Page 105 of Fling

‘Oh my God. I’m a meme!’ Tara sighed. ‘This is a complete and utter disaster!’

‘Tara, going viral is a good thing. You’ve literally stolen my dream of becoming an internet celebrity. And it proves you’re a good marketer because your clients will definitely see you know how to get something trending,’ Emily said, seeing the positive side.

‘Are people still calling Colin a feminist icon?’

‘I mean, he did punch the face of modern misogyny. That comment Dick made about you wanting a hand up your dress? I would have punched him too. But it was so much hotter seeing Colin do it. I heard he’s single now. Do you think I have a shot?’ Emily teased.

‘Don’t even think about it,’ Tara laughed as she handed Emily back her phone. She had seen enough memes of herself for one day.

‘Didn’t it turn you on just a little bit to see Colin defend your honour?’ Emily pried.

‘Of course it did,’ Tara admitted. ‘But he did it for the wrong reason, Emily. He wasn’t trying to defend my honour, he was trying to publicly expose me having an affair. Now if Jack was the one who punched Dick, that would be a different story. But the way it all went down makes me so mad.’

‘You’re not mad at me for writing “dick appointment” in your calendar, are you? I mean, how was I supposed to know that my actions would have consequences? That’s not the way the world works,’ Emily said.

‘No, I’m not mad at you,’ Tara sighed. ‘I’m just dreading the slagging I’m going to get from the Lads when I go back to work on Monday. My career is practically over.’

‘Tara, I think you’ve got them all wrong. They’ve been asking me how you’ve been doing, non-stop. They were horrified at what Dick said in the video. I think they were being genuine when they tried to come with you to the pitch meeting,’ Emily said.

‘Ugh, you’re right. They weren’t trying to take credit. They were just trying to protect me,’ Tara said, realizing she had misjudged them. She thought about the events that led up to Colin punching Dick and saw she had nobody to blame but herself. ‘You know what? This entire situation is my fault. It’s karma. I should have just let them do the pitch alone. This entire series of events started because I tried to take the account off them. All I wanted was to prove I wasn’t a Mary and now I’m all over the internet. I’m literally the new Mary!’

‘I love that journey for you,’ Emily laughed. ‘Well, if it makes you feel any better, at least you’re not the number one trending topic any more.’

‘Oh yeah, what knocked me off the spot?’ Tara asked.

‘The number one hashtag at the moment is #YummyMummy. Everyone is talking about that influencer Celine Loftus.’

‘Ugh, she’s my neighbour. Everyone in Hillcrest worships the ground she walks on. Don’t tell me the rest of the country is obsessed with her now too,’ Tara said, horrified at the idea.

‘No, quite the opposite. A journalist went undercover as a Yummy Mummy and just published an article exposing the business as a pyramid scheme. Everyone is demanding that Celine give them their money back. She’s losing all her followers. Look,’ Emily said, handing her the phone. Tara’s face lit up as she looked at all the comments.

Celine needs to answer for her years of FRAUD. Give back the money you scammed or else! one comment read. Celine has made millions robbing women in plain sight. OFF WITH HER HEAD! read another.

Tara felt like crying tears of joy. She had been right all along. It was the most euphoric sense of relief she had ever experienced.

‘Emily, you have no idea how happy that news makes me. I always had a hunch Celine was rotten to the core but everyone made me out to be crazy! You literally just made my day,’ Tara said, relaxing back in her chair.

‘All done,’ Suzanne said, as she finished Tara’s pedicure. ‘You’re getting your hair done as well, is that right?’

‘Thank you so much, Suzanne. Yes, I am,’ Tara said, getting up.

‘Perfect, just take a seat on one of the salon chairs and Oscar will be over in a few minutes,’ Suzanne said.

Tara and Emily went over to the hairdressing section of the salon and took their seats.

‘So if Jack shows up, what are you two going to do after the pier?’ Emily asked, suggestively.

‘I haven’t planned that far ahead to be honest. I’m just going to follow my intuition. I know it’s crazy, but these past few weeks the universe has been pointing me away from Colin and towards Jack. My whole life has crumbled around me and it all started with Fling. I have to believe it’s all happened for a reason. I have to listen to my gut.’

‘I still think it’s just IBS,’ Emily joked.

‘Have you never felt as if you were destined to meet someone?’

‘Well, it’s funny you should say that actually, because I recently met someone special and I’m meeting him later today,’ Emily said, clearly smitten.

‘Emily, that’s wonderful! I knew there was someone out there for you somewhere! Well, spit it out! Who is it?’ Tara demanded.

‘Your husband’s friend Rory,’ Emily said as if she was bragging.

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