Page 46 of Slumming It

Talk about crappy timing.

For me.

Not them.

My mom was still talking. "The way it's looking, we'll be gone for at least a month."

I couldn’t believe it. "A whole month?"

"Or longer. Like I said, the job's a big one. And your dad's doing some consulting as part of the deal. It paysreallywell, too."

This was terrific news. And yet, my stomach still sank. I had never felt so alone in my whole life. Too distracted to hold up my end of the conversation, I finally ended the call with the lame excuse that I had somewhere else to be. This, at least, was no lie.

I needed to get back to the hotel, and for all kinds of reasons, I didn't want to call Vivian. Normally, she would've been my very first choice, but unlike the rest of my family, she'd seen me leaving with you-know-who.

If she ever discovered what he'd done, she would surely kick him out of the hotel. If the situations were reversed – if someone had abandonedheralong the side of the road – that's whatIwould do.

I knew this, just like I knew that if Reese Murdock demanded a full refund, we wouldn't have the money to pay him. Unlike most customers, he'd paid for his rooms upfront and in cash – cash that we'd already spent on our never-ending list of expenses.

Sure, I still had the money he'd paid me earlier today, but that would cover only a fraction of his two-week stay. And besides, I'dearnedthat two-hundred dollars. No way was I returning it now.Jerkwad.

I considered my options.Maybe I could call Daisy?She occasionally talked to Vivian, but as long as Daisy didn't discover how I'd ended up stranded, itmightbe okay.

Of course, it would bemoreokay if Daisy hadn't taken such an interest in Reese Murdock when he'd come into the Quickie Mart to buy beer. She'd been so starstruck that she'd hidden behind a towering beer display to listen to him talk on his cellphone.

I frowned. But then again, I'd done something similar in his hotel room. Sure, I'd been hiding in a different spot, but the comparison still made me pause.

No wonder he hated me.

But hey, I hated him, too.Now, anyway.

As I tottered along in those stupid high heels, I reached back and gave my shorts another downward yank as I considered who I should call.

I was still yanking at the shorts when, from somewhere behind me, I heard the roar of an engine followed by the sudden squeal of tires.

I whirled to look and felt my eyes widen in surprise. The vehicle, an all-too-familiar one, had screeched to a stop within spitting distance of where I stood.

In the driver's seat, a familiar face was staring at yours truly, looking so smug, I wanted to erase the smugness with a good, hard slap.

But the driver wasn't Reese Murdock, and it wasn't his car.

No, the driver was Morgan Fairfax with her trusty sidekick, Nikki the Skank. They were riding in Morgan's little red convertible with the top down in spite of the cool weather.

Both of them wore designer sunglasses and tailored coats. As usual, they looked utterly fabulous.

And of course,Ididn't.

As usual.

I stifled a groan of despair.Well, this just got better and better.

Chapter 17

Emily

Morgan and Nikki could've been twins. Both of them had the same long black hair streaked with bronze highlights. They had the same perfect noses, too – well,nowanyway after Nikki had gotten hers done to match Morgan's.

Until the start of our senior year, Nikki had sported a schnoz twice the size of her current one.