Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
That’s what she wanted to be. Deep down.
Not even that deep down anymore, because she’d allowed hope to ransack her common sense. Now their night of playing house only served as proof of how wonderful a life with Madden would be . . . if only she were a different person.
On the other side of the room, just outside the sliding glass door that led to the back deck, Veda appeared with a pinkie wave and a yawn.
Eve hid the wave of gratitude for her new friend behind a smirk.
Leave it to Veda to show up at the back door instead of the front, wearing a blue mechanic’s jumpsuit and her hair tied up with a bright red bandanna.
Eve crossed to the back door, wordlessly letting in the younger woman.
They started to exchange greetings, but their attention was drawn to the television, where Sherry Shepherd was relaying yesterday’s news to a studio audience. “And did you see that Yankees game yesterday?” A ripple of yeses went through the crowd. “Not the baseball game. I’m talking about the game that happened afterward.” An image of Madden and Eve French-kissing among a plethora of cameras popped up on the screen behind the host. “Because this Yankee has got game. Look at this man unafraid to kiss his woman in public. We’ve been sleeping on catchers, ladies—”
The television winked off, courtesy of Vivica. “Sorry about that,” she said with a wince.
“It’s fine,” Eve whispered. But it wasn’t. In fact, she felt dizzy. That was her picture. On national television. Who knew what kind of details about her personal life were to follow? “I just need a minute.”
“Take your time,” Veda said, patting her arm. “I’ll go annoy Elton.”
“Good idea,” Eve managed, sitting down on the edge of the couch. She’d been driving for four hours in silence and obviously the story had escalated during that time.
Don’t look at your phone.
Don’t do it.
Although forewarned meant being forearmed, right? Maybe she should do a quick Google search and find out what was being said. Purely so she’d know in advance how badly this whole nightmare was going to reflect on Madden.
She pulled out her phone and deployed the search engine.
“Madden’s Madam: Catcher Kisses Nudie Club Cutie.”
This, from TMZ.
Nudie Club?
Madam?
Eve scrolled down some more and clicked on a Buzzfeed article titled “Why Is Everyone Suddenly Talking About the Yankees? We Explain the Down Bad Madden Buzz.”
“Oh my god,” she whispered as picture after picture appeared on her screen. Not just of her at the game and hospital yesterday, but pictures of the inside of the club, Eve posing with patrons. Where did Buzzfeed get them? They weren’t on the club website.
She read further.
Sources close to the couple say they’ve known each other since high school, but claim they’ve been on and off again, because Donahue can’t come to terms with Keller owning a burlesque club where she is a regular performer. The club, which was an honest-to-goodness strip club back in the day and a source of much vitriol in the town, was passed down from Keller’s father . . .
Eve’s stomach sank slowly to the floor.
Half this article wasn’t true at all. Were they just allowed to print lies?
She couldn’t even tell if this was a worse look for her or Madden.
A sudden hush in the house caused Eve to look around, finding Elton and Vivica staring out the window by the front door.
“Please don’t tell me there are reporters here,” she said, rising.
The moment Elton turned around and she saw his face, she knew it was something worse than the press, but she couldn’t imagine what. What could be worse than bringing this circus to another one of her loved ones’ doorsteps?
Please. I can’t take one more punch today.
“Eve.” Elton came forward with a line between his brows, unexpectedly taking her by the shoulders, alarming her even more. “It’s going to be okay.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s your sister. Ruth is here.”
A full-body chill cascaded downward from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. Ruth was here. Ruth was here? What kind of condition was she in? Should she be around the kids? Why wasn’t Eve given any warning about her return?
Eve realized she’d frozen halfway between the living room and the front door, everyone in the room staring at her. Waiting for a reaction.
Jesus. Pull yourself together.
“Okay,” she said, wetting her parched lips. “Okay, I’ll just . . . I’ll go outside and talk to her. Can you occupy the kids while I figure out what’s happening?”
“I’m on it,” Veda said.
Even in the midst of her own turmoil, she didn’t miss the shadows in Elton’s eyes as they followed Veda’s retreating back down the hallway. But she couldn’t worry about that now. For better or worse, she had a sister to reunite with.