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‘You’reErin’sPR person, right?’ Amanda said, looking at Leigh, puzzled.

‘That’s right,’ Leigh confirmed.

‘You came together?’ Amanda asked.

It was a fair question. The whole set-up must have looked questionable.

‘Well, we’re both kind of here for the same reason,’ Alex said. ‘I can explain it all. Mind if we sit down?’

Amanda nodded. ‘Yeah, of course. Come through.’

Alex let Leigh go first. As she followed Leigh, she thought to herself,I had that insane rear on my lap an hour ago. And I could have had even more.

But it was better to stop before things got even more tangled and confused. Right?

They went into the living room. It was full of cheesy ceramic knickknacks, including such gems as a little boy fishing off a bridge with a no-fishing sign right next to him (the rascal) and a cat giving another cat a small love heart. Either Amanda had ironic decorative sensibilities, or this wasn’t her house.

Alex and Leigh sat down next to each other on a worn, pleather couch while Amanda positioned herself on a ragged armchair with her legs tucked underneath her.

‘So, here’s the thing,’ Alex began. ‘As you know, Leigh and I represent either side of this split. But the problem we share is that one of them is lying. So, we’re both trying to figure out what the truth is to determine whether we’re going forward with them. We need to fact-check, and it seems like you’re the best place to start. Would you be OK with that?’ Alex began.

‘You said all this over the phone,’ Amanda said, nodding. ‘It’s fine, I can talk. But I just want you to understand that if you reveal anything I say toanyone,then I hope you’re cool with ruining lives because that’s what will happen.’ She glanced around the shabby living room. ‘Well, more so.’

Alex flicked an eye to a doily on a nest of tables. ‘This is your parents’ place, right? Did you have to leave your old place because of the scandal? Go into hiding?’

Amanda gave a derisive laugh. ‘I certainly couldn’t keep living where I was, that’s true. But I’m not in hiding. It’s a lack of options that has me sleeping in my childhood bedroom. Sleeping under an NSYNC poster, if you can imagine that.’

‘Well, I know it’s not fashionable to say so, but I personally think “Bye Bye Bye” is still a banger,’ Alex shrugged.

Amanda had to smile. ‘Yeah, maybe.’

‘So, why exactly did you have to leave where you were?’ Leigh asked, leaning forward.

Alex had said she’d do most of the talking, but she didn’t mind. It was her next question anyway.

Amanda looked from Alex to Leigh, goggling. ‘Are you seriously telling me you don’t know? No one saidanything?’

Alex swapped a look with Leigh. ‘Know what?’ they asked in perfect harmony.

Amanda sighed and rubbed the back of her head. ‘I was Isabelle and Erin’s maid. I lived in their house with them.’

Alex wasn’t easily shocked, but she had to admit, today was a humdinger.

Thirty

Leigh nearly fell off the couch in astonishment. ‘What? Theirmaid?’

Amanda nodded. ‘Yeah.’

Alex jumped in. ‘But Isabelle said she didn’t know who you were.’

‘Isabelle is full of shit,’ Amanda noted darkly.

Leigh felt satisfaction take her. Erin had never admitted who Amanda was, so she hadn’t lied. Isabelle couldn’t claim the same. And her web was about to unravel.

‘See,’ she said with a light rib nudge to Alex. Despite everything that had happened, she was taking the win.

‘So’s Erin, by the way,’ Amanda added, with a sharp look to Leigh.