Well nearly everybody. My stomach tightens at the memory of his mom’s reaction to me.

“Thank you so much.” I give her a smile. “I think I’m just going to head to the bathroom before we eat.”

I need to check my make up. And catch my breath. Linc is over in the corner talking to his mom so I sneak out and head to the rest rooms.

And of course, my period has chosen this perfect moment to arrive. My stomach starts to cramp, but it feels nothing like the anxiety that’s pulling at my body. I never feel like this. Like I’m constantly on edge.

I hate it.

After sorting myself out I flush and go to wash my hands. That’s when I hear the murmuring.

“Just sit and calm down,” a female voice says. “He didn’t mean it.”

“Oh, he meant it.” I recognize the voice as Linc’s mom. She starts to sniff. “He hates me.”

The restroom has a little dressing room to the side. The kind with plump ottoman seats and mirrors, so you can touch up your makeup in comfort without having to look at toilet stalls. That’s where the voices are coming from. I have to walk through it to get out of here. And if I do, they’ll almost certainly see me.

I freeze, catching a glimpse of my face in the mirror. I look so pale it isn’t funny.

“I’m just worried about him. I never thought he’d end up with a single mom. She’s older than him, did you know that?”

“No, I didn’t,” the other woman says. I wonder if it’s Linda. Linc says she and his mom are thick as thieves. “But does it matter?”

“What if he wants to have children of his own?” Linc’s mom asks. “She already has a teenage daughter. And you and I both know her biological clock must be running out.”

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