Page 78 of Her Holiday Heartthrobs

“She didn’t want to ruin my life apparently.”

Jake and I both swear. But it sounds exactly like what Paige would do.

The sinking feeling in my chest returns, furthered by the new knock on my door.

“What is it?” I call, but when I peer past Henry and Jake, it’s not Collin I see, it’s Vanya. I school my face and tone and ask again, “What can I do for you, Vanya?”

“Hey, um, sorry to bug you guys, but…have any of you seen Paige this morning? No one can seem to get a hold of her.”

“She’s not here?” The strange bubble I’ve been in pops. I haven’t seen her at all this morning, but I imagined she was in her office, working.

How stupid. If she was here, she would have come stomping in here about the article first thing. But she didn’t. So, where is she?

PAIGE

Paxton has more energy this morning than usual, which would normally be great, but it’s Monday morning, and I’m dragging ass. Every extra burst from him makes me later, and I’m trying to keep my cool, but my nerves are already frayed.

After Henry went home, I battled with myself over the decision not to let him stay. Which turned into anxiety throughout the night. I’m afraid that when I get to work, I’m going to see that patented disappointment on Henry’s face and know that this is all over. Again. I’m not sure my heart can handle it.

I’ll put my brave face on anyway, but doing as I must doesn’t make me impenetrable.

Halfway through making Paxton’s breakfast—an egg and cheese and potato burrito—my phone starts to ding. The first one I ignore, but it lights up again and again until I finally unlock it and have a peek.

Put on the local news. Now.

Jackie hates the news. What the hell? And why is he watching it at work when they’re so short-staffed he had to pull two doubles in a row?

I grab the remote from Paxton and tell him to wash up for breakfast before I flip to channel three, and after a moment of confusion, I read the headlines scrolling across the bottom of the screen:Three Chief Officers of Rockwell International Caught with Young Employee…

The world falls away, and I’m left in a humming static for so long that I only come back when Paxton tugs on my slacks.

Blinking away the sudden terror, I set him up with his burrito and start scrolling through my texts and notification. It’severywhere. I can’t scroll any of my social feeds without seeing some rendition of the article, the pictures of me with Eli at his desk, with Jake in his executive bathroom, with Henry’s hand copping a feel of my ass at the Christmas party.

All of my hard work. Every long night and difficult assignment. Every ounce of sleep I lost trying to be a good mother and a good student. All of my struggles. They’re all dust. They mean nothing now.

I’m officially the whore of Rockwell International and no one will believe that I earned my job instead of spreading my legs for it.

Numb pain digs a hole in my chest, worming wider and wider until I’m about to break in half.

Then, I see the final nail in my proverbial coffin: a picture surfaces with the rest. It’s from the afternoon the four of us took Paxton sledding.

I drop my phone on the counter, overwhelmed with panic.

And something finally snaps.

“Bub, go get changed and pick out your favorite toy. We’re going on a trip.”

My son’s eyes light up, and he abandons the syrup on his plate to does as I say.

“Clean hands first!”

He beelines to the bathroom like the good boy he is, and I’m dog-paddling my way to a saner lane of thought when it hits me all over again.

Oh God, my dad is going to see this. If he hasn’t already.

Shaking, I dial the one person I know has probably not seen it, and even if she has, she won’t care.

“Hey, Pebble. What are you calling so early for?” By the joking tone of her voice, I know she hasn’t seen the news yet.

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