Francisco 49ers. As long
as Matt played for the Packers, Whiskey Creek would be wearing green and
gold.
Eventually her father said it was getting late and he had to be
up early. At that point, Gail knew she’d waited too long to broach the subject
of Simon. With Martin about to hang up, it would be even more awkward to give
him her news. But she had no choice.
She cleared her throat. “Before you go I, uh, there’s something
I want to tell you.”
This met with silence. No doubt he’d heard the nervousness in
her voice.
“Everything okay, Gabby?”
Where he’d gotten that nickname, she had no idea, but he’d used
it like an endearment ever since she was a child. “Yeah, of course. I’m fine.
It’s just—”
“What the hell?” Joe spoke so loudly in the background that he
interrupted their conversation. “Give me the phone.”
“What’s the matter with you?” her father responded, but the
phone changed hands, and Joe’s voice came back on the line.
“Tell me it’s not true, Gail! Tell me Simon O’Neal didn’t rape
you.”
She bit back a groan. “No, he didn’t. That was… Well, it
doesn’t matter. The important thing is that it didn’t happen and I never said it
did.”
“You’re sure? You’d tell us if you’d been hurt....”
And have them attempt to punish Simon? Probably not. She’d let
the police handle something like that so her father and brother wouldn’t end up
in jail. But she didn’t say so. “Of course. I’d speak up if I had anything to
tell. That claim is one hundred percent false.”
He wasn’t completely mollified. “That’s what it says on AOL.
But you wouldn’t lie about something like that. If you said it, it’s true.”
“I didn’t say it. One of my
employees got drunk and started that rumor.”
There was a slight pause while Joe considered what she’d told
him. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No.”
“Which employee?”
“It’s been taken care of.”
“Whoever it is should be fired.”
“It’s been handled, like I said.”
“Is the same person responsible for the rest of it, too?
Because Dad’s reading the article right now, and it says you and Simon have been
secretly seeing each other for several weeks.”
Saying a silent prayer that this would go better than she
feared, Gail changed her phone to the other ear. “My employee has nothing to do
with that part of it.”
“Which means…what? It can’t be true! I can’t believe you’d go
out with a man like Simon O’Neal. Any woman who got involved with him after all
his bad press would be asking for trouble.”
“I… He… We’re not… I mean, I’ve been out with him a few times,
but it’s not serious.” She told herself to calm down so she could at least speak
coherently. “The media is making more of our relationship than it is.”
“There’s a picture with the caption Simon O’Neal’s Love Life
Heats Up Again—with PR Maven Who Cried Rape.”
“Like I said, we went on a few dates, that’s all.”
Her father took over again. “Gail? What’s this all about?”
“I mentioned to Joe that Simon and I have gone out a couple of
times, Dad. But it’s no big deal.”
“There’s no truth to the rape stuff?”
“None. I didn’t say it, and it didn’t happen. The rumors about
Simon are crazy. He can’t do anything without the press making an issue of
it.”
He didn’t let her comment about media exposure distract him.
“Your brother’s right. Getting involved with someone like Simon is asking for
trouble. You don’t want to screw up your life, do you?”
Imagining what he’d have to say when he learned about the
marriage, she wrung her hands. “No, of course not. But…he—he’s not as bad as I
thought.”
“Don’t you believe it, Gabby,” he warned. “If you have any
doubts, all you have to do is ask his ex-wife.”
“It’s not like Bella and I are friends, Dad. Besides, I don’t
get the impression that the divorce was entirely
as Matt played for the Packers, Whiskey Creek would be wearing green and
gold.
Eventually her father said it was getting late and he had to be
up early. At that point, Gail knew she’d waited too long to broach the subject
of Simon. With Martin about to hang up, it would be even more awkward to give
him her news. But she had no choice.
She cleared her throat. “Before you go I, uh, there’s something
I want to tell you.”
This met with silence. No doubt he’d heard the nervousness in
her voice.
“Everything okay, Gabby?”
Where he’d gotten that nickname, she had no idea, but he’d used
it like an endearment ever since she was a child. “Yeah, of course. I’m fine.
It’s just—”
“What the hell?” Joe spoke so loudly in the background that he
interrupted their conversation. “Give me the phone.”
“What’s the matter with you?” her father responded, but the
phone changed hands, and Joe’s voice came back on the line.
“Tell me it’s not true, Gail! Tell me Simon O’Neal didn’t rape
you.”
She bit back a groan. “No, he didn’t. That was… Well, it
doesn’t matter. The important thing is that it didn’t happen and I never said it
did.”
“You’re sure? You’d tell us if you’d been hurt....”
And have them attempt to punish Simon? Probably not. She’d let
the police handle something like that so her father and brother wouldn’t end up
in jail. But she didn’t say so. “Of course. I’d speak up if I had anything to
tell. That claim is one hundred percent false.”
He wasn’t completely mollified. “That’s what it says on AOL.
But you wouldn’t lie about something like that. If you said it, it’s true.”
“I didn’t say it. One of my
employees got drunk and started that rumor.”
There was a slight pause while Joe considered what she’d told
him. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No.”
“Which employee?”
“It’s been taken care of.”
“Whoever it is should be fired.”
“It’s been handled, like I said.”
“Is the same person responsible for the rest of it, too?
Because Dad’s reading the article right now, and it says you and Simon have been
secretly seeing each other for several weeks.”
Saying a silent prayer that this would go better than she
feared, Gail changed her phone to the other ear. “My employee has nothing to do
with that part of it.”
“Which means…what? It can’t be true! I can’t believe you’d go
out with a man like Simon O’Neal. Any woman who got involved with him after all
his bad press would be asking for trouble.”
“I… He… We’re not… I mean, I’ve been out with him a few times,
but it’s not serious.” She told herself to calm down so she could at least speak
coherently. “The media is making more of our relationship than it is.”
“There’s a picture with the caption Simon O’Neal’s Love Life
Heats Up Again—with PR Maven Who Cried Rape.”
“Like I said, we went on a few dates, that’s all.”
Her father took over again. “Gail? What’s this all about?”
“I mentioned to Joe that Simon and I have gone out a couple of
times, Dad. But it’s no big deal.”
“There’s no truth to the rape stuff?”
“None. I didn’t say it, and it didn’t happen. The rumors about
Simon are crazy. He can’t do anything without the press making an issue of
it.”
He didn’t let her comment about media exposure distract him.
“Your brother’s right. Getting involved with someone like Simon is asking for
trouble. You don’t want to screw up your life, do you?”
Imagining what he’d have to say when he learned about the
marriage, she wrung her hands. “No, of course not. But…he—he’s not as bad as I
thought.”
“Don’t you believe it, Gabby,” he warned. “If you have any
doubts, all you have to do is ask his ex-wife.”
“It’s not like Bella and I are friends, Dad. Besides, I don’t
get the impression that the divorce was entirely
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