“What happened then?”
“He called me back ten minutes later and said to leave the slideshow exactly as it was.”
***
The rest of the week felt like torture.
Ashley acted pleasant in the strained way people do when they think politeness can cover strategy. She started angling me back into beach photos. She asked if I wanted coffee in the mornings as if courtesy could pass for repair.
The event was three nights later in a hotel ballroom downtown.
When the trip ended, I went home and wondered whether the celebration would settle anything.
It did.
The event was three nights later in a hotel ballroom downtown.
Ashley was already there when I arrived, dressed beautifully, smiling too hard. Michael kissed my cheek. Rachel squeezed my arm. Lily sat up straighter in her chair when she saw me.
Then the slideshow started.
