13
Florence
I knock on Josie's door, unsure of myself for the first time in a long time. When's the last time I felt anxious about seeing someone? When's the last time I cared what someone else thought?
The door opens.
"Hey, come on in," Josie says, heading back into the kitchen. "I hope you like eggplant lasagna." She sprinkles a layer of cheese on top and slides it into the oven. "About half an hour. Sit." She motions toward the table. "Marin fed you enough to tide you over, right?"
"Not for long. It was mostly rabbit food." I wait for her to sit down, but she turns back to the fridge and pulls out a bunch of asparagus.
"You could have just come over to my place. We could have ordered something." She doesn't need to go to this much trouble.
She looks up. "Mel, Renna, and Tilly are coming over for dinner. I suppose Marin didn't tell you that part, did she?"
"We need to discuss our situation. We need to do something public—as soon as possible."
"What did he do now?" She turns back to wash and chop the asparagus.
"Remember Jason? The one I'm flexible with for his family?"
"We saw them at Trattoría's on Friday. Of course."
"Woodhouse—the one who started all this—made a comment to him implying that he—Jason—is sleeping with me to curry favors." I bite my lip. "He implied that he—Woodhouse—was sleeping with me, too."
"Everyone's getting laid except me." She rolls her eyes. "Sorry. Not to make light of it." She sighs. "Obviously, none of that's true."
"My EA overheard the conversation. Both she and Jason reported it to HR, but even whispers like that can damage my reputation."
"And the hospital's." She nods. "It's too late for tonight, but we can do something tomorrow. I have labs until eight, but after. Do you have any ideas for something high-profile enough?"
I shake my head. "Not really. Late evening on a weeknight? Nothing comes to mind."
"We'll ask the others when they get here."
"We can't tell them." I frown. "The more people who know, the more likely—"
"Florence, stop." She straightens and looks at me. "I'm not lying to my friends." Her sigh is loud, frustrated. "They'll keep their mouths shut. I have to explain you anyway, and they'll be one hundred percent behind you once they know."
"I don't want—"
"Stop, Florence," she cuts me off. "These are my friends. I trust them. If they don't know, they'll ask too many questions and undermine everything. Stop being so Type A and get over yourself."
She shakes her head and turns back to the prep on the counter. "Renna and Tilly are younger. They'll probably have better ideas with the social media stuff than we would, anyway."
"Knock, knock." A tall redhead sticks her head inside. "Jos? It's just me." She closes the door behind her. "I brought some st—" She stops mid-sentence, frowning at me. Her eyes flick toward the kitchen, and she whistles in relief when she sees Josie. "Shit. I thought I was in the wrong place for a minute." She presses her free hand to her chest. "You scared the fuck out of me. Who are you?"
Josie bursts into laughter. "Tilly, meet Florence. Florence, Tilly. Doctor Gorden."
She shakes her head. "Just Tilly. I'm only a doctor at work. Here, it's just Tilly." She glances at Josie. "Who the hell is she? I didn't know we were having a party."
I stand. "I'm Florence Pietra, Dr. Gorden." I extend my hand.
She frowns, glances at Josie, shifts a six-pack to her other hand, and gives me a quick handshake. "Florence. Nice to meet you…?" There's a confused annoyance to her tone.
Josie takes the six-pack and sticks it in the fridge. "She's here for dinner. She's a friend of mine. I invited her, so be nice."
I raise an eyebrow at Josie. This woman does not fit the picture I had in my mind of her friends. I thought they would be less… mouthy.
"How was work?" Josie asks Tilly.
"Same shit, different day." The redhead shrugs. "I don't get these sports types. Why push your body past what the good Lord created it for?"
"They're called athletes. They push themselves to the limit just like you do. You just do it in a different way."
Tilly grins. "Yeah, I use my head." She taps her temple with her index finger. She eyeballs me for a split second before winking.
"That's debatable," Josie says.
"What's debatable?" asks one of the two women coming through the door.
"That Tilly uses her brain." Josie laughs. She dries her hands and comes to greet them, pulling the shorter woman into a hug before turning to the taller one. "You look tired. You okay?" Her voice softens, almost tender. She pulls her into a long hug, lingering, until the first woman tugs on her partner's arm.
Oh. That must be Mel—the one Josie's in love with. The ease between them makes me wonder if Mel has lingering feelings for Josie, too.
"She uses her brains on a selective basis," the younger one teases, winking at Tilly. This must be Renna. She turns to me. "And you are…"
She freezes. Squints at me, then looks back at Josie. "What the hell is Florence Pietra doing here?"
Josie sighs. "Be nice. I'll explain." She pulls the asparagus off the stove. "Mel, sit down. Get off your feet. Renna, Tilly—set the table. For five, obviously." She glances at me. "You—keep your mouth shut for now. Please."
I stand. "I didn't realize you had company coming. I can call you later to discuss things."
"Discuss what things?" Renna blocks my path.
