JENN
Other Jennifer Walker.Other freaking Jennifer Walker!
My blood runs cold, and I swear, I can feel the floor give way.
Holy shit, is this really happening? Other Jennifer is standing on my doorstep, staring back at me. And Austin.
Fuck! Austin is right here!
“Uh, hi?” Other Jennifer ventures, looking confused. Then her eyes widen with recognition. “Wait, are you—”
“Happy to see you?” I blurt loudly, panicking. “Yes! Thrilled.”
She lifts one perfect eyebrow. “You are?”
“Uh uh!” I trill, grabbing her arm and dragging her inside. “I totally forgot we had plans! Sorry, Austin,” I babble, trying not to let anyone else get a word in. “Old college friend. Catching up. Call you later?”
“Uh,” Austin looks confused, and I don’t blame him. I’m practically shoving him out the door. “Sure. I’ll get out of your hair. Nice to meet you…?”
I slam the door in his face.
Austin’s footsteps recede down the hallway, and then I hear the elevator doors shut.
Crisis averted.At least, one of them. For now.
But as for the Pandora’s Box of chaos that just arrived on my doorstep? There’s no escaping it now.
I take a deep breath and turn to find Jennifer looking at me with narrowed eyes.
“So,” she says, folding her arms over her chest. “I’m guessing that little freak out means you don’t want the hot boyfriend to know you stole my life.”
My stomach drops.
“I can explain!” I protest, dizzy.
“Really?” Jennifer asks. “Because I was creeped enough, but now I recognize you. Palm Springs, right? What the hell. Are you like, stalking me?”
“No!” I blurt. “Believe me. If anything, it’s the opposite! I couldn’t get away from you. All the emails, and the calls, and you know there’s a guy in Toledo sending you photos of his feet, right? At least, he’s sending them to me, but he thinks it’s you,” I babble, panicking. “And then I got groped, and fired, and the recruiter called up with my actual dream job, only it turned out they wanted you, but I wanted it to be me so bad that I kind of went along with it and the lie snowballed and Austin was so perfect and had those V-marks on his hips and I couldn’t come clean and—”
“Woah!” Jennifer interrupts me. “Breathe. You’re like, turning purple.”
“Uh uh,” I answer faintly. My legs give way and I sink onto the couch. Jenn is still regarding me, unreadable. “What are you going to do?” I ask miserably.
“I’m not sure,” she says. “But for a start, I need a drink. And you? You need two of them. Where’s the wine?”
I point dumbly, then watch in disbelief as she finds glasses and a bottle. “I… I stole your life, and you’re pouring wine?”
“I have a feeling we’re going to need it.” Jennifer takes a seat on the couch beside me and passes a full glass. “Now, start at the beginning, and tell me everything.”
Four glassesof wine and three servings of General Tso’s wontons later, I’ve told Jennifer the whole sorry tale, from the first recruiter call, all the way to “I should have said something that very first day,” I say miserably. “I just… Really needed the job. And Austin… Well, you saw him. He was so charming, he insisted my past experience and qualifications didn’t matter. So I figured…”
“You figured if he wanted Jenn Walker so badly, he’d get one.”
“Just, not the right one,” I admit, wincing. “And then when I fell for him, the lie just spiraled. I have tried to tell him,” I protest. “But every time I open my mouth to come clean, something happens. Like an important interruption. Or sex.”
“I can see how that would be distracting.” Jennifer says, a smile playing on her lips. “Hello, that man is a work of art.”
I pause, my panic subsiding long enough to notice that she’s not spitting mad. Or threatening to call the cops. In fact, she’s lounging back, looking… Amused.