“Oh,” I say weakly. “Hello, Mother.”

“Is it true? Are you out of your thoughts?” My mom huffs and continues earlier than I can give you a solution to any of these questions. “I all the time knew there was extra to you and that different Hicks boy, however I by no means thought you’d expose your self like this.”

“Mother, I—”

“Don’t interrupt me, younger girl.” I can inform she’s been working her approach as much as this. She barely stops for breath. “Previous Mrs. Daniels stopped me in the course of the grocery store—the grocery store, for God’s sake—to ask me about my daughter’s whoring. Do you’ve got any thought how humiliating that was?”

“It’s not whoring,” I handle, cracking open the toilet stall door a fraction so I can control the door. Shana will likely be barging in right here any second now, or one of many different women from the ground, to see why I’ve been in right here so lengthy. They’ll determine it out that I’m avoiding them, however nothing I can do about it proper now.

“Don’t you dare make jokes,” says my mom. She sounds genuinely shaken beneath all her bluster. In all of the situations I’d imagined, once I pictured telling her about how I’d fallen in love with two males, it by no means as soon as occurred to me that it could upset her this a lot.

“I’m not joking,” I say.

“Is it true?” she asks once more. This time she waits for me to reply.

“Which half?” I’ve to watch out right here. The write-up Evie despatched me made it clear that each one three of us had been concerned. That’s going to be an issue for lots of people.

“Any of it,” says Mother, seething. I’m not making an attempt to make her angrier, however she gained’t care about that proper now.

“Sure.”

Mother takes a deep breath.

“Which half?”

“Just about all of it,” I admit. “Though, that image was taken lengthy earlier than—”

“I don’t need to hear it,” she says, slicing me off. “I don’t need to hear any of it. You’re embarrassing your self, Bailey, in the event you suppose to proceed on this approach. It’s a superb factor they’ve already filmed that tv present. I can’t think about they’d let you keep on in spite of everything this.”

I attempt to communicate once more, to defend Drew and Cooper and myself, to elucidate. However she’s not having it.

“Name me whenever you’ve come to your senses.” With that, my mom hangs up on me.

I’m nonetheless watching my telephone a second later when Shana lastly pops her head within the door.

“All the pieces okay in right here, Bailey?”

I swallow arduous to get the lump out of my throat earlier than I can reply.

“Yep. Be proper there,” I say. My voice sounds hoarse. Shana’s expression is closed, displaying not one of the glee I used to be anticipating to see. She hesitates earlier than talking once more.

“Mr. Heckman is on the lookout for you. I’m purported to let you know to fulfill him in his workplace.”

I shut my eyes, letting my head fall again so the tears don’t spill over. My final day is tomorrow. I’m so near being performed right here.

Dry it up, lady. Maintain it down. You may deal with this.

Mr. Heckman has spent most of my closing days on the financial institution pretending I don’t exist. Or like I’m already gone. He’s not happy that I handed in my resignation somewhat than fall in line like he anticipated. It made me unhappy in spite of everything these years of working properly collectively, however I can’t actually blame him for it.

I make my option to his workplace, protecting my head excessive.

“Ms. Ross,” he says, pointing to the chair in entrance of his desk. The expression on his face is that of somebody required to sift by way of a dumpster; his distaste is obvious.

“No, thanks,” I say quietly. “Mr. Heckman, I would like to go away early at present.”

He seems to be up at me sharply.

“I nonetheless have unused sick days,” I add. “However there’s a… private matter I must attend to. I really want to get dwelling.”

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