“Uh, juice? Coffee? Tea?”
“Stephanie,” she sighs. “I’ve heard something.
Something very strange.”
I unconsciously grasp the counter. “What’s that?”
“About you and another woman. I’ve heard that you
took a friend to a hotel. That you…that you were seen there
being friendly with her. Holding hands. That you kissed her.”
Suddenly I feel so dizzy that I’m glad I’m gripping the
counter. Who saw me? Who told my mom? I guess that
doesn’t really matter. I was going to have to tell my parents. I
was going to have to tell someone. My stomach is spinning
and now I’m sure my house was picked up and is being spun
frantically like a top. My fingers curl so hard into the granite
that my nails ache. I should have told them. I didn’t want them
to find out from someone else.
“It’s just gossip. Strange rumors because people like to
talk about people who have money. I’m sure none of it’s true. I
just wanted you to be aware that someone said something. It’s
not the first time. People love scandal. They always need
something to talk about. We’ve always been very private about
our lives and most people don’t care about us because we sell
tires. We’re not in movies, we don’t make music, we aren’t
designers. We’re normal people. I’ve always wanted that to be
true. I never wanted to be famous and the company’s success
was what was important, not the money. Your dad had to have
the house. You know that. He enjoys his sports cars. He
deserved it. Those are his passions. He likes to treat me. Treat
you and your brother to nice things and good vacations. He
wants to give us that life because he loves us. But you know
that we try to be as normal as everyone else. That we didn’t