But Paige was done with this conversation. She always obsessively emailed everything to two separate email addresses every time she updated anything she was working on so she knew the information was safe as houses but she was dammed if she was going to let him know that right now.
He could stew for a bit.
Snatching up her laptop and phone, she said, ‘I’m leaving.’
Clearly still too stunned by watching the last six weeks of his work disappear into the ether, Oliver didn’t comment. He didn’t yell or even try to stop her. He just watched her stony-faced, his hands shoved in his pockets, his jaw clenched tight.
He hated her right now – she was pretty sure. And that feeling of triumph had been remarkably short-lived. But she hadn’t done it to make either of them feel good. She’d done it to make a point. And now it had been made, it was time to go.
With everything ready by the door, all she had to do was walk out which was exactly what she did, steel in her spine and fire in her blood.
Her heart crumbling into thousands of tiny pieces.
17
Paige messaged the WhatsApp group on the plane. Not that she said anything about being on a plane of course because Bella didn’t know she was on her way to New York. She’d filled them in on the tabloid pictures and they’d all been suitably outraged at the scurrilous reporting and bandied about suggestions for possible solutions, but Paige insisted that doing nothing and flying under the radar was still her best option.
She’d also told them she and Oliver had fought although she hadn’t gone into the nitty-gritty except for the deleting his book bit. Then, deciding if she was in for a penny, she might as well be in for a pound, she also fessed up to falling in love with him. She didn’t want any more secrets – not with these women, anyway.
They’dallbeen very sympathetic which had been wonderful and which she’d needed but wasn’t entirely sure she’d deserved given how badly she’d botched the payback plan by falling for the guy she was supposed to be taking down. It had helped that Bella had pointed out that she’d not exactly stuck to the script with her plans either but there wasn’t any real equivalence here – onlyPaigehad truly let the side down.
Astrid, normally the most outrageous of the lot of them, had been strangely quiet during that part of the messaging but Paige figured she was preoccupied with her disguise plans for the party tonight so Chase wouldn’t know she was there.
As good as unburdening in the group had been, it had been even better to get to Astrid’s uncle’s ritzy apartment on Central Park West two hours before they were due at the party. Finally, for the first time – for Paige, anyway – since that fateful meeting in O’Hare in December, she had been able to sink into a group hug that meant more than Sienna and Astrid could ever know.
Yes, she’d screwed up. Yes, Oliver hated her. But these women had her back.
Which was exactly how she felt a little over two hours later striding fashionably late and pre-charged into the Nayak Gallery to have Bella’s back. Even if she was slightly trepidatious about seeing her face to face. Talking via message and over the phone wasn’t the same as having to look Bella – whosebastardex she’d fallen in love with – in the eye.
But here went nothing…
The space buzzed with the mingle of dozens of voices, the art looking as spectacular on the walls as the glamorous crowd milling around to view it. They sipped on champagne as they pointed and conversed like they knew what they were looking at and it pleased them very much. Every single one of them was dressed with the kind of flair Paige had always thought of as veryNew York.
Which meant Astrid in her ginormous black hat and dark sunglasses, didn’t look that out of place at all. Paige had queried whether the hat would have the opposite effect but she had to admit the floppy brim did hide Astrid’s face most effectively even if it had nearly taken Paige’s eye out several times in the cab on their trip to the gallery.
Sienna and her, both in sparkly cocktail numbers, certainly lookedlessNew York in comparison although suddenly none of that mattered as a shocked Bella walking towards them, champagne glass in hand exclaimed, ‘Oh my God, what are you guys doing here?’
Paige felt a thunk to her chest seeing Bella again and a sudden shyness rendered it difficult to meet her friend’s eye. Thankfully that was subsumed by Sienna’s excitement as she announced, ‘We came to surprise you!’
But it didn’t last long as tears welled in Bella’s eyes and an overpowering flood of concern swept away any awkwardness Paige was feeling.
‘Bella?’ Sienna’s eyebrows rose. ‘Are you okay?’
Bella nodded but it was far too vigorous to be believed. Astrid certainly didn’t as she stepped in to gather Bella into a tight hug. Paige, who had rescued Bella’s full champagne glass while swerving to avoid potential blinding-by-hat-brim, glanced at Sienna.
‘I’m good, I’m good,’ Bella promised as she shrugged out of the hug, no trace of moisture in her eyes now.
‘Okay,’ Paige murmured but wasn’t so sure. Was it just the stress of the opening event or had something happened? With Chase? Or was Bella perhaps not as okay with the whole Oliver thing as she’d made out? Offering the champagne glass back, she said, ‘You look like you could do with this.’
Hell, she could do with one herself.
‘Oh Paige.’ Bella ignored the drink and grabbed Paige into a hug. Sienna rescued the glass this time. ‘It’ssogood to see you,’ she whispered fiercely. ‘And I’m so happy for you and Olly.’ She released Paige and earnestly sought her gaze. ‘We would have made a terrible mistake if we’d got married that day.’
Astrid, clearly aware of the private nature of the conversation between Paige and Bella, herded them all over to a quiet corner of the gallery.
‘I think…’ Bella continued, ‘I was looking for the full stop on what I thought I should be doing. I think we both were, really. But he was always more a friend to me than anything else.’
‘Are you sure?’ Paige hadn’t realised how much she’d needed this. Tohearit as she looked Bella in the eye andseethe truth.
