So line-crossing it is.
He said he wanted to see me play dirty.
This is as dirty as I can go and still live with myself.
I do it at Laney’s house while Jitter waits for me outside so that my neighbors won’t have any chance of overhearing me through the walls. Laney and Theo are elsewhere, so I have the house to myself aside from their litter of kittens.
Then Jitter and I head home, where I fix myself an afternoon pour-over coffee, turn on the Razzle Dazzle channel for comforting background noise—it’s showing a movie that Laney, Emma, and I have seen so much, I can recite it by heart—and I text her.
It’s done.
Laney
HUGS, my friend. Go well?
Better than expected.
Laney
Good!
Maybe?
Laney
You think he’ll find out?
Definitely. The question is HOW SOON he’ll find out. If the café isn’t shut down with a massive SABRINA SULLIVAN IS THE BIGGEST LINE-CROSSING ASSHOLE IN THE UNIVERSE sign spray-painted in the windows by the end of the week, we’ll have half our answer.
Laney
When did you hang up?
Twenty minutes ago.
Laney
You’re not fired yet?
Nope.
Laney
Then I’m trusting your instincts that this was the right step. What’s next?
Waiting to hear. I’ll keep you updated.
Laney
You okay?
No.
Laney
Does it help if I remind you that your complicated feelings and hesitation in doing this mean you’re a good person without a lot of other options to protect something you love that serves a massive purpose in our community?
You are entirely too loyal.
Laney
Nope. Just completely correct in my convictions.
Have you seen Emma this week?
Laney
frowny emoji No, and Theo thinks she might be sleeping at her office.
He’s seen her?
Laney
Briefly.
This is bad.
Laney
He’s been taking her breakfast to make sure she eats, and she keeps telling him she has a lot of work to catch up on.
I’ll take her a pretzel from Sir Pretzelot tomorrow afternoon.
Laney
Good idea. She’s definitely working tomorrow. I had chicken wings delivered to her for dinner, and Theo told me her dad and uncle are checking in on her regularly too. And I know at least three of her clients have brought her giant food baskets.
I…didn’t hear that. OH MY GOD. No one’s talking to me about Emma AT ALL except for you. Are they tiptoeing around me? Do they think I’m awful?
Laney
NO. No. Stop. Deep breath. No one thinks you’re awful. They think you have enough on your plate right now.
No one has ever kept me in the dark like this. I haven’t heard a single WHISPER about Emma in the café. Not about anything since the wedding and the video. They only ask me how she is. They don’t tell me how she’s doing.
Laney
I’m coming over.
I’ll go see my mom.
Laney
I’ll meet you at her place.
I’m trying really hard to tell you not to worry about me and I can’t make myself say it. I don’t fall apart, Laney. Why am I falling apart?
Laney
Because shit’s fucking tough right now.
I love sweary Laney, in case you didn’t know. Sweary Laney is a bright spot in my day.
Laney
Apparently I’ve had a few special words bottled up for a while now. Feels good to let them out.
And I’m sure Theo rewards your efforts appropriately.
Laney
I wasn’t going to rub it in. Are you staying home or going to your mom’s?
I’m going to Mom’s.
Laney
Meet you there.
I’ll pick you up. Theo’s bad side is the last place I can afford to be right now.
Laney
I won’t let him be mad at you.
I sincerely don’t know what I did to deserve you.
Laney
YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON, SABRINA SULLIVAN. That’s what you did. Don’t let having to fight hard for what should’ve been yours in the first place make you doubt that.
You spelled “dirty” wrong.
Laney
You’re not fighting dirty. You’re fighting hard. And you’re not alone, no matter what you have to do. HE could solve this by finding a different way to get revenge on Chandler, and we don’t even know what Chandler did to him. This is not your fault and you’re doing what you need to do.
Stop. You’re making my eyeballs leak. Sit tight. I’m coming to get you and then Mom and I’m treating you both to dinner. No arguments. I have to balance out my karma in the universe.