“You’re the one shutting them out, and no one’s chanting I told you so.”
She sighs. “I know. I’m mishandling all of this. I need more time to pull myself together. I tried yoga, meditation, and whatnot to stop feeling like crap about myself. I’m one failed meditation away from trying voodoo.”
Pippa says this with a steady voice, but my stomach clenches nonetheless.
I choose my words carefully. “It’s okay to wallow for a while, Pippa.”
“The problem is I feel the ground slipping from underneath my feet. I’m not wallowing. I’m drowning.” For the first time, her voice wavers, and her eyes are glassy as she looks up at me. “I grew up with parents who loved each other to death and brothers who worshipped me. I felt safe. When I started dating, I felt like a sheep among wolves. I thought Terence was different. Turns out he was just better at pretending.”
I try to imagine how she must be feeling. Maybe because I grew up without a father, or I’m a natural pessimist, but I went into most of my relationships half expecting them to end badly. Even so, I was brokenhearted when they were over. I can’t imagine how a divorce feels to Pippa, who grew up watching her parents’ perfect marriage and probably took happily-ever-after as a given.
"It'll get better eventually,” I say. “But it'll suck badly for a long while before it does."
To my surprise, Pippa smiles. "That actually makes me feel better."
"Really?" I ask skeptically.
"Yeah. It sounds realistic, gives me something to look forward to.” Eyeing my half-eaten cupcake, she adds, “Are you finishing that?”
“No.”
With a grin, she draws my plate to her.
It’s early afternoon and we’re on our way to the beach when I notice a familiar face in the line to an ice-cream stand.
“Anna,” I exclaim, stopping dead in my tracks. Anna is my least favorite coworker. Though she’s older than I am, she came to the industry later on and has a
lower position, which frustrates her. She’s nosy and gossipy, and takes immense pleasure in seeing people going through difficult times. “What are you doing here?”
“Took a few days off, and my husband’s family lives here.” She swings her bushy red hair behind her shoulder. “I’m flying to New York on Monday. Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”
“Ah, sure, this is Pippa Bennett, Sebastian’s sister. Sebastian’s the CEO.” I speak very fast, almost babbling.
“You’re on a first-name basis with him,” Anna remarks, an unpleasant smile appearing on her face.
Pippa takes a step forward. “Everyone in the company is on a first-name basis.”
“Everyone also goes shopping with the CEO’s sister?” She eyes the bags in our hands. “That’s a cozy. . . enterprise.”
Welcome to the advertising industry, where everyone is out to get you. Maybe it’s like this in every industry, I don’t know, but if she takes her gossipy mouth to Dirk, I could be in trouble. He could become suspicious.
“Have you heard about Laney?” Anna asks, referring to one of our colleagues.
“No, haven’t had much time to check in with the other girls.”
“Dirk fired her.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, you know it was her third project with the real estate mogul in LA. Dirk found out she was actually sleeping with him.”
Next to me, Pippa stops in the act of searching for something in her bag. When Anna moves forward in the line, it takes me a few good seconds to order my numb feet to follow her. Anna’s not done. I can tell that by the hungry look in her eyes.
“It was a scandal at the office, since it hadn’t happened in forever. Young girls today, they are so tempted by the forbidden fruit. Lucky I’m married. No temptation for me.”
“Yeah, lucky you,” I murmur, hunching my shoulders as if a ton of bricks fell on them. “Is Laney okay?”
Anna shrugs. “Haven’t talked to her.”