"Thanks for the offer, but what will help is if you stay out of the picture," I tell Faye, stepping away.
"'Out of the picture'?" She pulls back in surprise and presses her lips together for a moment. "You'd honestly throw away our friendship over her?"
"If that's what it takes to win Ava back … She's the most important person in my life."
"She doesn't want you, Lucas. Look how she ran off without giving you a chance to explain."
What Faye's saying cuts deep, not just because it's true but because as far as Ava is concerned, what happened doesn't even warrant an explanation. And I can't blame her for coming to that conclusion, either.
"Well," she continues, "I'm not a fickle friend. I'll be waiting for you when you realize what you've just done. And unlike her, I will listen and we'll be friends again." Without waiting for a response, Faye climbs into her car and drives off.
I shove my hands through my hair. How in the hell am I going to end this nightmare? There has to be a way. Failure is simply not an option.
My phone vibrates. My heart jumps-maybe it's Ava. But no. It's Elizabeth.
I don't want to answer, but I can't ignore her either. She's the diplomat in the family, and if she's calling now, it's because she has information and a way to defuse the situation. "What is it, Elizabeth?"
"I guess you saw the news."
"Who hasn't?" My voice drips with sarcasm. "It's all over the fucking internet."
"We're going to have a conference call to figure out how to control the situation. We can't have it hanging out there like this, you know that."
"Damage control? Now?"
"Yes."
My molars grind together. It takes a great deal of effort to unclench my teeth. "The time to do something was before it leaked. To make sure that it didn't leak."
She sighs. "Sometimes things don't work out the way you want, and you just have to roll with the punches."
"How the hell am I supposed to do that when it's already ruined the one thing that matters to me?"
"I'm sorry."
"How fucking stupid are you people to let this thing become public?"
As soon as I say it, I feel awful. Raging at Elizabeth is like kicking a puppy. She probably has nothing to do with the damned article, and she's just trying to help.
"I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I didn't mean you. I'm just … "
My throat closes up, and I can't talk anymore. The fact that I may have just lost Ava forever is sending such a huge surge of panic through me …
"It's fine," Elizabeth says in a warm, soothing voice. "I know you're upset, and I would be too in your shoes. But can you please join the call? I'll email you the details. We have to present a united front if we're going to minimize this thing."
I nod, then remember that we're on the phone. "Okay," I croak out.
"Great. Talk to you later." She hesitates. "Take care of yourself, Lucas. This too shall pass."
She hangs up.
She believes that bullshit about this all passing because she isn't the one losing somebody important.
Flexing my clammy hands, I climb into my car. I have to go to Ava. I have to fix this.
Chapter Thirty
Ava
By the time I reach Ray and Darcy's house, I'm completely out of breath. Perspiration drips from my face and soaks my clothes. The door is locked; I pull out the key and go inside.
Just in case, I call out, "I'm home!" Only cool silence greets me.
Letting out a long shaky breath, I lean against the wall. My legs feel like soggy noodles. Tears I've held back until now stream down my cheeks, mingling with my sweat. My chest shakes, and an ugly sob rips from my throat.
Slowly I slide down to the floor until I'm crouching and crying. Lucas isn't worth it. Intellectually I know that. But my heart doesn't want to listen. It breaks and breaks and breaks, and I don't know how I'm going to pick up the pieces and make everything okay again.
I need to get a hold of myself before Ray and Darcy come home. I don't want them to see me like this. It's just too humiliating to think that I fell for him-twice!-when he's never loved me or cared about me. He's had an ulterior motive, just the way my dad had an ulterior motive when he stayed with Mom. Her body, plus the cheap thrill of doing it with someone who wasn't his wife. Except Lucas is smarter than my father because he's playing for a multimillion dollar inheritance in addition to the cheap thrills.
I don't know how long I stay there crying, but a sudden loud thump on the door jolts me. My spine reverberates from the forceful bang as I jump to my feet, spinning around. I look through the peephole and suck in a breath.
Lucas.
Quickly, I lock the door before he realizes he can just walk in.