Page 38 of Love From the Ashes
“This is killing us, Sofie. Both of us. You look so devastated. We want to help. And Adam, he’s so sensitive, he’s pretty upset.”
“What do you want me to do? It’s not like I can change things.” I let out a long, deep breath, suddenly feeling tired.
“Change what? We don’t even know what happened, and you haven’t been the same for weeks.”
Adam returned to the table, looking annoyed. “The line at the counter was super long, and I didn’t want to wait. So I got us two premade roast beef and cheddar sandwiches.” He placed a tray in front of Della and then sat next to her with his.
“Reid has a girlfriend.” The words came shooting from my mouth.
“What?” Adam said, dropping the sandwich he was unwrapping.
“Come on, you’re joking, right?” Della leaned back in her chair and gave me an odd look. It was like she didn’t want to believe it but was shocked that it might be true. “Who told you this garbage?”
“Krista.”
“And you believed her?” Della said, her voice shrill. She shook her head at me. “Why would you believe a word from that witch’s mouth?”
“Because she had proof.” I pulled my phone from my purse and brought up the two pictures of Reid and Samantha Wilding that Krista had texted me. I handed my phone to Della. “She showed me one of those photos three weeks ago and then sent both of them to me last week when she saw me watching Reid at lunch. They’re from the internet.”
“Is that Samantha Wilding?” Della said, looking shocked.
“It is. The pictures were from Reid and Samantha’s little rendezvous in New York right before he and I spent the weekend with each other. According to the story in the tabloid, they were pretty cozy, and the journalist called Reid her beau.”
“But that was before you and Reid got together. You said so yourself. So, why is that an issue?” Della said.
“Because Reid lied to me when I asked if he was dating anyone. Plus, they’re still contacting each other. She called Reid when he came to talk to me the day I broke it off with him.”
“Oh, shit. Look at what the witch said in her text to Sofie.” Della handed my phone to Adam. She looked pissed.
Adam’s face flushed, his eyes darkening. “‘Remember you were only a toy to him. This is the woman in his bed and the one he wants. You’re not even in his class, so give it up.’ The goddamn bitch said this?”
Della and I jerked our heads toward Adam, his outburst highly unusual.
“Yes, that’s what she said. It’s her text. She must have gotten my phone number from Alice. I can’t think of any other way she’d get it. And that’s not all Krista said. She spewed a mouthful of demeaning things to me three weeks ago. It was the morning I was all upset at work and ended up going home an hour early.”
“I knew something happened that morning. I should have guessed it was Krista.” Della’s eyes were cold, and her face rigid.
“Oh, it was her, and she was in rare form that morning. I had come to work early, hoping to see Reid, and she caught me at my desk. She was angry and confronted me about what had happened at the club. Alice must have told her about my running off and Reid chasing me down. She even knew I’d gotten in his car with him. Then Krista was kind enough to tell me I was street trash from the shelter and didn’t belong in Reid’s social circle, saying I’d be an embarrassment to him if he knew. She also seemed to know personal information about me that Alice must have given her. And the witch got off telling me I was his play toy and meant nothing to him, saying he’d eventually dump me. I didn’t believe her until she showed me the picture on her phone.”
“Oh my God, Sofie. You need to report her to Mr. Kingsley. What she did is harassment, and she can’t gather information about you from your personnel file to use against you,” Della said, sounding aghast.
“What’s the point? It’s my word against hers, and this isn’t the first time she’s harassed me, either. She’s been doing it since I got hired. I don’t want to go to battle against a manager. I need my job and can’t afford to get fired. Besides, I don’t want to be labeled a rat. It’s fine. I can take care of myself.”
“That’s not being a rat,” Adam said defiantly. He leaned forward with his forearms on the table, the muscle in his jaw twitching. “It’s called defending yourself. And why would you get fired? You’ve done nothing wrong. She did. You have proof since she sent you that text.”
I was about to reemphasize that I couldn’t bring myself to tattle to human resources when I spotted Reid and some woman come out of the pizza restaurant across the courtyard. The woman turned, and I could see it was Samantha Wilding. I grabbed the edge of my chair, my stomach churning as I watched them. They chatted for a moment, and then they hugged.
“What are you looking at? Your face is as white as a ghost.” Della turned in her chair to look behind us. “Oh, shit. Is that Samantha Wilding?”
“Yes.” I could feel my eyes becoming moist as they pulled away from each other, and Reid kissed her cheek. “I need to go.” I stood as Reid turned, and we made eye contact. I felt suddenly nauseous, my breakfast ready to come up any second. I grabbed my belongings and briskly walked away, hearing Reid call my name from across the courtyard. Unable to face him and desperately needing the restroom, I bolted across the concrete. I rounded the corner and dodged into a coffee shop, beelining it to the toilet. I’d barely closed the door when my stomach relieved me of my breakfast. I leaned against the wall and wiped my mouth, feeling devastated. After cleaning myself up, I returned to the office, avoiding Adam, Della, and Reid.
I’d been back at my desk for almost an hour when it dawned on me I’d never seen Della return from lunch. I was contemplating what might have happened to her when the office door opened, and Mr. Kingsley approached my desk.
“Sofie, I need you to grab your belongings and come with me.”
I stared at Mr. Kingsley, my breath coming in rapid spurts, my pulse racing. Was I being fired? Suddenly confused, I retrieved my belongings and quietly followed Mr. Kingsley to the elevator as my head spun with conflicting thoughts. We took it to the second floor, and Mr. Kingsley led me to the administration office.
“You can go in. Ms. Morgan is waiting for you,” the receptionist said as Mr. Kingsley approached his counter.