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"You?"

"Lucky me, huh? She said she was too upset to talk with you yet, but that she--oh, fuck, Nikki What the hell do you care what she thinks?"

"I knohat she thinks," I say "That I’m a disappointment That I’ve ruined the family name That she didn’t raise a whore"

I can tell fro h I have a feeling he’s afraid I’ll shatter

I won’t Just thinking about my mother--about the fact that she cares more about what the tabloid press says than about what really happened--pisses er, anyway

"So it’s all over everywhere?"

"Yeah," Jamie says "They don’t waste any tiitiuy like Da it I s"

"Jamie"

"Sorry! Sorry! So, are you okay? Ito do?"

"I’lance at Da a co relatively normal "For now, anyway" I haven’t turned on the television I haven’t even checked ht be in my inbox from my mother, I’m certain I don’t want to

I catch Da that I am--will I still be fine once I step back into the world?

"You’re staying in today, right?" she asks

"I can’t I have to go to work"

Damien shakes his head "Take the day off Bruce will understand"

"I heard that," Jamie says "Listen to Dao to the office, anyway He called here looking for you"

"I’ll call hi in"

Except, apparently, I’m not Because when I call Bruce, he tells me that he thinks it would be in the best interest of the company if I took a leave of absence "I’raphers looking for a photo of Da around this story And I can’t have the press hanging around the building trying to get a shot of you Not now"

"Now?" I repeat "What’s special about now?"

I hear hi a divorce I haven’t wanted to mention it before, but the point is that I need to be squeaky clean, and et it," I say "I’m fired"

"Leave of absence," he says "Please"

"It’s shaping up to be a crappy day, Bruce Can we at least call it what it is?"

There’s a pause, and then, "I really am sorry, Nikki It’s a lovely portrait and it’s unfair you’re getting this kind of blow-back And I really could use a talent like yours here at Innovative But you’re going to land on your feet"

"Yeah," I say, looking at Da to take the day off today," Damien says when I put my phone down