Page 81 of (Not So) Mad About You

“Some of them. I don’t exactly know who,” Charles said. “Some of us were real. People like you and me, we happened to stumble on the place and enroll. But the rest, they were stooges.”

Alli sat back on the bench she’d found. It made sense, she could see it. Izzy, who never seemed like she could be angry at all. Julia, who’d never lost her temper. The fact that they were all together and yet no one ever got aggressive.

And Bea. Bea had thought there was something weird going on. She’d said as much and Alli had dismissed it.

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news,” Charles said. “But you’d find out sooner or later. I mean, the police are involved now, so…”

“Jesus,” Alli said. “Thanks for telling me.”

When she’d hung up on Charles, she tried to digest the information. She was angry, but in control, a good sign. More than that, though, the only person she could think of was Bea. Bea was losing her job. Did she know already?

Alli looked down at her phone. Then, coming to a decision, she called the number. Her heart beat in her mouth as she waited.

But in the end, it was like every other call. Unanswered.

DARREN POURED HER a glass of wine. “I can’t believe it,” he said.

“Neither can I. What a nightmare for everyone involved. And Bea’s going to lose her job and I know she needs the money. I hope she’s not going to get into trouble.”

“She’s the one you’re worried about, isn’t she?” Darren asked.

“Of course.” Alli picked up the wineglass. “But I can’t get in touch with her.”

He cleared his throat. The restaurant was a small one, nice andquiet. “What happens if you never see her again?”

Alli took a shaky breath. “I… I have to accept that.”

He leaned closer. “What I’m worried about is that all of this, the therapy, the improving yourself, you’re doing it all to get Bea back. To prove yourself worthy.”

Alli took a sip of wine, rolled it around her mouth, seriously thought about her answer. Then she nodded. “Yes, you’re right, partly anyway. If I can in any way prove myself worthy of someone like Bea then I’m going to try. I… I miss her.” Talking about emotions wasn’t something she did easily. Wasn’t something she was used to doing.

“I know you do, Al.”

“But…” Another sip, another breath. “But this is bigger than that. I’m not doing all this for Bea. I’m doing it for me. I’m doing it to save myself, Darren. At the end of the day, if Bea never picks up a phone call, if I never see her again, I have to change things for myself.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say,” he said with a smile.

“Why?”

“Well, because all this, this lying and cheating and fraud, it changes things, doesn’t it?”

“Does it?” Alli asked, picking at her salad. “I mean, it changes things for the people who worked there. People like Bea and Josh.” She paused. “I suppose it explains a little better why Daria ran off with my money. She and Luke were in things together.”

“Someone ran off with your money?” Darren asked. Alli told him what had happened and he shook his head. “The lengths you go to to get what you want.”

“I’m lucky, though, aren’t I?” she said, spearing some cucumber. “I mean, in the end, it’s all worked out pretty well for me.”

“That’s sort of what I’m talking about, though,” Darren said. “The program was a sham, a fake, so you not graduating from it shouldn’t really be an issue. This is my fault. I enrolled you in it. You’re now in a decent program with a good reputation.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that there’s a good argument for you getting your job back, if that’s what you want.”

The day was a quiet one. The sun was warm and the side street was almost empty. Alli could hear birds, could smell the heat on the pavement. And she could see that she was being offered her old life back.

It was a life that she’d loved. And maybe she could go back. Maybe she could change and still do her job. Maybe she could work fewer hours and be more in control.

There were a lot of maybes.

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