Page 10 (1/2)
Chapter One
JADA’S WORLD HAD TILTED ON its axis In a e fiasco was resolved to finding herself embroiled in a nail compared to an amputated arm
It was no wonder she sat half-stupefied, hardly hearing Agatha and Sasha arguing nearby, unable to respond to Marina ouldn’t quit patting her hand and asking if she was okay Of course Jada wasn’t okay What kind of silly question was that?
It wasn’t every day you were falsely outed to millions of people as aashe could hardly say it even to herselfa bisexual bigamist Seriously? Who came up with that crap?
Even if this ot cleared up so out of the rooht only be an accountant, but she understood that few people cared about getting the story straight; they only reh not to be forgotten anytime soon
She’d probably already lost her job Even if she were allowed to return to work eventually, she shuddered at how her coworkers would treat her She pictured walking into the office and everyone either avoiding her and whispering behind her back, or uised as jokes
Maybe it would be best, after all, if she lost her job But then she’d have to find a new one, and there weren’t ers Glen, and none as successful as Talleyrand, Dilling, Stifferton and Associates It wouldn’t be any different wherever she went Not for the Bisexual Bigamist
It was ridiculous The absurdity struck her and a laugh forced its way out, sounding like a cross between a cough and a bleating goat
Marina’s patting picked up pace “Are you okay? Jada, talk toan attack? If you’re having an attack, tell me, so I can call 911”
Another bizarre laugh burbled out of Jada She covered herback into focus
Agatha ranted to Sasha about how she expected booking cancellations to start rolling in at any moment Sasha had fallen silent and pored over her cell phone with the focus of a brain surgeon The tinny sound of CGTV announcer Piper’s voice trickled froh to discern the actual words, a s witch hunt was beyond Jada’s comprehension
Marina lightly smacked Jada’s cheek
“What the—?” Jada whirled on her sister
“Sorry But you were unresponsive I thought you were in shock”
“Who died and made you Nurse Ratched? I can’t believe you hit me”
“It was only a pat A tap Hardly anything”
Jada’s outrage faltered She didn’t have the energy to lecture her sister She slumped “Whatever It doesn’t matter I’m doomed”
“You are not doomed,” Marina insisted in an overly-perky voice “Ian and Sullivan will take care of everything You’ll see”
“And Trey, too,” Agatha chi CGTV “That boy always looks after Sasha He always does He’s a powerful man, I tell you Gets it done”
Marina cocked an eyebrow “If you say so, Ags” She whispered so only Jada could hear, “Maybe he can help, but only if he can tear hi a total tool”
Jada brushed Agatha’s and Marina’s words aside with a wave “Yes, yes, the ”
“That’s right,” Marina and Agatha said in unison
Sasha snorted, glancing up fro around, weak and helpless while the big strongWhat’s happened to women, anyway? Guess it’s left to us lesbians to wave the wos to a bunch of dudes who can’t even hit the toilet when they pee So sad”
Agatha sniffed and her nose went up in disdain “You are delusional if you think I’ve ever done that The buck stops with Agatha Isn’t that alhat I say? The buck stops with e, I make the decisions”
She ranted on while Marina reacted to Sasha’s indictment
“That’s not true, Sasha I’d never do that,” Marina said “I’uys at ho think I should only write human interest stories and social news And anyway, I don’t see you hopping up to fix any of this mess”
Already bored with conversation, Sasha shrugged and returned to her phone
Jada’s cheeks and neck burned froht about what Sasha had said Is that what Jada was doing? And was that why it was so difficult to have faith that the situation would be solved? Jada was used to helping herself, not relying on someone else to do it for her
Her inner fire burned brighter and the top of her head tingled What had she been thinking? What had she been doing?
She popped up, out of her chair, drawing everyone’s attention She looked at each one in turn, stopping on Sasha
She pointed at the disinterested superht It’s time for oing toshot”
Sasha nodded once, fir the view” She waggled an e
yebrow
Marina stood up beside Jada “I’m with you, too Except, I have to tell you that was a crazy string of ether therebaseball then football then basketball, orfor with—”
“Whatever,” Agatha broke in “I’h to knohen to let the best person for the job handle it And don’t take this personally, Mrs Buckley, but you can’t even properly ”
Sasha looked s, Jada is Mrs Buckley-Briore to you now”
Agatha’s features broke into a hundred pieces, shattered by horror She sputtered, but nothing intelligible came out
Marina bit back a laugh while Jada ignored them all She had work to do, and she couldn’t stand around all day debating metaphors and what her married names were today
It was tiet to work
“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU mean you don’t knohat happened?” Ian held the phone in a vice-like grip “It’s your job to knohat happened It was your job to ain”
Sullivan sat across from his desk and nodded approval Trey paced the office, his hand on his chin, deep in contemplation
“I’m sorry, Sir,” ca man named Zeke “I-I did what I was told to do I-I was at the courthouse not long after it opened I asked thee licenses that had been filed in the last week The clerk said she c-couldn’t find anything I called in to the office and told M-Ms Johnson what I learned That’s it That’s all I know”
Ian wanted to stranglesoh That would be unfair Too bad “Fine That’s all” He ended the call before he terrified Zeke into a stroke
Sullivan started to speak, but Ian held up a finger so he’d wait
Ian called Cathy Johnson, his assistant
She answered immediately “Yes, Sir Was Zeke any help?”
“He was not,” Ian said “I don’t see how this got screwed up What particularly disturbs me is that he wasn’t at the courthouse when the doors opened thisWhy was that, exactly? I told you I wanted so there when the courthouse opened”
“I’ traffic on the way out of town”