It is all I can do not to tell her what she can do with her faux Christianity.
“I know, Mom. You’re right. God does want us to forgive,” Hannah says, looking numb and drained. “And I will do my best to forgive Grady. One day maybe I can. But that doesn’t mean I should marry him.”
“And it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t—” she says.
“Seriously, Mom? You’d want me to marry a man who would do this to me?”
“He hasn’t taken his vows yet.”
“Right. And neither has Hannah,” I say. “She’s not his wife. She’s under no ‘for better or worse’ obligation.”
“I believe in forgiveness,” Mrs. Davis says, her face pinched and her voice prim.
“Really? You’d have forgiven Dad if he had done this to you?” Hannah asks.
“Well, I wouldn’t have just thrown in the towel. I would at least go for counseling—”
“Mom, Grady had sex with another woman—”
“Hannah Davis!” she says in an appalled tone, as if saying the word sex is worse than Grady actually having it.
“Sorry, Mom. But that’s what happened. And I know none of us is perfect. But I’m not a liar. And I’m not a cheater. And I’m not going to marry one. Period.”
I feel a burst of pride in my best friend. She is finally standing up for herself.
“Very well,” Mrs. Davis says, now pouting. “How do you plan to notify our guests? The ‘save the dates’ already went out—”
“So you’d like me to send out ‘release the date’ announcements?” Hannah asks.
“Well, I think people need to be informed—”
“I’m pretty sure word will get around,” Hannah says. “Bad news travels fast in this town.”
“And what should I tell people? When they ask? Which they will.”
Hannah shrugs. “Tell them the truth. Tell them that Grady cheated on me, and I broke up with him. Or tell them that it’s none of their business. Frankly, I really don’t care what you tell them!”
“But if they ask how Hannah’s doing,” I interject, “please tell them she’s doing fine, under the circumstances. She’s sad, but she’s keeping her head up. And she’s leaving town to travel with her two best friends.”
“Travel?” Mrs. Davis says, looking at Hannah again.
“Yes, Mom,” Hannah says. “Lainey, Tyson, and I are taking a trip.”
“Tyson’s going?”
“Yes, Mom,” she says again. “The three of us are going together.”
Mrs. Davis purses her lips and shakes her head. I stare at her, enraged. I may not be able to save Hannah in this moment, but I can punish her mother. My mind races for the perfect burn.
“Best friends for now!” I finally say. “But maybe Grady is on to something. Hannah and Tyson really would make a cute couple. And you really can’t do better than a Yale-educated attorney, now, can you?”
Mrs. Davis gives me a horrified look as I jump up from my seat. “Anyhoo! We’d really love to stay and chat more. But we have travel plans to make! Right, Han?”
“Right, Lainey,” she says, getting to her feet. “We certainly do.”
Chapter 7
Hannah
Just as Lainey and I return from my parents’ house, a new message comes in from Grady. He is singing a different tune now, and I read his text aloud to Lainey and Tyson:
Hannah, I’m so sorry for my terrible mistake. I was at a work lunch at Chops and had too much to drink. Berlin happened to be there. She offered to give me a ride home. It was innocent. She dropped me off and went home, then realized that I left my sunglasses in her car. She was going for a walk so came by to give them to me. When I answered the door, she barged in, wanting to see the paint color you’d chosen for the dining room. She admires your decorating. We ended up having another drink and one thing led to another. It meant nothing. It will never happen again. I’m so sorry, Hannah. Please, PLEASE give me one more chance. I will never let you down again. We are so good together. I love you.
I finish reading, then look up.
“Tell me that bullshit changes nothing,” Lainey says.
“It changes nothing,” I say.
“Can you say it with a bit more conviction, please?” she says, looking worried.
I repeat the statement with a little more chutzpah.
“Okay. Good. Now write him back.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“Tell him to fuck off. Tell him he’s the worst person ever. Tell him to never contact you again or that video—”