Tilly steps in behind her, placing her hands on Renna's hips and resting her chin on her shoulder. "Josie said to be nice," she says softly. "Let Ms. Pietra sit, darling. We'll set the table, and once the food is ready, I'm sure Dr. Mueller will let us know why she's invited a traitor to our table." She uses her grip on Renna's waist to get her moving again.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
Josie steps in front of me and puts her hand on my chest. "Sit down, Florence." She leaves no room for argument. "You trust me. Remember?"
I meet her eyes for a long moment then sit, glancing around at these four women. I get the impression that the dynamics between them are… complicated. But I trust Josie.
A few minutes later, dinner's on the table. Everyone looks expectantly at Josie.
Mel's the first one to break the silence. She looks at Josie. "Explain."
She takes a deep breath and releases it. "First of all, the rumors you've seen aren't true." She looks at Renna. "Not that it should be anyone's business if they were."
"That's not true, and you know it," Mel counters. "It's the reputation of the whole med school if she's sleeping with top management."
"She's sitting right here," I say icily, "and as Josephine said, it's not true."
Josie cuts me off. "He came on to her. When she let him down gently, he decided to start spreading lies."
The other three women at the table go silent.
I cover her hand with mine. "It's my story." I take a deep breath. "When he pushed, I told him I had a fiancée—that she was a private person." I stare down at my plate. "I shouldn't have lied. It just came out. It's always the easiest way to get men to back off when they won't take no for an answer."
"Ain't that the truth," Tilly mutters under her breath.
"I don't know how it became public knowledge—I've never come out publicly, and I rarely date. But it's never been something I've hidden, either. He had the gall to tell me I needed a man to take care of me," I say quietly. "I told him I'd have his balls on a silver platter if he ever talked to a woman like that again at Delmont University Hospital. I reported it. Then I thought it was over until my EA saw the rumors circulating on social media."
"Men can be assholes," Renna mutters.
"People can be assholes," Tilly points out.
Mel looks at Josie. "How did she end up here?"
Josie looks down at her hands. "I was on a dating app. Just looking for friends."
Renna's face falls. "We're still your friends, Josie," she says quietly. She glances at Mel.
"Renna, leave her be." Tilly gets defensive. "We're both thrilled for you that you've found each other, but it's hard." She looks at Josie. "Go on, darling."
Josie shakes her head. "I wasn't really looking for anything—more just flipping through to see if anyone caught my eye. Her profile didn't have a picture; it just said she was looking for companionship."
"I was vetting women to act as my fiancée at high-profile events, but it had to be someone I would enjoy being with. Josie and I hit it off."
"I'll say." Josie's face twists. "I walked out on you because you were rude to your assistant. I couldn't believe it when she called me back a few days later. She said I was living in your head rent-free," she directs a look at me, "and if anyone could realistically pull this off, it would be me."
I would laugh if it weren't true.
"Wait. Is this about the money?" Mel asks Josie. "Don't sell yourself to get the money, Jos. We'll figure something out."
"What money?" I ask, confused.
"There's no money involved," Josie says quickly. "I don't want her money." She gives the other three women a warning look.
What money?
Renna puts her hand on Mel's arm to stop her from saying something. "If what you said is true about the rumors, then you need to stop them." She looks at Josie. "You really want to get involved in this mess? It's your reputation, too."
Josie raises an eyebrow. "You think that coming out as a lesbian and being engaged to Ms. High-and-Mighty is going to ruin my reputation? How did that go for you last year when you came out to all your adoring fans?"
Tilly slams her beer on the table just loud enough for everyone to stop and look at her. She looks at me first. "This is not how things usually are with us. Well—me and my mouth, but not the rest of it." She looks at Mel, her voice gentle. "It's hard to let go when you've held onto someone so tightly for so long, isn't it? You're not going to lose her friendship when she finds someone. Whether it's this crackpot," she motions toward me, "or someone else—be happy for her that she's able to start moving forward."
She turns to Renna. "There's room enough for you and for Josie in Mel's life. Don't be that jealous person. I've known you for almost a decade, darling. That's not who you are. Just like there's room for both me and Mel in your life."
Renna's eyes drop to her plate.
Tilly turns to Josie angrily. "You." She takes a long swig of her beer and slams it down on the table again. "You do not disrespect Serenity Lee and her fanbase like that."
Josie raises an eyebrow at Tilly. "Are you done?" I can see the amusement dancing in her sparkling blue eyes.
Tilly leans back in her chair, her arms across her chest. "For now." She turns her gaze back to me. "Is there a specific reason why you're here tonight? Josie didn't mention you before, which means she didn't realize you'd be here. Did something else happen with this dipshit of yours?"
I glance at Josie. I'm still not convinced that I can trust these women. I'm less convinced now than I was an hour ago.
Tilly rolls her eyes. "You can trust us. If you're going to be faking things with Josie, you're going to have to trust the three of us anyway. Just spill it."
