Lissa
Iopen my apartment door to a popping champagne cork, which ricochets off the ceiling as Bethany
squeals at the top of her lungs, a wide grin on her face.
“Beth!” I say, laughing despite myself as champagne spouts out of the top and all over the hallway
carpet. “I have to get my d eposit back.”
“Fuck that!” she says loudly. “This shithole will probably ke ep it anyway!”
She’s grinning from ear to ear, her excitement contagious as she walks inside, sky-high heels, a tight,
dark red dress, and her beautiful hair flowing down her back.
I close the door as Henry comes out of the bedroom to look at Bethany, a little frown on his face.
“What’s happening, Mommy?” he asks. “Aunt Bethany’s gone nuts,” I say with a smile as Bethany
searches in the shitty cabinets for two mugs for the champagne.
“Your mom and I are celebrating, Hen!” she says, turning triumphantly with two mugs in hand.
“Celebrating?” Henry asks, looking at me quizzically. “Y ep!” I say, wondering how to phrase this next
part. “Things are going to be a bit easier for us, sweetheart. We’re gonna move out of here for a start, and
you’re gonna get your own room.”
He laughs excitedly. “Are we going to go to dinner with Oliver again, too? And another show with all
the ladies in pretty dresses?”
Bethany’s hands lower to her hips, the champagne forgotten as she stares at me in disbelief.
“Excuse me?” she says, placing everything on the table. “He took you out to dinner? Both of you?”
“Hen, why don’t you go watch the end of Zootopia, okay?” Henry shuffles off to the couch, climbing
carefully up, and settles back on the cushions as I go to stand beside my friend. Bethany’s eyes are worried
as she pulls the champagne toward her and pours us both a cup.
“What the hell is going on, Liss?” she asks, looking beyond hurt. “You didn’t tell me about that.”
“I know,” I say plaintively. “I’m sorry I lied.” “You should be!” she hisses. “I tell you everything, and I
was so worried about you taking this job. I had sle epless nights about introducing you to Pippa; I was
terrified it would be traumatizing. Since when do you go out to dinner with a client... and bring your kid
along?”
She drops her voice to a low whisper as she curses, but when she meets my gaze, her expression
changes, and she slowly lowers the bottle.
“Oh no, babe, you haven’t done anything stupid, have you?” “Like what? Fall for my boss?” I murmur
bitterly, and Bethany raises her eyes to the ceiling with a long sigh.
“I fucking knew it.” “Aunt Beth said a bad word,” Henry parrots, and Bethany groans. “I’m sorry, Hen.
That was naughty of me.” Henry promptly starts watching the movie again. I go over to the couch, covering
him with a blanket and turning up the TV, stroking his head as he settles back in the chair.
When I return to the table, Bethany has filled both cups to the brim. “Start talking,” she says darkly.
“And don’t leave anything out this time. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me...”
“I’m sorry, Beth.” “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I didn’t know something was off the second I saw
you together,” she says, rallying quickly. “You were so googly-eyed, but I thought maybe it was just
because of the money.”
I scowl at her, and she puts her cup down with a thud. “That’s the job, Liss,” she says, her lips twisting.
“Stop making out like it’s sordid. He’s paying for a service just like anybody else.”
“It’s not that,” I r eply hastily, swirling the champagne in my cup as I take a long sip. “I just don’t like
the thought of him paying me anymore. It
does sound sordid to me, but only because of... I don’t know; I just don’t like it. It’s not that it’s
degrading or a bad thing.”
Bethany sniffs. “Well, good, because my job is just as legitimate as a regular EA and I earn a fuck ton
more.”
She plucks at a loose thread on her dress, crossing her legs as she glances at me irritably.
“Beth, I don’t think there’s any shame in what you do.” “In what we do,” she clarifies. “And you’re
allowed to feel bad about the money if you like him. But it’s how you met, remember? Even if there are
feelings in volved now.”
I stare at the fizzing champagne, and there’s a long, weighty silence until Bethany moans.
“Oh fuck, Liss, you’re not in love, are you? Please tell me you’re not.” I rub my nose, not able to
respond, and Bethany slowly places her forehead on the table.
