A California Christmas (Silver Springs #7) - Brenda Novak Page 0,31
“You want him to be the one who’s talking.”
“True.” Once she typed the words and sent the message, she could tell Ethan was writing back. “He’s on right now,” she told Dallas.
The smooth, tanned skin of Dallas’s arm touched hers as he scooted over to see for himself.
She read:
Is there any chance we can get together and talk? I feel like things got so out of control there in the end.
She knew Dallas had read it, too, when he said, “It’s working.”
Emery wrote:
I saw you on TV. You got your job back, huh?
Dallas nodded. “Yeah, lead him there. That should be good.”
I went in and pled my case to Heidi. You could do the same. I’ll put in a good word for you.
“After getting me fired he’s trying to play the hero?” she muttered. “Unbelievable.”
“Bastard,” Dallas concurred.
I doubt it will help. There has to be a scapegoat, right? Some casualty to appease viewers who were angered by that video. So if the station has already rehired you, they can’t rehire me.
Her phone started to buzz while they were waiting for Ethan’s response. “He’s calling!” she announced, and came to her feet.
Dallas jumped off the bed, too. “Wait. Don’t answer it yet.”
“I don’t know if I dare answer it at all,” she said. “What if I can’t fake being nice?”
“You have to. He’ll find out about the suit soon. This could be your only chance.” Dallas grabbed his phone from where it was charging on the nightstand. “Remember, just let him do most of the talking. I’ll record the whole thing.”
“No, I got it. I downloaded an app that will allow me to record an incoming call—but I have to answer it first.” After taking a deep breath, she hit Talk. “Hello?”
“It’s me.”
“I know,” she said, and put him on speaker while searching for the IntCall app she’d installed, hoping for this opportunity.
“Are you okay?” Ethan asked when she didn’t speak right away.
His tone was conciliatory, beseeching. She decided he was a much better actor than she was, because he couldn’t really care about her. “Barely,” she admitted. She figured there was no reason to pretend when it came to that. He had to know what a devastating blow he’d dealt her.
“I can’t believe everything that’s happened,” he said as though he’d somehow been a victim, too.
She had the recording going. Giving Dallas a little nod to let him know, she breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s been crazy,” she said into the phone, fighting to get those three words—such a gross understatement—through a throat that was already threatening to close off with anger and frustration.
She hoped she wasn’t about to burst into tears; it suddenly felt like it.
“We should never have let it come to this,” he said.
Let it come to this? We? He’d caused it! Or was he saying—you should never have left me. Let this be a lesson to you. “I never saw it coming,” she admitted.
“That Tommy would load that video... It’s unconscionable. I still can’t believe it.”
Her mouth dropped open and her gaze jerked to Dallas. There was no way Tommy had filmed them and put that video on the internet. She liked Tommy and knew Tommy liked her. It was Ethan who’d done it. But he was determined to pass the blame. “Why would Tommy do it?” she asked.
“I tried to tell you before. He was pissed at me. You know I asked him to move out, right?”
Only because he was anxious for her to move in. But once they’d broken up, he didn’t need Tommy to move out. At that point, the problem had been solved. So even if Tommy were the type to do something vengeful, he wouldn’t do it once he knew he could stay, would he?
Before she could respond, Ethan said, “I think he has a thing for me, if you want the truth.”
“A thing for you?” She’d thought Ethan couldn’t surprise her any more than he had, but this proved her wrong. She’d never seen any sign of interest from Tommy and she’d never heard Ethan make such an assertion before.
“He’s gay, you know. I think he was jealous of you the whole time, and this was his way of getting you out of the picture.”
But Tommy had a boyfriend. They seemed content with each other. And she’d already stepped out of the picture by the time that video was loaded.
Ethan’s story wasn’t making sense, but he was doing his best to sell it.