Page 24 of Smitten with the Single Dad

Fighting for my life.

The door opened, and Justine and Brooke stepped through, smiling at Officer Bruce and Gabrielle. “We come bearing clothes and deodorant,” Brooke said her face full of sympathy and kindness. “And the store didn’t have the tampon brand you wrote down, but we grabbed a box of the next best thing. Two-dayshipping is more like four-day shipping over here. So if you place an online order today, they should be here before you need them.”

They plunked the shopping bags on the couch.

“Grazie,” Vica said, the back of her eyes burning. “I … I really appreciate it.”

“We got you, girl. Don’t worry.” Brooke wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Bumped into Dumb Cop One and Dumb Cop Two at the grocery store though.”

Myla’s brows ascended slightly on her forehead, but she didn’t say anything.

“They still think you’re guilty and are not being quiet about it,” Justine said, her tone clipped. “Sat there eating their bagels and drinking their kombucha, and would tell anybody that passed by what happened. And that you resisting arrest and refusing to speak with them is a sure sign of your guilt.”

“Well, I’ll be adding that to our case for sure,” Gabrielle murmured with a headshake.

Myla’s cheeks burned pink in embarrassment, even though it wasn’t likeshewas the one saying anything to anyone about Vica. “Fucking hell. I’m sorry, Vica. I’ll have a talk with them.”

They all knew it wouldn’t do any good though.

Old, white men were the absolute worst. Impossible to reason with. Impossible to educate. Impossible to be around for any extended period of time.

“Do you think they were the ones who leaked it to the press?” Vica asked.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Myla said. “Though, I also doubt either of them know how to post anything to social media. So … they probably just made a call, and it took on a life of its own from there. They have two brain cells between the two of them and they’re both fighting for third place.”

Brooke snorted.

“I mean, Iamguilty,” Vica said. “Ididkill Track. But it was in self-defense. He was going to rape me if I didn’t do something. Do I regret it?”

She had to really think about that. And the honest answer was: no, she didn’t. She’d do it all again the exact same way, because as much as this was an absolutedisaster now, Track Croft being dead meant he couldn’t hurt any more women. He couldn’t pull their ponytails, hit them, or rape them. He was gone from the world, and even if she did go to prison, she would go to prison knowing she made the world just a little bit safer.

But she didn’t say any of that. Especially not with a police officer standing right there. “I do,” she finally said. “I regret the way the entire night went down. I should not have let him lure me outside. I should have gone to Dom at the bar and asked for his help to safely get me to the ferry. I should not have used such force when I hit Track in the throat. I should not have even come to the island with my colleagues without my own vehicle and means of escape.”

“None of this is your fault,” Brooke said softly, rubbing Vica’s back. “He made the choice to assault you. Even if you’d been naked the whole day and bent over in front of him, you said ‘no’ and he didn’t listen. End of story.”

The other three women nodded.

Vica’s phone pinged again, and Gabrielle looked at it. “It’s an email.”

“W-who is it from?” Vica asked.

“N-ER-G Solartek International.” She glanced at Justine. “Does that sound like a dumbass name to you?”

Justine shrugged. “I’ve definitely heard better. When I hear names like that, I just assume all the good names were snapped up already so they had to get creative.”

“That is the engineering firm in New York that I’m supposed to start working for in two weeks,” Vica said. “They’re in the process of finalizing my work visa. This is probably just to tell me that the paperwork has been filed, or it is completed.” She accepted her phone from Gabrielle and opened up the email.

Dear Ludovica Vitale,

After careful consideration, given the recent events that have come to light, we have decided to no longer pursue a working relationship with you; and therefore, will not be completing the visa application process. We at N-ER-G Solartek International pride ourselves on an amicable, safe, working environment and we donot believe that your values align with ours. We wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors and apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.

Sincerely,

Derrin Garber

CEO and Co-owner

Vica’s mouth hung open as she read and re-read the email.

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