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“This is a serious conversation, Nic. Can you pay attention please?” Alanna asked.

“Yeah. Sure.” Nicola shoved her phone down to her side and was determined to focus on her sister. The entire reason she was there, and the only reason she was still putting up with all the bullshit that she did in life. She needed the job to pay the bills, and she needed Alanna to get the best care she possibly could. “What are we talking about?”

“You and Abagail!” Alanna laughed lightly. “What’s going on between you two? Seriously. Because when I met her?—”

“You met her?” Simone asked, prying even deeper.

Nicola winced. “Yes, Abagail came to visit before we went to the Cape.”

That had been a disaster. That had been when this entire spiral had started downward, hadn’t it? Because it’d shattered what they’d built up so far. It wasn’t just about sex. At least not for Nicola. It was for Abagail, and that was the issue. Nicola wanted more, and Abagail had never made the promise that there could potentially be more. In fact, Nicola had made the promise that it was only ever going to be one night of revenge.

Well, revenge tasted so damn sweet that she couldn’t get enough of it. She wanted more.

But Abagail didn’t. And Nicola was pretty damn sure of that at this point, so the entire conversation they were having was out of bounds and not going to happen.

“It doesn’t matter,” Nicola mumbled under her breath, focusing back on her phone and the next six texts from Warren. Was he having a mental breakdown of some sort? Perhaps Abagail really had cut him off finically and he needed to know how to set up a fucking interview. “Do you think I can come stay with you for a bit if this arrangement with Abagail goes south?”

Simone’s lips parted in surprise. “Stay with me?”

“Yeah.” Nicola nodded. “I don’t really have anywhere else to go right now.”

The silence in the room was so loud. Was that the first time Nicola had actually said that out loud to them? Had she managed to keep from them just how bad it was for so long?

“I don’t… have an apartment, and I can’t afford a deposit and first month’s.”

“Nicola…” Simone dragged out her name. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I thought I had.” Nicola pouted and looked back down at her hands. “No, that’s not true. I knew I hadn’t. I didn’t want you to worry when you already have so much else going on.”

“So much else?” Alanna said, turning her head sharply to Simone. “What’s going on with you?”

“I…” Simone’s voice cracked. “Nothing that I can’t handle. Nicola, why didn’t you tell me it had gotten so bad? I thought you were staying with Abagail only for a few weeks.”

“Well, it’s turned into longer, and it’ll probably be longer if I can manage it because I don’t have anything to my name right now.” Nicola flicked her gaze to Alanna. “It’s all been coming here.”

“Nicola!” Alanna squeaked. “You can’t keep doing this! You need to actually ask us for help and talk to us about what’s going on.”

“It’s my responsibility?—”

“No, it’s our responsibility. And I don’t need any more half-truths from you.” Simone stood up and paced the room back and forth. “How bad is it?”

“Not as bad as it was.” Nicola really didn’t want to tell either one of them that Abagail had paid off the debt to give her some breathing space. What would they think of her then?

“What do you mean by that?”

“It means I’ve figured some stuff out, but I can’t keep up with this. I have to make some changes, and I’m working on making those changes. All right?”

“Does it involve Abagail?” Alanna asked.

Again, Nicola winced. She’d never escape this, would she? “I hit a bit of rock bottom when Warren and I broke up. Abagail was there to help me out, that’s all.”

“It’s more than that,” Alanna pushed. “Don’t you see it? I never saw you this happy with Warren.”

“I’m notwithAbagail.” Nicola tried to make that as clear as day, because Alanna was definitely living in her own little world right now. Nicola ran her fingers through her hair and then clutched her phone.

“Hold on…” Simone stopped. “You’re dating Warren’s aunt.”

“No,” Nicola said.