Page 90 of Derailed
“You have, Jess. It’s not an insult, it’s a compliment. Think about it. Hell, you make a pretty mean baked ziti for someone who only knew how to boil noodles a monthago.”
“Thanks.” My cheeks heat with her compliment. “Thank you for teaching me so much. You’ve never made me feel stupid for not knowingthings.”
“Don’t ever let anyone make you feel that way. Those kind of people are not yourfriends.”
I don’t have friends. Or rather, I didn’t before coming here. Deb is my friend and so is Sean. Or he was. “I just don’t know what todo.”
“It’s hard to make difficult choices, but I have faith in you.” She squeezes my hand atop the counter. “And you’re not alone,okay?”
I nod, unable to answer without bursting into more tears. I’ve never in my entire life had anyone tell me they have faith in me. I almost don’t believe her, except this is Deb and she has no reason to be anything other thanhonest.
“Why don’t we both go have a shower and meet down here in an hour? I need to get out of here for a few hours. We’ll go have lunch, get a little shopping done, and then come back to make dinner for the boys. That soundokay?”
Delightful. She’s too good to me, but a nod yes is all I can manage. I have some hard choices to make, but she’s providing me an escape. It’s only a few hours, but I’ll takeit.
* * *
The afternoonwith Deb is perfect. She doesn’t bring up our earlier conversation and it’s the mental break I need. We browse in a few boutiques and she treats me to lunch at a trendy sandwich shop. On our way back home we stop at the grocery store for a fewitems.
“Sorry, I forgot to get these earlier.” Deb says as we wait in the checkout line. A woman three customers ahead appears to be buying out the store’s complete supply of liter soda, and no other lines areopen.
“It’s no problem,” I say, and my gaze drifts over her shoulder to the celebrity tabloids. The headlines call out for attention like a needy little child in the lineup ofproducts.
A Botox Fail for Dynasty’s GoldenGirl
Pop Star Yazmin Goes toRehab
Divorce! The Reason Drew Harold Left: The Scandalous Tell-AllExposé!
My mind filters through the words, not paying much attention until my gaze lands on someone Iknow.
Three Ugly Guys’ Bassist Goes Down: His Exhibitionist KinkRevealed!
Oh, my God.Oh, my God!My breath catches in my throat as blood rushes to my face. The glossy black and white photo captures me clearly with my head tilted back in ecstasy. There are several of Sean, too. Our intimate parts are blurred out, but it’s clear to any adult what’s goingon.
“Jess, are you o—oh.” Deb’s gaze finds the magazine and I wish I could disappear. “Oh!”
“I-I . . .” I don’t even know what to say or how to explain what’s already shouted in bold print headlines. It’s embarrassing that thousands of complete strangers will see photographic evidence of the best sex of my life. Creepy that someone was watching to take those photos the entire time. But, hell, when I think of how Coy will react? I can’t breathe. I have to get to him before he seesthis.
“It’s okay, Jess. It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.” Deb deserts our shopping basket and tugs me outside to the car. She doesn’t say anything else, but her foot plays heavy on the gas and her hand bounces nervously on the gearshift.
There’s a chance Coy hasn’t seen this. That no one knows yet. It was a gossip rag, and Coy can’t stand those publications. But what about the rest of the band? What about Sean? I thought I’d screwed up before, but this . . . this is even worse. And when Coy finds out? When he sees for himself that I not only cheated on him, but that I lied? He won’t only want to kill Sean. He’ll punish me,too.
“Jess.” I glance over and notice Deb’s already pulled into the garage. I didn’t even realize she cut theengine.
“I have to get to himfirst.”
“I’m sorry your privacy was violated, but we’ll deal with this. It’ll be okay.” Her concern is for me, but she doesn’t know Coy like I do. None of this isokay.
“I need to talk to Coy.” I get out of the car and trudge into the house to meet my fate. It’s quiet on the main floor, and darker as dusk settles outside. They must still be practicing. That’s a good thing. I walk to the edge of the stairway that leads down to the studio, but before my foot hits the first step, my cell buzzes in my back pocket. It hardly ever rings, and when I pull it out Sean’s name scrolls across thescreen.
“Hey, Sean.” My nerves bubble with his reason for calling. He must haveheard.
“Hey, my flight just landed. I’m grabbing a ride and should be home within an hour. Any news aboutIz?”
Iz. Right. That’s why he’s calling. I walk toward the front entry where my voice won’t carry. “Oh, um. I was out with Deb most of the afternoon. I’m sorry, I should have tried to find out more.” I worry my bottom lip between my teeth at how selfish it was for me to leave at all when I should have been snoopingaround.
“That’s okay. We’ll figure it out when I get to the house.” His breath falls heavy in the line, and the cacophony of airport noises paints the background. “Jess?”
