“I love you, my dirty little princess.”
I rush out the door and hurry down the hall. I have no idea how I’m going to make it through this meeting because no matter what they’re discussing tonight, all I’m going to hear are the four little words in Chase’s beautiful voice.I love you, Renate.
“Ms. Silva!”
Shit. Mr. Miley. I went from starving to blissed out to pissed off real fast in the last hour and I’m over this roller coaster. Miley strolls up to the door with a smile that’s way too big on his face. He never comes to these things, not even when they were during school hours.
“Lovelyto see you here tonight.” He looks me up and down, licking his lips. Pervert. “Interesting choice of attire for a parent’s meeting, don’t you think?”
I check the shirt for anything vulgar, remembering it belongs to Chase. Lucky for me, it’s just the logo for Devin’s hockey team. “Yeah, I made a mess of dinner tonight. Ruined my whole outfit. I had to borrow the shirt from a friend.”
“Lucky friend.” He pulls an envelope out of his jacket pocket and hands it to me. “A friend of mine asked me to give you this. Make sure you look it over before tomorrow’s meeting.”
“Meeting? What are you talking about?”
“After school, Ms. Silva. Now, run along and tell the parents I said hello.”
He shoves me in the room before closing the door behind me with a wave. I hold the envelope tight, wondering what’s inside. But I don’t have time to look at it now since all eyes are on me and these parents are ready to get this meeting started.
CHAPTER31
SOMETHING IN THE WAY
NIRVANA
By LA standards,this bar is dead. But there are still enough people around that will react if I make a loud scene that Lawson won’t be too happy about. I’ve ordered a drink and I’ve been sipping it for ten minutes while I wait, checking my phone and trying to calm my nerves. The waiter must be bored with the afternoon crowd, since he’s come by three times already asking if I want more chips and salsa. I’ve texted both Dani and Marta, telling them where I am and who I’m meeting, not that I expect it going that far south, but I felt better knowing someone else knew.
I also told Chase’s PI, Mills. Better safe than sorry.
This morning when I left for work, I told Chase I was meeting someone and would be home a little later. I hated lying to him, but even Mills said it would be better to see the whole angle Lawson tries to work before we send Chase off the deep end. I have my own reasons, too. They might be immature and foolish reasons that come from watching too much TV, but that’s gotten me through the last few years of my life, so why change now?
I’m flipping through social media when a file drops onto the table. Without a word, Lawson slides into the seat across from me and flags down the waiter.
“Gimme a scotch, and refill whatever fruity shit she’s drinking.” His gruff tone appalls me, and he never looks up to acknowledge the server. Hell, he’s still doing the absolute least to acknowledge me, and I’m the one he’s meeting with.
“Whiskey, and I hope you don’t expect me to pay for any of that.”
“Yeah, that’s right. You’re a teacher at one of those half-baked inner city hood schools, right? That’s what the rags are saying, anyhow. What have you got on Cooper? Or do you suck so hard I should be making you an offer to get under the table for a demonstration?”
“Wow, we’re done here already.” I go to stand up and he holds up his hands.
“Fine, fine. Learn to take a joke. Whatever.” He taps the folder with one of his meaty fingers. If someone told me this sorry excuse for a man had paid for elective surgery to replace his blood with a mixture of cheap hair dye and even cheaper cologne, I’d believe them. He’s the epitome of a slimy salesman and I guarantee he’s faced sexual harassment charges. “Before you run out on me, though, you should take a look at this. It’s the other half of what my buddy delivered to you yesterday.”
I put my purse back on the seat next to me and pull the file over while I stare at him. I find a contract with my name on it. I continue to flip through and find more pictures and documents like the ones Miley gave me last night, but instead of being Chase’s life before we met, it’s mine. Wedding photos, hospital bills, Luis’s arrest history. I glare up at him over my glasses with an eyebrow raised. “What the fuck? Where the hell did you get these?”
“Oh, just a few items some little birdy dropped into my lap. Tweet fuckin’ tweet.”
“This is…” I flip through again as fire fills my veins. “That’s fucking blackmail.”
“You know, for a teacher, you got one hell of a mouth on you. First off, we do this shit all the time, so don’t think you’re some big deal, sweet cheeks. It’s straightforward. You break up with Chase. I don’t care how.” His gold rings flash in the dim lights of the bar as he waves his hands around. He’s trying to sound and look like some kind of 1970s New York crime boss, but it’s all cheap crap. He’s a used car dealer at best. “Anyway, you break up, badda bing badda boom, you get a hundred thousand dollars in your bank account. Oh, and Chase keeps his cushy Hollywood lifestyle without having to deal with how the papers are going to tear you to shreds like they did his last girlfriend. Fuck, for an attractive guy, he has terrible taste.”
“Fuck you, I’m not?—”
“Whoa there, before you get too carried away, listen to what I’m saying here. That kind of cash money could buy you a bigger house, so your mom isn’t sleeping in a closet with no doors. Help your sister get that apartment she’s been eyeing. You could go back to school, finish up that degree you never got to start or something. Hell, I’ll even put in a word for you with the big tech guys. You just gotta stop seeing Chase. You’ve barely been together for what? A week?”
“How do you know about any of that?”
“Oh, I have sources. Two of ‘em, in fact. My little bird friend, and the other one? Bit of a snake if you ask me, but he don’t bite when I flash the cash.” He grins, pushing up his tinted glasses. I wonder if he knows everyone can tell they’re bifocals. “I mean, you could say no if you’re that kind of bitch. You’re welcome to stay with him if your heart is set on those big blue eyes of his. I’m sure he can find another life somewhere, because he’ll lose everything when I’m done with him. He’ll be that guy people used to know, the ‘What ever happened to him’ guy. You know what I’m talking about.”
