Page 5 of A Secret Escape

“There is no one around, Nicole. This place is empty. We are the last people here. And before I drive anywhere, I want to know what this is all about. Why the sudden phone call and why the urgency?”

“You seriously don’t know?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking.”

“Oh, Milly.” Nicole gave a choked laugh and opened her eyes. “You haven’t changed one bit, and I’m so happy about that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Since Richard had walked out taking most of her confidence with him, she felt as if every part of her had changed. She could barely remember the person she used to be, but Nicole didn’t know that because she hadn’t asked.

She felt a pang of loss as she remembered how their friendship used to be. There had been no barriers between them, but now there was a barrier so big she couldn’t see past it.

Nicole turned her head to look at her. “When we were young you always refused to read scandalous stories about celebrities. You thought it was distasteful that someone was making a career out of exploiting a person’s misfortune, and you didn’t want to be part of it.You were always kind, even to people you didn’t know.”

Was that how she’d ended up where she was, with everyone taking advantage of her?

“These days it’s less about my principles and more about the fact I don’t have a moment in the day to draw breath, let alone read gossip. I have a life, Nicole!” A life she was holding together by her fingernails. And suddenly the heat flared to life again. Maybe Nicole was hurting, but she was hurting too. “I don’t have time to read much at all. I wish I did, but between raising my child alone and worrying what all this is doing to her, dealing with my selfish ex-husband, running a business at a time when everyone is watching what they’re spending and wondering if life is going to be this tough forever, there’s not a lot of spare time left for lounging around reading about people whose lives quite frankly seem pretty good from where I’m standing.” She stopped, mortified. Why had she said all that? She’d blurted out far more than she’d intended. She’d told herself that she was going to be polite and give nothing of herself. She was going to show Nicole that this friendship didn’t matter to her any more than it did to Nicole. That she’d moved on, just as Nicole had.

But that wasn’t what she’d done. She’d had Nicole in her car for all of two minutes and already she’d been more honest with her than with anyone else in her life. She’d intended to be reserved and indifferent, and instead she’d shown that she was hurt. So much for protecting herself. So much for holding part of herself back. She might as well have ripped off a bandage and saidLook at these raw wounds. Because that was how she felt. Like a giant wound. Any protective coating she might have had once had been eroded by Richard and now by Nicole. Love provided insulation from the cuts and bruises of life, and so did trust. Milly had lost both. She was a tortoise without its shell. A hedgehog with no spines.

She sat there, miserably embarrassed, and then Nicole reached out and touched her arm.

“I’ve missed you.”

Milly felt something soften inside her, but she forced herself to ignore it. “Sure. You missed me so much you didn’t get in touch for eighteen months.”

She was so surprised to hear those words coming out of her mouth that she almost turned around to check there was no one else in the car.

Maybe the assertiveness course hadn’t been such a waste of money after all.

Nicole removed her hand from Milly’s arm. “Don’t be angry. I know there are things we need to talk about, but the whole world is angry with me right now. I couldn’t stand it if you were too.”

“Why wouldthe whole worldbe angry with you?”

“Perhapsangryis the wrong word. I should have saidthe whole world hates me.” Nicole’s voice shook a little. “I am currently the most hated woman on the planet.”

She’d forgotten how all-or-nothing Nicole was. People either adored her or hated her. She was either devastated or ecstatic. There was nothing in between. No middle ground. To be friends with Nicole meant strapping in for a ride on a roller coaster with its steep ups and downs. She couldn’t handle it. “Please, for once, can we leave the drama at the door?”

“For you it’s drama, but for me it’s my life.”

Milly clamped her jaw shut to stop herself from saying something she might regret. “Nicole—”

“I want you to know that what they’re saying isn’t true. Well, some of it is—but not the way they’ve told it. It’s all twisted.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I’m not sure which is worse—having people make up lies about you, or knowing that people believe those lies without question.”

Milly was starting to wish she’d taken the time to do an internet search. She’d had a really bad night and hadn’t had a moment to herself all day. Both her body and brain were tired, and she didn’t have the energy for this. “What lies? What do people believe?”

There was a pause. “According to the press, I’ve broken up the happiest marriage in Hollywood. I’m a home-wrecker. The Other Woman.”

Milly went cold. She thought of Richard.There’s someone else. . . “You—what?”

“Go to any news site and you can read all about it. Two truths and a lie. Or is it two lies and a truth? I can’t remember. And it doesn’t really matter because no one is interested in the truth anyway. The people who write all that stuff about me just want clicks, and the people who read it want proof that my amazing-looking life isn’t so amazing. Celebrity downfall is a great cure for envy, didn’t you know?Yes she’s rich, but is she really happy?Well, no, she isn’t.” Nicole slurred her words slightly, and Milly felt a growing wave of nausea.

I’m a home-wrecker.

Why did it have to be that? Nicole had a colorful dating history, with a reputation for falling for her costars, but to the best of Milly’s knowledge she’d never been involved with anyone who was married. For Milly the topic was something of a trigger given recent circumstances. She had to force herself to remember that this wasn’t about her.

“You are overthinking this, Nicole. Most people are too busy handling their own problems and making it through each day to worry about what is happening to you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. When people have problems they look around them for someone who has it worse so that they feel better about their own lives. They thinkWell, at least I’m not her. My problems are a source of entertainment. Remember when we used to play three wishes?”

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