“Fuck me,” she says miserably. “This is my fault. I knew you were too sweet for this job. The first guy
who actually treats you with a modicum of decency, and you’re head over heels in seconds. When he came
to get Henry with you that day, I thought it was weird. I told myself you’d run into him after work or
something. Was that it?”
I shake my head.
Ke ep a second story in mind for later.
“Alright, well then, what the hell happened?” I hesitate and then slowly retell the events of that night,
trying my best not to look Bethany in the eye as she stiffens at every new piece of information.
“Oh my God,” she says, draining her champagne and filling the cup back up. “Oh, my God. He was
actually jealous of Noah?”
“I don’t know.” “Liss, of course he fucking was. You don’t drag your escort into an alley after a date and
fuck her against a wall when you’re chill about her seeing other people.”
“Bethany!” I say desperately, glancing at Henry, but I’m relieved when I find him passed out on the
couch, asle ep.
She mimes a zip over her mouth as she sighs, scratching her head. “Jesus. Does he know how you feel?”
“No. He told me to leave.” She goes still, leaning forward, gripping my hand. “He did what?” “He told
me today, after he negotiated the deal with James, that it was better if I didn’t work for him anymore.”
“That lowlife fuck,” Bethany says, rising to her feet as I try to pull her back down to her chair.
“He said I could stay at AGS for as long as I want, but I chose to go today. I couldn’t just... continue to
stay there with him wanting me gone.”
“Explain,” Bethany says firmly. “Explain what he actually—” she blinks, turning to stare at me. “Whoa,
whoa, wait. What do you mean by ‘after Oliver negotiated the deal with James’. Oliver r epresented you as
your lawyer?” I nod as she shakes her head, leaning back in her chair. “You’re kidding.”
“Why would I joke about something like that?” “I know you wanted James out of your life, but Oliver is
one of the most expensive lawyers in New York. I think you could’ve gotten the divorce done without
paying AGS, babe.”
“He did it pro bono.” Bethany is silent for a few seconds, and then she snorts, finishing her champagne
and pouring herself yet another.
“I love you so much, Liss, but you are fucking clueless about men sometimes.” I frown at her, and she
puts down the bottle. “Which is understandable, given your history, of course, but are you really telling me
you think he wanted you to leave after he did that for you?”
“Yes,” I say defensively, “he doesn’t have to ke ep me on anymore. He solved my problem and saved
Henry—all his obligations are fulfilled.”
“Liss, honey, he didn’t have obligations. He hired you as an escort; he could have just fired you without
ever thinking about you again for the rest of his life.”
“He would never do that.” “Because he likes you, you idiot. How does he even know about Henry?”
“He was in the hospital; I told you, he saw James there.”
“And he came over to you, defended you, and made James leave. And then afterward he left, right?”
“Well, no... he came and met Henry.” “And then when it was snowing out, he offered you a place to
stay and put you both up in his apartment.”
“He only did that because—” “Lissa,” Bethany says, gripping my hand even harder. “Listen to me, you
have to tell Oliver how you feel.”
“What?” She scoffs. “Okay, let me ask you one more thing. When he told you it would be best for you
not to work there anymore, what was his expression? Like he didn’t give a shit? Or was he upset?”
I think back to that moment, the tight, enclosed space, the way Oliver wouldn’t look at me, his obvious
agitation and discomfort, so unlike his strong, silent character.
“I’m not sure. He left pretty quickly afterward. But I told him he was a coward.” Bethany’s eyebrows
rise, and I swallow nervously. “I shouldn’t have said that, should I?”
“Are you kidding? I’m so proud of you. You’re a fucking badass now. He is a coward for letting you go.
It’s obvious he cares about you.”
“Is it?” “Yes. And if not? What have you got to lose? You don’t work for him any longer; he’s kicked
you out to ‘live your life’ or whatever the fuck he justifies it as. If you tell him what you want, what you
really want, to make a go of things and have him in your life, then if he says no, you’ve lost nothing.”
“Didn’t you tell me that the first rule of this job is not to fall for your client?”
Bethany smirks at me, filling up my cup. “I think there’s an exc eption to that rule when the client falls
for you first.”