Page 30 of Off the Record

“Thanks, Paise.” He takes Kyla’s hand and leads her away.

The door opens a few more times, letting out groups. I’m reaching the point where I wonder if I should head back inside to find Hudson when Andrea steps out in a short black dress and sky-high heels. She pulls them off so well. “Twins!” she says, stalking over to me and throwing her arm around my shoulders.

I’m a shorter version of her in a longer gown, but we are dressed somewhat alike. “How was your night?”

“Great.” She grins. “Marty is taking me to that place you wrote about—Bourbon something.”

“Whiskey Sage?”

“Yes,” she says, giddy. Sounds like she’s already had something to drink. “But first he’s talking to Hudson. I need the bathroom.” She looks around, lost. “Where did it go?”

I could direct her, but she’ll probably end up walking into the wedding reception in the other ballroom. “I’ll walk you there.” We head down the hallway toward the restroom signs, and she drags me inside with her.

“You’re so nice, Pesley.”

“Paisely.”

“That’s what I said. You’re the nicest.” She goes into a stall. I check my hair in the mirror while she keeps talking. “You deserve so much better than him, you know.”

“I’m not with Leo anymore,” I remind her. “He’s with Kyla now.”

“I know. I’m talking about Husson Owens. He can’t seriously take away your job and expect you to stay with him, right?”

My world spins to a stop. The face looking back at me in the mirror blurs, Andrea’s words reaching me slowly and settling into my skin. “Wait, what?”

“Your job,” she repeats slowly, like I’m the one with a lagging response time. “He can’t expect you to stay with him after he fires you.”

We aren’t together, but that seems like the minor point to make right now. “Andrea, what are you talking about?” I don’t say it, but Hudson has been working overtime to help mekeepmy job. “You know he’s been tutoring me with my column.”

“That’s the worst part,” she calls as the toilet flushes. “He used his position to get close to you?—”

“Rewind,” I say as she comes out of the stall and starts washing her hands. “Why am I being fired?”

She looks at me like I’m trying to convince her sunflowers smell like lemons. “Everyone’s being fired. The whole paper is going down, and they’re only absorbing the people to other papers that they really want to keep. I saw the list.”

Cold icy dread snakes its fingers around my ankles, locking me in place. “I’m not on it?”

“No. Neither is Simone, sobothof you need new jobs. But don’t tell her. I’m only sad to loseyou.”

“Because you’re staying.”

“As Hudson’s personal secretary.” She preens—or as much as one can when they’re using a paper towel dispenser to keep themselves upright. “He asked me Monday.”

Monday. Like, five days ago. Five full days that we’d texted, grabbed dinner, had gone to the Parthenon replica to meet up with a security guard who had immigrated here from Brazil and has an incredible story to share. Hudson drove me home from that outing, and we’d sat in his car in front of my house for an hour and talked. There has been no shortage of opportunities for him to explain this to me.

But he’s told Andrea already. Because she’s his next conquest? No, even as I think it, it doesn’t feel fair. He hasn’t treated me like that at all. He’s treated me like a friend. No. A project? I’m all muddled now.

“I need to find Marty,” she says, trying to stand straight. “He has my Tic Tacs.”

“Let’s go get your Tic Tacs, then.” I take her arm and lead her back to the foyer.

I’d like to think Hudson has been waiting for the right moment, and maybe that’s tonight. I don’t want to storm up to him, angry and demanding answers, if he might be planning to tell me himself. I’ve already faced one boyfriend this year who lied and kept things from me. Against all odds, I’m hungry for this situation to be different—for Hudson to be different. My gut tells me he is, and I don’t want to be wrong.

He’s standing near the doors when we make it back, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a phone to his ear. He lowers it once he sees us. “I was just calling you.”

I try to smile naturally. “My phone’s on do not disturb.”

He nods. “Okay. You ready to go?” He glances at Andrea. “Your date is still in there talking to someone.”

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