CHAPTER 25
Sonnie
I sat across from Rosie on one of Price’s massive couches and stared out the wall-to-wall windows behind her. There was a pool just outside the sliding doors and a huge lake beyond that. Forest surrounded the lake and it made the house feel private and safe. I’d seen pictures of resorts that weren’t as nice. Or as large. Drake’s house was normal, well, only slightly larger than normal. Price’s house was hardly a house. It was more like a compound. There was a large fence with a security guard sitting by the gate to let you in. There was a massive barn and a guest house, too. I’d never been somewhere so nice and I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with myself.
Rosie cleared her throat. “How rich are they?”
I frowned. “It’s not polite to ask.”
“I’m not asking them. I’m asking you. Do you even know who you’re dating?” She watched Monster stroll through the living room on his way upstairs. “I can’t believe Monster likes Price so much. It’s weird, right?”
“It’s beyond weird. I’ve never seen Monster so comfortable in a new place, either. He looks like he’s finally made it.” I thought about the first part of her question. “I know the guys are wealthy. Drake’s house looked almost normal last night, but this is…a lot. I need to get ready for work, but I don’t want to mess up anything. I feel a little worried just sitting on this couch.”
“I heard them talking.” She shrugged. “They don’t think you can go to work tonight.”
I frowned and reached for my phone. “Why the hell not?”
“They think people will be there waiting on you.” She watched me like she was trying to gauge what would finally break me. “I guess you’re pretty popular right now.”
I stood up and started pacing. I couldn’t skip work. Why hadn’t they said anything to me? I could’ve called Jerry and talked to him about it. I could’ve asked someone to cover me if they were all that worried. “I should call.”
“Whatever. Call Gia, too. She texted me to check on you.”
I let myself out the back and walked past the pool to sit on the small ledge overlooking the lake. It was stunning and I imagined myself enjoying the view without the stress of my life. It would’ve probably been pretty great. I called Jerry first, worried about how the bar would fair if I couldn’t make it in.
“Jerry’s. We’ve got beer! How can I help you? And if you’re calling to ask about Sonnie Morgan, I can’t help you. She doesn’t work here anymore.”
I gasped. “Jerry?! What the hell?”
He groaned. “Oh, thank god. You’re not really fired, kid. I just can’t answer one more question about you right now. We’re drowning here.”
“I’ll come in early to help.”
“Oh, no. I’m sorry, Sonnie, but you’re a liability right now. We’ve got a crowd of people four deep right now and we can barely do much more than survive. If you show your suddenly famous face, the fire marshal is likely to show up and shut me down.” He yelled at someone in the background. “I’ve gotta go, Sonnie! Call me when things settle down!”
I stared down at my phone and felt tears fill my eyes. I’d lost my job. Before I called Gia back, I looked at my website and openly sobbed when I read through dozens of orders that were just digs at me. No one actually wanted a cake or cupcakes. No one wanted anything more than to laugh at me.
When Gia answered her phone, she heard me crying and made soothing sounds. “Aw, Sonnie, it’s okay. You’re okay, girl. You’re strong and you’re built out of tougher stuff than whatever’s getting to you right now.”
I tried to smile through my tears but it was useless. “Gia, Jerry fired me! This whole thing is a mess. Jerry fired me and all of my orders online are just people insulting me. I don’t know what to do.”
She gasped. “That sonofabitch fired you? I’ll murder him with my bare hands!”
“And the people who placed orders saying they wanted cakes with vulgar messages about my body on them!”
“How many are we talking?”
“Dozens.” I hiccupped and wiped my eyes on the hem of my shirt. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I barely made ends meet as it was.”
“You know that you and Rosie are always welcome to come and live with me. I’ll be your sugar daddy.”
I snorted. “You know I’m not going to do that. I can’t take advantage of you. Plus, Rosie has been through enough without me uprooting her entire life. Not that I’m not already doing that. We had to leave the house. We’re…”
Gia laughed. “Where are you? I heard some of that interaction this morning before you hung up on me. Are you still with those Trio hotties?”
I sighed. “No.”
“Damn.”
“Because they had to go meet their publicist.” I groaned as she cheered. “We’re at Price’s house. It’s crazy, Gia. I so don’t belong here. I’m sitting by a pool that overlooks a lake.”
“God, I’m so jealous. I saw the pictures of the four of you and I was already miserably jealous of you, but now I have to hate you. I know this is unfortunate in a lot of ways but, wow ! You’re living my dream life. The way those men were looking at you, girl… Tell me how it was. Please. Tell me it was everything you thought sex should be.”
“It was better.” I wrapped my arm around my knees. “I don’t know where to go from there, though. Drake’s ex-wife is their manager. She definitely hates me. It was strange, G. Even in the midst of feeling like my life was falling apart, I felt jealous of her. That’s not a good sign. I never thought I was one of those women who stupidly falls for men after one night and morning of sex, but I like them and I hated her. How stupid is that?”
“You need to give yourself a break, Sonnie. You put too much pressure on yourself to do everything right. You’re doing the best you can with what you’ve got. You’ve been thrown a curve ball right now, but I know you and I know this won’t keep you down. Jerry will hire you back. He needs you. Your real customers will place more cake orders. You’ll be okay. Who knows? Maybe you found your men and they happen to be loaded and you’ll never have to work again.”
“God, you’re crazier than me.” The idea of the guys falling for me was beyond ridiculous. Especially after seeing Price’s home. They had everything. Why the hell would they want me? I couldn’t even keep a job as a bartender. “I know I’ll figure it out, but I’m just tired. People are being cruel and I hate it.”
“Want me to take off for a few days and come down?” She heard me start to protest and talked over me. “I have the vacation days built up. I could come see you and help you with whatever you need. You don’t have to do everything alone.”
I wiped the last of my tears away and sniffed. “I love you. I’ll be okay for now.”