“You’re definitely not alone,” I say gruffly. “This thing betweenus is intense. Beautiful. Passionate. And I can’t get enough of you. I don’t know what I would do if you moved to L.A. because I can’t imagine ever going back there, but I might have anyway. For you.”
“You really need to hurry home,” she says with a soft laugh.
“Believe me, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Chapter
Thirty-Four
Serena
Holly’s been staying at my apartment the last week so I head over there on Sunday to do a few things and check up on her. Jayne is taking Lindy and Joey to the movies, which is such a blessing for me because I rarely get time to myself. Jayne is becoming a good friend, and that’s one of many things I’m grateful to West for.
“Hey.” Holly’s on the couch doing something on her laptop when I walk in.
“Hi.” I take off my shoes and pad into the living room, settling on the couch next to her. “How are you?”
She lifts one shoulder. “I’m okay. Not great but doing my best to figure out what’s next. I really appreciate you letting me hide out here.”
“You know I don’t mind, but why aren’t you with your parents?” I ask curiously.
She sighs. “My father will be pissed when he finds out what Nathan did. What I allowed him to do.”
“I don’t understand what happened,” I admit. “We haven’t talked in any details.
“I know.” Holly drops her gaze. “I’ve been a shitty friend and I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. We all go through tough times, but that’s when we need each other the most.”
She nods. “I’m lucky to have you.”
“So, tell me.”
“It’s complicated, but the basic situation is that he got an insider tip from a powerful client. I know it’s unethical, but he talked me into it, investing my trust fund. It was going to be a huge windfall allowing us to retire early, never have to worry about money.”
“You already don’t worry about money,” I say in confusion.
She nods, tears filling her eyes. “I know. I was stupid. In love. Easily manipulated. He took it all but never invested it, and then he tried to gaslight me by saying I knew it was risky.”
“But isn’t there a paper trail?”
“There is—right into his bank account. Where it went from there, who knows? And I initiated the transfer in person at my bank, so it’s not like I can say he stole it. For all intents and purposes, I gave it to him.”
“Oh my God. Holly.” I stare at her in horror. “All of it?”
“The whole thing.” She closes her eyes. “When my father finds out, he’s going to disown me.”
“Honey, I’m so sorry.” I reach out and hug her tightly. She rests in my arms, softly crying against my shoulder.
“I’m so stupid,” she whispers. “It’s my own fault. I thought…I don’t know what I thought. He’s so awful to literally everyone except my parents and me. Well, most of the time, me. There were a million red flags, but I ignored them all.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ve got interviews lined up next week. You know he talked me into quitting my job so I could plan the wedding of the year, but now I need to get back to work immediately. And maybe, if I’m lucky, I can save up.”
“It’s going to take a long time to save millions of dollars,” I whisper.
“I know.” She pulls away, rubbing her eyes. “But all I can do is put one foot in front of the other.”