“It’s not like that,” she repeated, hoping she sounded firm instead of hysterical. Then she remembered where she was and lowered her voice, just in case. “If you could see what she looks like now, then you’d know.”

“Honey, I know you like to think the best of people—”

“I don’t think the best of her, but this is something she wouldn’t do. I mean, she likes men,” she added, turning red. She couldn’t believe she was here in Vivian’s ex-husband’s bed talking about her boss’s sexual orientation to her parents. This was hell.

“She likes power,” he said quietly.

“Can we please stop talking about this,” she moaned. “You said I could make my own decisions.”

“Okay,” her dad growled again. “Okay. I guess you know what you’re doing,” he added in a voice that suggested precisely the opposite. “But, honey—and I mean this—you give us a call and we will put you on the first flight out of there. Day or night, no questions asked. Just call us.”

“I will. I promise. But everything’s okay. It’s weird, but it’s okay. I mean, with Vivian, weird’s normal,” she added, with a horrible-sounding little laugh.

“Jules…”

“Dad, please. I’ll call you if anything happens. I swear.”

“We love you, sweetheart,” he said. “We only want the best for you.”

“I love you too.” She hunched her shoulders. “I’ll be in touch. Um, I don’t think I’d better talk anymore to Mom yet.”

“Probably for the best,” he agreed. “Bye, honey. Call us.”

Jules heard her mother’s voice saying “Let me talk to—” before her dad disconnected.

Taking a deep breath, Jules prayed that he could keep her mother from calling her back. She headed for the bathroom and washed her makeup off before returning to the bedroom, already longing to collapse again.

She undressed and slipped under the immaculate bedcovers, letting the phone drop from her hand to the mattress. It was a nice mattress. It was a nice room.

Her father’s suggestion had been ludicrous. Even if Vivian hadn’t been married twice—no, wait, three times now—to men, it was still true that the only thing that excited her these days was pizza. Vivian looked so wretched that even the idea of sex was probably enough to give her morning sickness in the afternoon, especially since sex had gotten her into this mess in the first place.

No, Vivian hadn’t brought Jules here to…do what her father had implied. Even if Jules still wasn’t sure why Vivian had brought her here.

She wondered if Vivian knew.

In the meantime, Jules had plans for later—plans to impress Vivian as she’d said she would—but no energy to implement them now. She set her alarm for an hour. A nap was required.