Josie jumps in. "Her CFO handed in his resignation earlier this year because he wanted to prioritize his family. His oldest daughter is in gymnastics," she glances at Renna, "and his other three are still young, but they're also in sports. Flor decided it was better for business to work with him and be a little flexible with his hours to keep him on board."
"You're calling her Flor now?" Mel raises an eyebrow.
"He's not getting out of work," I point out. "When he leaves early, he puts in the hours later from home."
Josie rolls her eyes. "Like I said. You're being flexible. Anyway." She sighs loudly. "Woodhouse, the one who's spreading rumors online, approached him and asked if he was getting special treatment from her, too."
Three pairs of eyes turn to me. "None of them are getting special treatment. I suppose you could argue that Jason's getting special treatment with the flexible hours, but I went through HR to approve that, and it's the best thing for the business. Besides, I would never tread on someone else's partner—married or not, and I wouldn't touch Woodhouse with a ten-foot pole. He's slimy."
"Would you touch him if he weren't slimy?" Tilly asks suggestively.
I'm taken aback by the comment. "He's not exactly my type," I say wryly, "but even if he were, he's my employee. That would be unethical, illegal, and immoral. So no." The thought is offensive. "Is that what you think of me?"
Mel and Renna wisely keep their mouths shut. Tilly doesn't. "You're paying someone to be your fake fiancée. Are you going to fire me if I disagree with that?"
"Whether you disagree with me or not, as long as you do your job, you have nothing to worry about." I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
"Does that go the same for dipshit? As long as he does his job, he can disrespect you and your reputation?" she asks.
I count to ten, slowly, then count backwards to zero. "You can disagree with me as long as you do it in a respectful way." I happen to agree with her. I don't like the situation I put myself in, either. It was a knee-jerk reaction when I felt cornered. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, but… "What Mr. Woodhouse did is against federal and state sexual harassment laws, in addition to being against company policy. I could sue him for libel. I may well do that in the future, but my immediate concern is putting a stop to the rumors circulating online."
"Good luck with that, sister." Tilly grimaces. "Once something is out on the internet, it's there for perpetuity."
"My assistant Marin said you can't take things down. I don't know how any of that stuff works."
Renna's eyes pop out of her head. "How old are you?"
Josie catches my eye. She bites her lip to stop from laughing. "She's ancient. Don't you know it's rude to ask a woman her age?"
"I'm busy, and I have better things to do with my time than waste it on social media," I counter. "Wait." I look at Josie. "Is Renna the one you said might be able to help with that?" I turn to her. "You know how social media works?"
"Yes, I know how social media works." Renna laughs.
"We need to do something in public. The sooner the better—hopefully where people on social media will see us."
"Nobody would even recognize you," Mel says, looking at me. "For goodness sake, you're the head of my company and I wouldn't have recognized you." She turns to Renna. "How did you recognize her?"
"She's been the talk of Delmont PRIDE's Insta for more than a week. There are a lot of people who were disappointed to see you with a man," she tells me.
"I'm not with him. Although I don't know why it matters to people who don't even know me."
Renna scoffs. "Are you kidding? Gay kids everywhere look up to you. You're a symbol of hope and possibility for a group of people who have always felt unseen and unrepresented. You being in the position you're in—it's a win for women everywhere, and for queer kids."
I shake my head. "I worked my ass off."
Josie puts a hand on my arm. "Florence, people look up to you for what you've accomplished. Own it. Be proud of it. You did it despite being a lesbian."
"What does being a lesbian have to do with running a hospital? Lesbians can do anything a straight man can do," I argue.
"Most of us can do it better." Tilly laughs, loudly smacking her beer bottle on the table again. "So what's the plan," she asks, "to shut down this dipshit's BS online?"
Everyone looks at Renna. "Do you have a big social media following?" she asks.
I shake my head. "I don't know what that means. I only follow things relevant to my job, and Gwen usually sorts through that for me."
Mel snorts. "The four of us should go out for dinner tomorrow and have Serenity post it an hour before we go. Plenty of people will be there with their cameras out."
Renna's brow furrows. "I'll need to talk to the AD and see if we can get some muscle if we're going to do something so public."
"The AD?" I ask.
"The Athletic Director. Since I'm not officially part of the team, it's not technically their responsibility anymore, but I still do photo shoots and media for the department on a regular basis. After a stalker situation my senior year, my agent convinced me to insist on a protection clause. It's standard in all the work I do with the University Athletic Department now."
"I don't want to put you in danger." I frown. How was this going on here without my knowledge?
"It's unlikely anything would happen, but it's worth the department coughing up fifty bucks on the rare occasion I post my whereabouts publicly. I have five million followers. Plus, there's half a million followers of Delmont PRIDE, and I'll tag them. That's mostly where you're being talked about."
"Can we be specific in who we target to know about it beforehand?" Mel asks.
Renna grins. "Friday. I have a plan."