Page 13 of Places I've Never Been

“Make sure you tell Rachel the joke’s on her,” Adam said.

There was no way anything Rachel did would live up to even one line written by Mattie Bellamy.

Chapter Three

Mattie was so keyed up from the non-brunch fiasco that she didn’t remember the drive home. She climbed to her rooftop deck in a daze and tried to write, but the outburst of anger she’d unleashed on Della left her feeling drained and empty.

Della sent text after text after text.I’m sorry Mattie! This is all my fault. Please come back!

Mattie deleted them.

Piper called, but Mattie didn’t pick up. Piper left a voice mail she didn’t listen to, followed by a text.I’m proud of you. I’m here when you need me.

Three hours later she’d come down off the initial wave of anger and was left wallowing in a pit of embarrassment. She never spoke like that to anyone, and the experience had been both liberating and exhausting.

She almost picked up the phone when Lizzie called. Almost. But what would she say? That she was sorry? She wasn’t. Not in the slightest. It felt like a weight on one part ofher soul had been lifted. She’d finally said everything she wished she’d said years ago.

Of course, now there was a hole that instantly filled with regret and sadness. She shouldn’t have done it. Not like that.

Lizzie didn’t leave a voice mail, but a few seconds later a text dinged.I love you, Mattie Cake. We’ll get through this. I promise.

Her sister’s kind concern came through the texts, which made her feel even worse. Mattie curled up in bed and cried until she ran out of tears.

Monday morning she once again sat on her deck, dry-eyed and soaked in LA’s smoggy sunlight with a cup of coffee in her hand and nothing to do.

Maybe she should go on vacation. She could recharge somewhere pretty, far away from everything and everyone.

That sounded depressingly lonely.

Her phone buzzed and the song “Genie in a Bottle”by Christina Aguilera played. She’d picked that song for her manager, Kat Crawford, because she was so good at making things happen. If Mattie needed a project, Kat found it. If Mattie wanted a girls’ night out, Kat arranged it. She was a shoulder to cry on and a business sounding board. She’d only known Kat about four years, but she trusted her almost as much as her own sisters.

Well, all but one.

Kat’s face popped up on the screen. Her dark hair was in a high ponytail, her lips were a bright shade of purple, and her eyes danced with laughter.

Mattie sighed and picked up the phone. She accepted the video chat and tried to smile. “Hey, Kat.”

Kat gave her a soft, soothing smile in return. “Hey, there. How you doing, sweetie?”

Mattie shrugged. “I’m fine.I’ll get over it.”

Kat raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? I thought you’d be over-the-top-pissy about this. I mean, it’s a low blow. Areallylow blow. I’m looking into whether we can sue for libel or defamation. Something.”

Mattie frowned. “What? I’m not suing my own sisters, no matter what they said. Besides, I’m the one who erupted this time.”

Kat sat back in her deck chair. “What? You erupted? Wait…are we even talking about the same thing?”

“I’m not sure. What areyoutalking about?”

Kat shook her head. “No, no. You go first. What about your sisters?”

Mattie sighed and propped the phone against a notebook on the table next to her lounge chair. “Remember I told you Lizzie was in town?”

Kat nodded. “Yes. You were going to brunch at The Flower Pot. Totally jealous. Next time I want to come with.”

Mattie grimaced. “I may never show my face there again. Lizzie invited Della.”

Kat’s mouth formed anO. “I thought you said you both talked about it and decided not to invite her.”

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