Page 116 of Gilt

When the tub is nearly full, I turn off the tap. I’m about to get in when there’s a knock on the bathroom door. I wrap my towel around me. Jameson wouldn’t bother to knock, especially if there was a possibility of catching a glimpse of the goods. I expect to see Evelyn on the other side of the door, but it’s Monroe. “I brought you this.”

She offers me a glass of water before she opens her palm to reveal a small blue pill.

“Umm.” I hesitate. I’m not exactly in the habit of taking drugs from strangers, not that Monroe is a stranger, exactly. She’s something worse: an enemy. Although, in the last few days, she seems to be heading into neutral territory.

“Xanax,” she assures me. “I overheard what Mackey had to say.”

“You can’t tell anyone...” I say in a rush.

There’s a struggle in her crystal blue eyes, but after a moment, she says, “I’m not going to, Emma. I know you didn’t do it.”

I want to ask her how she knows and where her sudden suspicious faith has come from. Instead, I take the pill from her and pop it into my mouth.

“Try to relax,” she advises me. “Jameson is already on the phone with the lawyers.”

I swallow a gulp of water and hand her the glass. “Thank you.”

It’s hard for me to get it out, and, judging by the way she flinches, it’s hard for her to accept my gratitude. Which is why I can’t let this go.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” I ask her.

She shrugs. “You’re a guest, and well...I get the impression you’re not going anywhere.”

“I’m not,” I warn her.

“Then I guess we have to get used to each other.” It’s a mediocre truce at best. One we’ve been forced into rather than chosen on our own, but it’s a start.

“Need anything else?” she asks. I shake my head no, still too dumbfounded by her sudden generous spirit.

The Wests certainly know how to surprise you, I think as I sink into the bathtub.

“It’s a good thing,” I say to myself, even as I wonder what curve ball they’ll throw at me next.

“I don’t understand why her parents don’t take care of this.”

I freeze outside the kitchen, waiting for Monroe to say more. I expect Jameson to defend me, but it’s his mother who comes to my rescue.

“Not every family has the resources to cope with a scandal of this magnitude.”

Scandal. I’m a scandal. And they’re sitting around trying to figure out how to handle me.

“Her stepfather has money,” Monroe points out.

“I won’t allow it,” Jameson informs them. There’s a finality in his tone that leaves no room for questioning.

This impromptu family meeting is none of my business—except that it’s obvious they’re talking about me.

Jameson continues, finally shifting the topic away from his ill-begotten girlfriend. “I spoke with Richard yesterday. A number of new suits have been filed against the corporation.”

“Fucking vultures.” Monroe doesn’t mince words.

“Watch your language,” her mother chastises her.

“It’s true,” Monroe defends herself. “A man is dead, so why not try to bleed his assets dry.”

“What can we do about it?” Evelyn asks. “Or do we do anything?”

“It could destroy most of our holdings,” Jameson advises her.