Page 7 of The Princess and the Nerd

Chapter 4

Willow

My tired eyes are burning from lack of sleep, and unable to handle even the faintest, first rays of morning sun. I squint and drag the blankets back over my face, feeling a bit cramped up from falling asleep on the couch. Dez is sleeping on the other side of the sofa where I am, lying on her side with her legs folded up, wearing pink fuzzy socks on her feet. It was a long night at work, and an even longer night after work, taking care of our heartbroken Robbie.

Drinks were had. Many, many drinks.

Bottles and lipstick-stained glasses are scattered around the coffee table, and it feels a bit like college. I’ll clean it up later.

When my phone rings, I groan at the piercing sound that seems to echo inside my head like a freight train. Dez also makes whimpering noises of complaint. Who could be calling me at this ungodly hour?

Fumbling around for my phone, just to stop the shrill, infernal cacophony of beeping, I peel one eye open to check the caller ID:

Annoying Brother

No. I am not in the mood to deal with Ash right now. I silence the call and put my phone away, pulling the blankets back over my head.

But it starts ringing immediately.Again.

What could be so important? I sit up and smash the answer button.

"WHAT?"I nearly shout into the phone.

"Good morning to you, too, my beloved little sister," Ash responds cheerfully. "I forgot what an angel you are at sunrise. How I've missed your pleasant demeanor."

He sounds way too chipper and sarcastic. Something must be going on.

I frown, rubbing my head. "What’s up? Why would you call me at the very buttcrack of dawn?"

"Because, my sweet little Will, I have a very important question to ask you."

"Spit it out," I grumble.

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Ash!”I snap.

"How does it feel to officially become the new fuck up of the family?"

The question causes my blood to run cold. Almost instantly, I sit up straight and the blanket falls off my torso. "What are you talking about?” I ask hoarsely. “What could I possibly have done that would compete with you accidentally pouring hot sauce into a woman's vagina and nearly destroying the family business?"

"Ouch. Thank you for the reminder of my failings—it's not like Father and Mother aren't shoving the scandal in my face every five minutes and forcing me to jump through hoops to atone for my sins. Anyway, somehow, you may have actually gotten worse press than the hot sauce."

"What the hell did I do?" I ask again, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I didn't stick anyone's dick in a jar of hot sauce, so there's no way I'm more interesting to the tabloids than you are."

"Ha, ha. It seems like you could actually use a little hot sauce over there, sis. Just take a look at the headlines. I'll give you a minute to process this—maybe spend some time screaming at the top of your lungs. Maybe run around your house tearing out your hair. Maybe pop open a bottle of whiskey. Right now, you gotta do whatever you gotta do to get past this. And when you're done reacting, call me back and I will set you up with my PR team to help you manage this crisis."

"PR team?" I whisper in response. "How bad could it be?"

"You'll see. Love you, girlie. Say hello to Dez and Robbers for me."

When Ash hangs up, I sit here frowning for a moment, frozen with fear and anxiety. I glance over at Dez who is still peacefully sleeping in her fuzzy socks, and Robbie who is curled up in the armchair. They've always helped me and supported me through all of my goals and challenges. We almost designed our careers around each other, so that we could work in the same industry, and eventually open a business together.

I have given all my effort to this dream of ours—I can't let them down. I refuse to let them down, when they have also given everything. All their time and energy and passion.

Heading to the internet browser on my phone, I type in the name of my restaurant. The first few hits cause my eyes to go wide. This is not good.

RACIST WINTERGREEN PRINCESS SERVES UP DISAPPOINTMENT AND DISCRIMINATION AT HER IDYLLIC RESTAURAUNT IN THE VERMONT MOUNTAINS

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