Page 20 of One Bride for Three Single Dads

And then it starts to ring.

I haul myself off my bed. It is a four-poster monstrosity, just enormous. It has its own set of three steps so I can crawl on top of it. Getting out takes some doing.

“Hold your horses,” I tell my phone as I try to dismount my bed.

My brain is fuzzy from the bottle of red wine that I brought to bed with me last night. I was determined to forget my humiliation, and wine seemed like the best way to do that.

When I pass my mirror, I’m appalled to see what I look like. My lips are stained purple from the wine. My hair is all pushed to one side, and there are jagged sheet marks across my cheek.

No wonder they didn’t want to fuck me.

“‘lo?” I groan into the cell phone when I manage to get it up near my face.

“What the hell did you do?”

“Oh, good morning, Emily, how are you today?” I reply, since I don’t need to be super-duper polite to her anymore.

I am not on her sofa. I can be sarcastic if I want to. She is not the boss of me.

“Okay, I know that we have been friends for a long time,” she continues, her voice way too fast for me, “but you can’t stay here again, Jolene. You just can’t.”

“Um? Okay?” I reply slowly, wondering what the hell she’s talking about.

I replay last night in my mind. Did we have a conversation? Did I quit? Did I call her in a drunken state and confess my humiliation?

“I’m in a really good place in my life right now. You know what I’m saying? And I really need us to be friends, Jolene. It’s not you, it’s me…”

“Can you just slow down for a second?” I finally manage to say.

“I just needed to tell you how much I care about you,” she finishes.

I take a deep breath. While Jolene is reloading or whatever, I try to listen past my room. Is anybody awake yet?

Actually, it seems pretty early. I probably have a few minutes. I might be able to sneak out there and make myself a shot of espresso. That would wake me up.

“Why don’t you let me call you back…” I yawn. “I am just sort of waking up, and I—”

“What are you going to do?” she interrupts me.

“I think I might need to brush my teeth,” I shrug, running my tongue over the grimy surface of my front teeth.

They are probably purple too. I am quite a state. For my own sake, I need to pull myself back together and find my dignity, wherever I left it.

“Oh, ha ha ha!” she laughs mirthlessly. “I am so glad you can find this funny! Seriously, Jolene! What are you going to do?”

“Coffee?” I shrug helplessly, quickly losing patience. “Teeth first. But then definitely coffee?”

“No, I mean where are you going to live?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I finally blurt out rudely.

I hear her take a few deep breaths. I know she is grinding her teeth. She does that.

“Jolene. Did you or did you not get fired?”

My chest goes tight.

“Excuse me?”

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