Nailed - Opal Carew Page 0,26
Oh, God.”
River’s cheeks flushed hotly
“Oh, Kane. That’s…” Then there was a whimpering sound.
River stared at Gloria in horror. “Where did you get that?”
“Several friends e-mailed it to me.”
“Oh, God.” River felt as if she was going to be sick.
The recording—which had clearly been edited to showcase the highlights of her humiliation—went on, but at some point, all River could hear was the sound of blood rushing to her ears. She felt like she might pass out.
“There’s a part where you tell him you learned your awesome blow job skills from your roommate, who’s been with a lot of guys.” Gloria flicked off the phone, glaring at her. “Thanks a lot for dragging my name into the mud with yours. If you come back in the fall, do me a favor and get another roommate.”
Gloria stomped off to her room and all River could do was sink onto the couch in total shock. If she didn’t come back here in the fall, she’d lose her scholarship but … how could she possibly come back?
Her heart ached. But worse, how could she possibly be on the same campus as Kane Winters after he’d deceived her and then betrayed her so cruelly?
Present
River stashed her purse in her locker, and stared at her reflection in the mirror on the locker door. God, she looked like crap. She hadn’t slept well.
She sighed, knowing she might as well get used to that with having to work in the evenings to get her new business off the ground. But last night, she’d been reliving the memory of Kane’s betrayal. And grieving the fact that she’d had to turn down the opportunity to have her nail polish carried in such a prestigious boutique as Rapture. That would have made her brand elite and in high demand.
Actually, getting into any store would be fabulous. Most indie brands she knew of sold online.
But she couldn’t become partners with Kane. Not after what he’d done.
She walked onto the floor and said hi to the other girls working today. The pace was steady during her shift, and slowed late in the afternoon.
As River finished with a customer, Louise walked over to her.
“River, come into the office,” she said.
River followed her through the door at the back of the store and into the office. Louise sat down at the desk.
“I’m sorry but I’m going to have to let you go.”
“What?” River stared at her, her stomach clenching. “I don’t understand.”
“You’ve received a couple of warnings.”
“About the nail polish I wear?” She glanced at her nails. She’d used Seafoam today. Nothing fancy, just three coats—no extra design—and a top coat. No chips.
“Not just that. You haven’t been supportive of the store programs and don’t even seem to try. And, quite frankly, I know you’re starting your own business and I really want people working here who are serious about staying. There are lots of people looking for a job who will be happy to work here and gladly follow the rules.”
River did her best to tamp down the anger surging through her. “Louise, I am supportive of the store’s programs and I’ll do better.”
“I’m sorry. Today is your last day. I’ve already scheduled people into your shifts.”
River just stared at her in shock.
“Your shift is over,” Louise said, her gaze cold, “so get your stuff from your locker and go.”
* * *
“Oh, God, I don’t know what to do.” River stared at Tia across the table in the coffee shop.
“You have that money from your Kickstarter campaign. Can’t you use that to live on until you get a new job?”
“No, I’ve already spent it on the business.”
She had hoped to secure a lot of new clients from the people who’d donated to Kickstarter, but all the bottles of polish were going to Kane. She’d used all the profits to buy enough materials to make even more polish to put up for sale and she planned to send a lot out to beauty bloggers and YouTube stars who did fashion and makeup tutorials in hopes they’d talk up her brand.
“Also, I’ve spent some money on a Web site design so I can start selling online.”
She’d also paid for ads on some high-traffic blogs. It all cost money and she’d seriously dipped into her savings, too.
“So you’ll start bringing money in soon,” Tia said hopefully.
“Not enough to live on. And it’ll take time to build sales … if I get any at all.”
Tia patted her hand. “Don’t think like that. You’re going to do great. I