Blank: A Novel by Zibby Owens

Author:Zibby Owens [Owens, Zibby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little A
Published: 2024-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-One

My Volvo screeched out of the hotel driveway, covering the valet outpost in dust. My life felt like it had been blown to bits, too many to pick up. I needed this book to succeed, and for that to happen, I needed Michael. But what to do about the contents of that envelope? I could barely look at it.

I called Gabriela on speaker and shut the windows so no one could hear.

“Is this my favorite author?”

“Gaby, oh my god, the smoking-hot CEO of my publishing company just hit on me.”

“Aunt Pippa! You’re on speaker with the boys.”

Crap. “Hi, boys! Love you guys! Gaby, can you please take me off speaker?”

“We’re driving to practices all over town,” she said. “Call you later? But sounds like the plot is thickening?” She laughed as I groaned and hung up. I tried Josie next, weaving through the palm trees up Canon Drive.

“You’ve reached Josie Gray. Please leave me a message.”

Damn it! “Emergency, call me back!”

Next, Kelly. Kelly had to answer. She was always near her phone.

“Kel?” She’d picked up, but I heard rustling noises. “Everything okay?”

“Just leaving yoga,” she said, out of breath.

“I thought you were just at DanceBody.”

“I was. Big workout day. How’d it go with your publisher?”

“Michael just propositioned me. He wants me to meet him tonight at a hotel. He gave me a key card like we were in some porno. But honestly, he is so hot and my body is on fire and I’ve never cheated but I’ve also never really had the opportunity. Oh my god. What do I do?”

“Pippa, have you ever actually watched porn?”

“What?! Well, no, not exactly, but . . .”

“I mean, I haven’t seen anyone give each other key cards. Like, ‘Oh yeah, give it to me . . . give me that . . . key card.’” She laughed.

“KELLY! Stop.”

She couldn’t stop laughing. I thought I heard someone else laughing next to her.

“Who are you with?”

“No one, no one. Okay, okay,” she said. “Are you going to do it?”

“Noooo. I don’t want to! But I also don’t want to jeopardize my book launch.”

“The launch of your pretend book?”

“Kelly, come on. Are you on my side or not?”

“I am! It’s just this kind of thing happens all the time. You’re acting like you’re the first person. Like the #MeToo movement wasn’t a thing.”

“Well, it hasn’t happened to me,” I said quietly. My eyes were welling up with tears. I started imagining what might happen if I went through with it. What if my kids found out? In my haze of infatuation before we got married, I’d been fooled by Ethan. What we had wasn’t a happy, fulfilling marriage. I’d had enough relationships to at least know what I wanted in one—and this wasn’t it. What now? Should I take the opportunity in front of me? But no. Just because I didn’t have the relationship I wanted didn’t mean I had to overlook my values.

“Maybe you should go? Have some fun?” Kelly said. “You wouldn’t be the first to cheat.

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