Page 41 of As They Are
“Wren!” someone yelled as the front door opened.
“Mollie? What’s wrong?”
“Oh,whew.I haven’t run the full field before.” She doubled over. “This is really humbling.”
“Is everything okay? Do you need something?”
“Me? No, I’m good. This is more for you.”
She turned her phone around and showed me a Google search.
It was of Jude.
I gasped. He was making headlines for kissing another woman.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!”
“Curse word!” Eric said.
“Sorry.” I winced. “But the sentiment still stands. How big is the news?”
She bit her lip. “Pretty big. It’s only a matter of time before the Facebook group sees this.”
“What Facebook group?”
“The town one. Sometimes it’s used for useful things. Most of the time it’s for gossip. And this is definitely that.”
Horror dawned on me, making my cheeks hot. “They’ll all think I got cheated on?”
“At least they’ll be on your side.”
“Oh myGod.Of all the things he could do, he didthis?And then got caught?”
“Is it time to murder? We can make what you said you found in the library true.”
“Isn’t that illegal?” Eric asked. Mollie shushed him.
I groaned, wondering how I was going to look anyone in the eye for the next few days after they all thought Jude was seeing someone else.
Then my phone rang.
“It’s Madison,” I muttered. “Probably calling to tell me the news.”
“Glad I got to you first.” She let out a long breath. “Good luck.”
I was walking into the guest room and shutting the door as I heard Mollie exclaim, “Whoa, look at this marble run! This is so cool!”
I wished I was out there with them, not hitting answer on my phone.
“Glad I caught you.” Madison sounded harried. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but?—”
“Jude was pictured kissing”—I looked at my phone—“a hotel heiress.”
The pinnacle of femininity. Just what he wanted.
“So you saw.”
“I did.”
