Chapter 23
PENELOPE
Shortly after leaving the school, my phone began ringing off the hook. Francesca was the first call, and it only upset me more. Jameson didn’t even have the decency to call me himself. He had his PR agent make the call.
I let the first three calls ring out. Over the following week, I let the next thirty-four ring out, as well. She was texting and FaceTiming. On day nine, I finally picked up, and what I saw worried me.
“Penelope, please listen to me! Don’t believe any of it!”
Shaking my head, I put my car in park and sit outside my apartment building. “Francesca, I read it. It seems to be on point.”
“No! It’s not. You have to understand how these magazines work. They’re looking for any bit of drama to twist and create a story.”
“Actually, Francesca, I don’t have to understand any of it. His quote was enough to let me know everything I need to. I was a means to an end. He looked good for the ball, and I’m sure Candy Cane Key made a lot of money from donors that night.”
“Penelope, wait. About that quote. He was talking to me at the time. I know what he said and how he said it.”
My breath catches in my chest. “So, it is true? Wow! I mean, when we said we’d always give each other the truth, I guess I really got what I asked for.”
“No, this was before he even left for New York. We had just found out about you. I was asking a lot of questions, and he set me straight. Someone must have overheard the wrong thing and put it together.”
“He still characterized me, which is what’s been happening my whole life.
I thought he was different. I thought he loved those quirks about me.
I’m not like you, Chess. I’m not beautiful and graceful.
I’ve been made fun of my whole life, and at twenty-seven years old, I feel like I’ve just been shoved back into middle school again.
Even my students were calling me an escort today. ”
She’s silent, and her face falls. “Penelope, listen to me. Jameson is in love with you. And I’m sorry if he hasn’t said it first, and you had to hear it from me, but you need to know. Do not throw this away. He is a mess without you.”
“Seems like he’s doing fine. He’s Super Bowl-bound and getting lots of exposure and deals out of this.”
“You know he doesn’t want any of that.”
I do know that. I know Jameson wants to be in a quiet town with kids in the front yard and five acres in the backyard.
“Well, for now, this is what he wants, and he’s getting it. Tell him good luck, and I hope his ring fits.”