Wait it out and hope I don’t wind up on the front cover of a tabloid?” I was fully aware of how paranoid I was, but that didn’t mean I could snap my fingers and break the spell that I’d been under ever since I was twelve years old.
“I suggest that you continue to take it day by day until there’s a good enough reason to let her go. Pulling away too early is more damaging than playing it by ear. Doing so, you run the risk of nothing happening yet losing her for good anyway. Sticking around at least gives you the chance to explore a relationship after this is all over. And that’s what you want, right?”
“Yeah,” I said quietly, almost to myself. “You’re right…like always.”
“That shouldn’t come as a surprise, really.” She laughed and took a glance around her front yard. Gesturing to the trays of potted plants and shrubs that still needed to be placed into the ground, she asked, “You’re really going to do all of this by tomorrow night?”
Jessa seriously underestimated how badly it bothered me to think of Tasha pretending to be engaged to Adam. “That’s the plan.”
“Well, then I guess I better make more lemonade, huh?”
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
With a smile, Jessa headed inside, leaving me alone to be haunted by my thoughts.
17
Tasha
I’d never suffered much from anxiety, yet right now, I could’ve used a handful of Xanax.
It was the grand opening of Seven, the newest high-end steakhouse on the outskirts of town, where the majority of the rich lived. Trent and Nicole Rigger were major investors, so they had invited us all—cameras included—to the soft opening. To make matters worse, all the ladies brought their husbands, which meant that Michael Yates, Jeannine’s husband, and the man my sister supposedly cheated on Adam with was here.
The part that struck me as odd, though, was how Michael only looked at me a couple of times, never longer than a glance. So either my sister was telling the truth when she said their affair was over, or she had told him what was going on. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tiff had informed him of everything; that was pretty much the only way to cover her tail. That also meant the affair was likely still going on.
I just wanted somewhere to hide until the event ended.
“I’m really shocked to see Adam here,” Shari said as she sidled up next to me along the far wall. Nothing about her gave me the impression that she was digging for information or trying to create drama. She genuinely seemed sincere in her observation. “I didn’t think he was interested in being on the show.”
I just smiled and regurgitated what Ty had told me to say. “He isn’t, but it was either come with me to this or be alone for most of the day. And he certainly didn’t come all the way to surprise me just to spend the time by himself.”
“Where’s he been?”
This question was a little more challenging, because I really wasn’t sure what Adam had been doing this whole time. While I assumed he’d spent a good amount of his time in Mexico with Tiff, I couldn’t very well tell them that, and I wasn’t entirely sure about the rest of his time. So I gave a one-shoulder shrug and played it off like it was no big deal. “Training mostly.”
“Is he excited for the new season?”
I figured a nod would suffice, so that’s what I gave her.
Thankfully, Adam came over, saving me from the innocent interrogation. I was thrilled at first, but that quickly faded when more and more of the group made their way to us. I’d chosen to stand against the far wall to keep away from the crowd; unfortunately, that didn’t work out so well for me. Before I knew it, Shari’s husband had joined us, followed by Lauren and her husband. Just as long as Jeannine and Michael stayed far away, I’d be fine.
While Adam wowed everyone with his tales from the field, I slipped away to get something to drink. So far, I’d managed to avoid alcohol while filming. Not that I wasn’t allowed or that anyone was worried I’d slip up if I became tipsy. Avoiding it had been my idea. Given a choice, I would’ve enjoyed an ale, but considering Tiffany was too good for beer, that option was off-limits. And while I didn’t mind liquor, it had a tendency to hit me harder,