Bridesmaid Lotto (USA Today bestselling author)

Chapter 7

As expected, work took forever. Everyone was giving me the glares and whispering behind my back. As if I couldn't hear them. In the ladies, I had the pleasure of hearing an entire conversation about me. Something about 'who does she think she is' and 'poor Rebecca Singleton. She really does deserve to be with Jake.'

Oh God, Jake. I realized for the first time, right there in the ladies room, that Jake was probably going to think the worst too. Not that I had my hopes up for actually dating him or anything. Except that secretly I did. Ever since we shared the laughing fit at the engagement party, I thought that maybe we had found a spark.

Stupid, I scolded myself. Must consult disaster diary.

After work it seemed like everyone everywhere had caught up on their entertainment news. I was getting nasty looks from complete strangers and I knew people were purposely talking loud enough about me so that I could hear. I chose to ignore them. I mean, what was I supposed to do? Go start a fight? That was pretty much the last thing I needed. I put on my biggest pair of sunglasses and continued home, hoping to remain undiscovered.

I fell into my apartment and curled up on the couch in the fetal position. A few minutes later, Calla walked through the door.

"Hey," she said, throwing her keys down. "Ooh, I guess I won't ask how your day was."

I tucked my head in closer to my body and let out a little moan.

"That good hey?" she said. "Well if it's any consolation, I found out today that everyone in the modeling world knows that Rebecca Singleton is a mega bitch."

I peeked one eye out of my cocoon. "Really?"

Gossip was just one of the perks to having a friend who worked at a fashion magazine.

"Totally," she said sitting across from me. "Apparently you were completely right. It's all about stroking her gigantic ego."

"Aw man. I don't want to be right. I wish I had never said anything at all."

"Chin up girl. The worst is over."

I slowly sat up and nodded.

Calla clicked on the TV. Except, of course, 'Entertainment News' was just about to start.

"Today's top story. Rebecca or Josephine? Victim or Instigator? Sources say that a full out Bridesmaid war has already begun in the now infamous Emma VanHorn Bridesmaid Lotto."

I groaned again and curled back up into my ball, though my ears were certainly open.

There were several disgruntled looking models from a European fashion show that had apparently volunteered to comment on Rebecca Singleton, and what a rank bitch she was. I pulled myself up to a seated position, and leaned a little closer to the TV.

"See," Calla said.

I nodded.

The story continued. They interviewed the barista at the coffee house down the street from work.

"Josephine McMaster has been nothing but extremely nice to me always. Even when you can tell she's having a bad day. And she's a really good tipper."

I let a smile creep onto my face.

Calla gasped. "Oh my God, it's Mattie!" she squealed.

"Josephine McMaster is my best friend, and she is fabulous," he said on camera, standing with his hand on his hip as if daring anyone to contradict him.

"Oh, Mattie," I said to the TV. "You're awesome."

The report ended with Jake Hall at some club in downtown New York.