Page 115 of The Love Haters

“No,” I said, trying to rewrite history, “you didn’t have to amp it up.”

“And so I told her I was coming to Key West this weekend to propose to you.”

I squeezed my eyes closed. “No, no, no.”

“Which was true, by the way. I really was coming here this weekend. Not to propose—but still.”

Now I was just shaking my head, likeThis can’t be happening.

“But guess what?” Cole said. “Sullivan said, ‘Great. I’ll come with you.’ She said she could call it a business trip and write it off. She knows a guy with a private jet. She flew me here for free. That’s why I’m a little tipsy,” he added, shrugging. “Open bar.”

My mind searched for a question that could make things make sense. But it was starting to look like no question like that existed.

Cole went on. “Sullivan had a few drinks on the flight, too, and told me she wants to meet Hutch.”

I shook my head, refusing to take his meaning.

“You know.Meethim?”

I looked over again. Sullivan was trying to show Hutch her necklace. Holding it toward him and leaning forward. But Hutch’s eyes were still on Cole and me.

I closed my eyes. “You brought Sullivan here for a booty call?”

But Cole lifted his hands like he was innocent. “She brought herself.”

I squeezed my eyes closed.

“Where’s your feminist solidarity?” Cole said next, taking a stab at a positive spin. “She’s had a rough year. Maybe she deserves a little Marvin Gaye–style healing. This could be the answer to everything.Thiscould be what saves your job. No video necessary!”

But I just met his eyes and shook my head. “How is it possible that you’ve madeevery single thingworse?”

Cole shrugged, like he didn’t know, either. “Once I started lying, I didn’t know how to stop.”

“Just—stop!”

“But then everything falls apart.”

“So it falls apart. That’s got to be better than whatever this is.”

“You want me to just come clean? About everything?”

“Yeah,” I said, likeDuh.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“For lots of reasons. For reasons stacked on top of other reasons.”

“Tell me the reasons,” I demanded.

“If I tell the truth now, one: you will get fired. And I don’t want you to get fired. And, two: I will get fired. And I don’t want to get fired, either.”

“Maybe she won’t fire you. Maybe she’ll—”

“What? Let it go? Some douchey manager at her company lied to her face multiple times in cahoots with an underling, and she just doesn’t care?”

“We wereneverin cahoots.”

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