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I cover my face. “Is it that noticeable?”
“Have you not looked in the mirror? Your eyes are completely red.”
“I have allergies.”
“It’s not hay fever red. It’s ‘I cried for ten minutes’ red.”
“It was only a couple of minutes.” I proceed to tell Ariel all that happened at the meeting.
“She took credit for the whole project?” Ariel practically shouts.
I nod. “I went back to look at the metadata of the file, and my name wasn’t even there. It was like I hadn’t worked on it at all. Mavis accused me of lying, said I had a permanent mark in my record and that I should ‘do better.’”
“That witch.”
My sense of fair play pushes me to say otherwise. “Usually she’s decent.”
Ariel harrumphs. “So decent that she would buy someone else’s lies and put a permanent mark in your personnel file without an investigation? Sounds like she’s the one that should do better.”
“You have a point. I like my job, though, and the market sucks, so what can I do except power forward and hope I get promoted so I don’t have to deal with Stacy, at least?”
“You won’t get promoted if Stacy keeps stealing your shit.”
I hate that Ariel is right. “Suggestions, then?”
My friend slumps. “I have none. Just criticisms.” She waves a hand. “Don’t pay any attention to my advice.” She perks up. “What about opening your own agency?”
“With what clients and what money?”
“You only need a few at first, and when you blow people away with your first campaign, there will be a line out the door. You’ll be turning them away. As for money, there’s your grandma’s condo.”
“I can’t sell that.” Even the thought makes my tummy hurt.
“But how are you going to convince the association that you can stay? Didn’t you say that they have to approve your ownership or they can force a sale?”
“Yeah, but I have a plan for that.” Ariel’s going to call me stupid if I tell her the truth, so for the first time in my life, I lie to my best friend. “I met someone. Online. And we like each other, so we’re getting married.”
Her jaw drops. She mouths something, but no sound comes out. I’ve truly shocked her. “You’ll like him. He’s gorgeous.” Too gorgeous to be going along with this crazy plan, which means he’s got an ulterior motive. I can’t figure out what it could be. “And smart.” There was something about how watchful he was, how he could take in the whole room in one glance and sum it up, that made him intimidating. Telling Ariel that I think his aura is good would make her think I had lost my mind. She already looks skeptical
“You’ve met someone. Online. And you ‘like’ each other”—she makes the scare quotes with her fingers—“enough to get married. I’m not going to say you’re lying because you’re my best friend, so I’m going to give you one opportunity to come clean.”
I spill my guts. “I messaged some guy named Rick about being my fake husband. He agreed to pretend to be my fiancé long enough for me to close on the condo. I’m paying him a grand.”
“A grand?” she shouts. Half the place turns to look at us. Ariel lowers her face and gestures for me to come close.
I shake my head. She’ll slap me if I get within arm’s length of her. “The condo is worth two million. This is a good investment.”
Chapter Six
CAL
“Calix! Calix Line!” A sharp voice hails me as I step out of the town car a half block down from where we are meeting. I had told Harlow that I was down on my luck and needed her money to see me through the month. Nothing about this half million dollar car says poverty.
Ignoring the voice, I lean down to speak to Trident. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to be picked up. I don’t know how long this will last.”
“I should really come inside with you. These co-op boards can be tough nuts, and I did all the research?—”
“I read it. You were very thorough. It reminded me why I hired you in the first place.”
