Page 12 of Hitch Me

"Geoffrey, I can explain?—"

"Can you?" I step closer, and she instinctively steps back. "Because I'm having a real hard time coming up with any explanation that doesn't involve you being exactly what I thought you weren't."

"It's not what you think?—"

"I hope it isn’t.” The laugh that escapes me is bitter and broken. "Brynn Rose, I trust you. Don’t lie. Don’t look me in the face and tell me you have nothing to do with that damned podcast unless it’s true. Can you promise me? Can you make this make sense in any way that doesn’t involve you?”

The silence stretches between us. It’s broken only by the distant sound of cattle and I have to avert my eyes. The longer it takes to come, the more sure I am that her reply is about to destroy me. When I finally find the strength to look at her again, she's standing there with tears streaming down her face.

Then she topples me over with three small words. “No, I can’t.”

CHAPTER 9

BRYNN ROSE

“Turn it off.That podcast is poison." I snap at our receptionist when I hear the sound of my mother’s robot-altered voice come through the speakers at Mane Event Salon.

Normally work is a safe place for me to decompress, but even the hustle and bustle of this place isn’t helping today. After my fight with Geoffrey this morning, nothing feels right.

I’ve listened to the podcast episode that shattered my world so many times today. I can’t take it for another minute. The thing I can’t figure out is how she knew. I haven’t breathed a word of it and I never would. Especially not to her. It wasn't my secret to tell.

“Girl, you okay? You’ve been sitting there going on two hours. I gotta go get the kids from MeMaw. But I can see if my baby’s daddy can grab him.” Our receptionist stands with car keys in hand.

“You head on out. I’m doing just fine. Thinking is all.” I try to force a smile.

“Okay you let me know if you change your mind. I’m gonna put everything up for now, but I can come back around if you need something.”

“Thanks, I’m good. Enjoy your night.”

It’s early evening and my client cancelled. Normally I’d head home or get a few things done around the salon. Instead, I've been sitting in my salon chair for the past two hours staring at myself in the mirror.

In my reflection, I see nothing but the devastation in Geoffrey's eyes. The look on his face when he held up that phone is carved into my memory like a scar that'll never heal. Geoffrey is everything I thought he’d be and more. He’s charming and confident. He has a way of making everything fun.

Most of all, he sees me as the best version of myself. Or at least he did. I wonder if all of that is gone now? The trust he put in me shattered. He crumbled in real time. His voice broke. His heart broke.

I’m desperate to fix things with Geoffrey. I need to make this right. All of it.

But then I hear that deep inner voice that has never left me. It’s become my mantra.If I don't protect her secrets, she'll cut me off. She’s all I’ve got.The thought has been my constant companion for years now. It’s only heightened since I first discovered Mom's little side project.

The anonymous podcast has given her the spotlight she craves. But it’s built on the bones of other people's private lives. I've been carrying that secret like a stone in my chest.

I’ve watched her tear apart my neighbors, my friends, and my community. I’ve chosen to stay silent because that's what good daughters do. I’ve always known that if the truth comes out, it'll ruin her. And somehow, that will be my fault. She’s never said it directly. But that's how it works with Brandi Rose.

When things go wrong, she's the victim. That leaves me to be the selfish daughter who didn't protect her. When her dreams crumble, it's because I didn't try hard enough to help her achieve them. When her reputation suffers, it's because I wasn't careful enough with her image. If anyone ever connected her tothe Boots and Bitching Podcast, the fallout would destroy her. Somehow, she'd make sure it destroyed me too.

I don’t want to destroy Mom. She’s not perfect, but she did try. Being my mom simply isn’t enough for a woman with dreams far too big for this small town. She’s built something that can be enough. As flawed as the podcast might be, it belongs to her. That’s why I’m sad that I’m going to have to destroy it.

Ding.

The silver bell above the salon door chimes and I look up to see my mother.Speak of the devil.She glides in like she owns the place. Considering the fact that she helped me get the loan for it, it isn't entirely inaccurate.

"Darling, there you are." She settles into the styling chair next to mine with her usual dramatic flair, practically glowing with satisfaction. "I was hoping to catch you."

"Hi, Mom." My voice comes out flat. I’m already drained of the energy it usually takes to manage her moods.

"I wanted to thank you for the content from last night," she says, examining her nails with studied casualness. "Leaving the phone line open was genius. That family secret was absolutely delicious. My best episode yet."

The forgotten phone. I never thought about it again because by the time I woke up Geoffrey had retrieved it and put it in my folded pile of clothing.

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