saw her briefly the day after the news broke, just long enough for her to tell me about her security measures. She still doesn’t quite believe this isn’t my doing. She’s the all-powerful one. All she has to do is use it to obtain the truth.
She won’ t . Believing I’m so desperate for Sloane I’d stir up this shit storm, is easier on her conscience. Having me here has been hard, I guess. It means her loyalties aren’t one hundred percent in Mom’s corner. Now, she has a reason to turn her back on me.
“Georgiana,” she says again as she floats into the nursery and freezes. Motionless and speechless, she stares at me like I’m a just landed interplanetary being. Grandma’s skin is spookily white as if all the blood has been sucked from her body.
Grandma’s eyes fill with… tears .
Awful images jam through my head. We expect Josh at any moment. Grandma loves him. No one has an issue with my brother. He’s one of the few reasons she’d cry, but only if… “Josh! Is Josh…has something happened to him?”
“He’s okay,” she croaks. “He stopped at the country club for a drink with a friend.”
“You’re scaring me. What’s wrong? Why are you acting like this? Is Mom and Dad okay?”
She closes her eyes, then draws herself up and stiffens her spine. Her never-before-seen vulnerability vanishes, though she remains pale. For the first time, I notice the e-tablet in her hand. So focused on her, I missed it.
She slides her finger on the screen and hands it to me, before adjusting her cashmere, button-down sweater situated on her shoulders.
“She’s a whore, to put it simply.”
A man’s voice blares from the tablet, interrupting my consideration of Grandma’s attire. I’ve never had a formal introduction, but I know Sloane’s father. He witnessed that awful day in Denver, in Sloane’s study.
“My son has never touched that girl,” he says and holds up a document. “It’s all here. Her drug use.”
“With all due respect, Mr. Mason, Sloane is well known for his excessive lifestyle, especially where women are concerned,” the reporter states.
“You’ve hit upon the exact word. The key word. Women . Not a little two-bit hussy. She’s a crazed fan and we will bring charges against her for defamation of character.”
“You’re doing the same, aren’t you? Defaming this young lady’s character?”
“I’m appealing to my son’s fans on his behalf. I have documented proof of Miss McCall’s behavior. DNA results will be released as soon as her baby is born. Not only will Sloane be exonerated, but she will have to wait for the results from four different men, to identify her child’s father.”
“Your accusations against this young girl are as serious as her accusations against your son. If she is indeed, a crazed fan, what does Sloane say?”
“What can he say? Unfortunately, he’s a public figure and will be targeted by all types. This young girl —” He sneers those words— “is meaningless and useless to Sloane. He made the mistake of visiting her in her hospital room, which those photos show. His only crime is reaching out to her as a fan of his. What a mistake! If he never sees her again, it’ll be too soon. How did she repay his kindness to her? By destroying him. Or attempting to. He’ll rise from this, as he has every obstacle in his life.”
“Well, there you have it. Rand Mason, Sloane Mason’s father, responding to reports Georgiana McCall is pregnant.”
Everything Sloane worked so hard for, all he’s sacrificed to remain with the band he founded, is… meaningless and useless .
Because of me. As I am to him.
Utterly crushed, I back away, shaking my head in denial.
“Rand isn’t going to get away with this, Georgie,” Grandma says in a calm, frigid voice. “Believe me.”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
“You’re my granddaughter,” she snaps. “Don’t fall apart over his lies. They’ll win if you do.”
She’s thinking
She won’ t . Believing I’m so desperate for Sloane I’d stir up this shit storm, is easier on her conscience. Having me here has been hard, I guess. It means her loyalties aren’t one hundred percent in Mom’s corner. Now, she has a reason to turn her back on me.
“Georgiana,” she says again as she floats into the nursery and freezes. Motionless and speechless, she stares at me like I’m a just landed interplanetary being. Grandma’s skin is spookily white as if all the blood has been sucked from her body.
Grandma’s eyes fill with… tears .
Awful images jam through my head. We expect Josh at any moment. Grandma loves him. No one has an issue with my brother. He’s one of the few reasons she’d cry, but only if… “Josh! Is Josh…has something happened to him?”
“He’s okay,” she croaks. “He stopped at the country club for a drink with a friend.”
“You’re scaring me. What’s wrong? Why are you acting like this? Is Mom and Dad okay?”
She closes her eyes, then draws herself up and stiffens her spine. Her never-before-seen vulnerability vanishes, though she remains pale. For the first time, I notice the e-tablet in her hand. So focused on her, I missed it.
She slides her finger on the screen and hands it to me, before adjusting her cashmere, button-down sweater situated on her shoulders.
“She’s a whore, to put it simply.”
A man’s voice blares from the tablet, interrupting my consideration of Grandma’s attire. I’ve never had a formal introduction, but I know Sloane’s father. He witnessed that awful day in Denver, in Sloane’s study.
“My son has never touched that girl,” he says and holds up a document. “It’s all here. Her drug use.”
“With all due respect, Mr. Mason, Sloane is well known for his excessive lifestyle, especially where women are concerned,” the reporter states.
“You’ve hit upon the exact word. The key word. Women . Not a little two-bit hussy. She’s a crazed fan and we will bring charges against her for defamation of character.”
“You’re doing the same, aren’t you? Defaming this young lady’s character?”
“I’m appealing to my son’s fans on his behalf. I have documented proof of Miss McCall’s behavior. DNA results will be released as soon as her baby is born. Not only will Sloane be exonerated, but she will have to wait for the results from four different men, to identify her child’s father.”
“Your accusations against this young girl are as serious as her accusations against your son. If she is indeed, a crazed fan, what does Sloane say?”
“What can he say? Unfortunately, he’s a public figure and will be targeted by all types. This young girl —” He sneers those words— “is meaningless and useless to Sloane. He made the mistake of visiting her in her hospital room, which those photos show. His only crime is reaching out to her as a fan of his. What a mistake! If he never sees her again, it’ll be too soon. How did she repay his kindness to her? By destroying him. Or attempting to. He’ll rise from this, as he has every obstacle in his life.”
“Well, there you have it. Rand Mason, Sloane Mason’s father, responding to reports Georgiana McCall is pregnant.”
Everything Sloane worked so hard for, all he’s sacrificed to remain with the band he founded, is… meaningless and useless .
Because of me. As I am to him.
Utterly crushed, I back away, shaking my head in denial.
“Rand isn’t going to get away with this, Georgie,” Grandma says in a calm, frigid voice. “Believe me.”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
“You’re my granddaughter,” she snaps. “Don’t fall apart over his lies. They’ll win if you do.”
She’s thinking
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