“I pretty much only use lip gloss,” I responded, trying to keep my mouth still.
She shook her head as if the information was too much to comprehend.
I twirled in the full-length mirror. I looked good. Amazing. I looked like the woman I was before Aubrey.
As much as I wanted to revel in my Cinderella moment, my heart was heavy.
An hour earlier I’d FaceCalled with Aubrey and David on my laptop, which had been bittersweet.
“Say hi to Mama!” David sang, while holding Aubrey up to the camera. Her sweet little face gazed innocently at me on the screen and it was all I could do to hold back the tears. I missed her so much. I wondered for a second if it had been a mistake to leave her. All I’d wished for the past ten months was a break, and now that I had one, I was dying to have her in my arms.
“I love you, baby!” I said, waving at her, and she broke out into a huge grin at the sound of my voice.
“So, how’s Napa?” David asked, juggling Aubrey, who was wearing a pair of too-small yellow pajamas.
“It’s good,” I said. My mind flashed back to my accidental dip in the koi pond. “Really good.”
“I’m glad,” he said. I could tell his words were sincere, despite the solemn look in his eyes.
“David, are you sure this is what you want?” I asked gently. “I just can’t believe this is happening. What about a business loan?”
David pursed his lips. “I’ve already tried, Ashley. We really needed the DentaFresh account.”
I sighed. “So when do we move?”
Aubrey giggled.
“I found a Realtor who thinks that if we price it right, we’ll have an offer in two weeks.”
My heart sank. “How are Ross and Donnie doing?” Ross and Donnie were David’s partners and both fathers with families. I figured they were as devastated as David. I tried not to cry.
He shrugged. “Nobody’s happy, obviously, but they’re young. They’ll find work easily.”
His voice tightened up. I knew this was hard for him.
“And Melissa?” I asked, trying to come off nonchalant.
David scowled. “I could care less.”
I blinked. “What happened?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you? She’s the reason we lost the DentaFresh account.”
“What?”
“Yeah. An old buddy of mine on one of their accounts told me they passed on us because someone on our team sent them an email pretending to be a rival company to light a fire underneath them. She denied it, of course, but I checked up on it and the email definitely came from our server’s network. What was she thinking?”
My body flushed with heat and I couldn’t breathe.
“What...what are you going to do?” I managed to say, practically trembling.
“I fired her yesterday,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t believe she’d do that to us.”
“You can’t,” my voice said without permission from my brain.
“What?” David stared into the camera.
I moved backward on the bed, as if trying to create distance in addition to the thousands of miles already between us.
“You can’t fire her. Not like this.” I was shaking.
“Ashley, if—”
“It was me, David,” I blurted out. “I sent the email.”
David looked like he was going to faint as he took in my words.
“You? Ashley...why...when?”
I held my face with my hands. “I was trying to help, I knew you were worried, oh, my gosh, David, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault.”
I covered my face and breathed deeply, waiting for him to speak.
He took a deep breath and his face relaxed. Relief washed over me. Then he spoke.
“Yeah. It is.”
My breath caught in my throat. “What?”
“I can’t believe you did this,” he said, dryly. He stared at me as if trying to recognize a stranger.
Tears sprung into my eyes. “David, I said I was sorry...”
He stood up out of the frame. All I could see were Aubrey’s feet dangling from his hip.
“I can’t talk to you right now. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“David.”
“Bye.”
The camera went black.
I sat there in shock. He had every right to be upset, but I wasn’t expecting this.
What was I thinking? I sat on the bed, staring at my hands. I hadn’t been thinking. I’d been in a sleep-deprived haze that day, but that was no excuse. I should have thought. I should have talked to him first. I was just scared for him, trying to help. He’d never forgive me for this. A tear slid down my cheek. I just wanted to be at home, not here in some mansion pretending to be someone I’m not.
I wiped my face. May as well let the other shoe drop.
I clicked on the email icon on my computer and without thinking composed a letter to Nina and Lola.
To: Nina Pikkering and Lola Vetter
From: Ashley Keller
Subject: The truth about me
Hello Nina, Lola and everyone at La Lait. I have something to confess that has been weighing heavily on me. I’m not who you think I am. I’m not breastfeeding and never was. What happened in the café when we first met was all a misunderstanding and then, because I was so desperate for friends, and you were all so wonderful to me, I led you to believe that I was one of you. Well, I’m not. I’m sorry for lying. I won’t contact you again.
Ashley
I pressed Send before I could chicken out then clicked my computer shut. I took another deep breath. I didn’t feel scared. I didn’t feel sad. I didn’t feel anything. I glanced around the room and noticed the welcome basket sitting on the dresser. Kimmie had already rifled through it and probably snagged all the good stuff, but a mini bottle of champagne remained. Not feeling the need for formalities like ice or glasses, I uncorked it and helped myself to a few long, bubbly sips. Within a few minutes I felt refreshingly peppy. When did I become such a lightweight?
I gazed at myself in the bathroom mirror. Two months ago I would have been thrilled to know I’d be standing right here, all dressed up, about to have dinner in Emily Walker’s home. Two months ago this would have been my dream.
“Are you coming, Ashley?” I heard Kimmie call from the bedroom.
I walked toward the door and stumbled a little before catching my step.
“Note to self, don’t fall over,” I whispered, giggling. I hadn’t drunk that much, but the tension from my call with David seemed to make the alcohol go straight to my head.
Kim raised an eyebrow at me as I walked toward her. She looked gorgeous in her red strapless minidress and matching red heels. Her makeup was even more dramatic than mine—from the cat eye to the bold, crimson lipstick, she looked like she’d jumped right out of a luxury car commercial. How did this person have children?
I stumbled again.
“Someone’s been enjoying themselves a little too much! Wish you’d saved some of that good stuff for me!” she said, laughing.
I picked my purse up off of the bed and offered Kim my elbow. “Shall we?”
She hooked her elbow in mine. “We shall.”