nice to her face but talked about her behind her back—the kind of friend who was jealous of any success she had and would be relieved, almost eager, to see trouble come her way.
At first, Emery hoped that Sidney hadn’t heard about Ethan, the sex video and her subsequent firing from the news station. But with the way social media worked, she knew that wasn’t realistic. It took only one person from her old high school to hear the news and share it, and then everyone would know. And surely there’d been at least one person who was privy to her downfall. Something this juicy spread fast.
“Just shopping for Christmas.” Emery conjured her best imitation of a smile, hoping it would mask her nervousness and insecurity. “What are you doing here? Do you live in Santa Barbara these days?”
“I do. My aunt owns this store, and since I was tired of small town life and was talking about moving closer to the coast, she asked me to help out with it until after the holidays.”
“What will you do then?” Emery asked, trying to keep the focus off herself for as long as possible.
“I’m an interior designer—have a BFA from the Pratt Institute in New York City.”
Emery wasn’t familiar with the Pratt Institute, but Sidney was so proud of having gone there it had to be something special.
“I’ll be starting my own business after the first of the year,” she added.
“That’s wonderful,” Emery said. “I’m happy to see that things are going well for you.” She indicated the chocolates in the glass showcase. “I was just hoping to order a box of candy for my mother.”
“Of course. What kind would you like?” Sidney asked, but the moment she finished packing Emery’s chocolates and had wrapped the box in Christmas paper and put a pretty bow on top, she said, “So...do you still live in LA, or did you leave because of...you know?”
Sure enough, she knew—and she couldn’t resist putting Emery on the spot.
“I still live in LA, but I’m staying in Silver Springs for a few weeks, what with the holidays and all.” Emery didn’t add that her parents were no longer there, or that she’d have to move away from LA eventually, because she couldn’t bear the thought of returning.
Sidney lowered her voice. “It must be hard.”
“Why would it be hard?” Dallas had been moving along the display case. He acted as though he was going to order a box, too—and maybe he was—but Emery knew he’d also been monitoring the conversation.
Sidney’s eyes lifted to his. “Is this...your new boyfriend?” she guessed.
Emery didn’t have a chance to respond before Dallas spoke again.
“No, but I’d like to be,” he said. “You saw that video, right? Damn, it was hot! Any man would be lucky to have her.”
Sidney’s jaw dropped. In one fell swoop, Dallas had removed her power. He’d tackled the situation head-on, as if Emery didn’t have anything to hide or feel awkward or embarrassed about, and that left Sidney with nowhere to go. “I...I guess,” she stuttered.
Dallas took his time choosing a box of chocolates for Aiyana. Then he insisted Emery sit with him at one of the little tables in the shop, where they ordered a hot chocolate and sipped it slowly, proving they were as comfortable as could be.
“Enough already. I’m dying to get out of here,” Emery whispered once Sidney was busy helping some other patrons who’d wandered in.
Dallas checked his watch. “We’ll leave as soon as she’s available, so that we can say goodbye.”
“I didn’t even want to say hello,” Emery grumbled.
He laughed loudly as though she’d just made a great joke and they were having a grand time together. Then he lowered his voice. “You can’t dictate how most people will react to you. But you have to remain in charge, can’t give them the power to hurt you—or they will.”
Her attorney had suggested she hire a PR company to handle the debacle. If she hadn’t lost her job on top of everything else, she would’ve taken that recommendation. Now she could see why a PR company might be important. With a little strategy, she could spin what’d happened in a more favorable light and outmaneuver her detractors. They didn’t have to know she was dying inside.
The customers Sidney had just helped were walking out the door when Sidney glanced over. Surprisingly, there was no hint of the smugness in her expression that had been there when she mentioned LA. She seemed almost jealous