All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [53]
"It wasn't one of us," Laura said finally. "How can you think that? And it's not just you who's getting hurt here. There are things in the book about me that I'd prefer no one else know, like that pot-smoking incident with Eric and Anthony next door. I don't want my daughters or my parents, for that matter, to know I smoked pot in college. And I'm sure Madison doesn't want her coworkers to know she once stripped and ran naked through the Sigma Chi house. That wasn't her finest moment."
"Hey, I looked damn good," Madison said. "But you're right. It's not an incident I would have chosen to publicize. So who else could have done this?" She picked up her wineglass again and took another sip while she considered the question. "What about Jessica Holbrook? That bitch hated us."
Jessica Holbrook was Emily's official "big sister" in the house. Jessica had loved Emily but had never been a big fan of the Fabulous Four. She'd told them on more than one occasion that the sorority was all for one, one for all, and that smaller cliques like the Fabulous Four should not exist. "I wonder what happened to her," Natalie murmured.
"I know," Laura said. "She's still in Santa Cruz. In fact, she works with Diane Thomas at the Panhellenic Office. She's the current adviser to the Gamma Delts. It was in the alumni newsletter."
"That figures," Madison said. "Jessica was the ultimate sorority girl." She paused, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. "We should call her."
Natalie immediately shook her head. "Absolutely not."
"You want to find out who has the knife in your back, don't you?" She turned to Laura. "I bet you have her phone number, don't you? Probably in that big purse of yours."
"I might have my address book in my purse," Laura admitted. "But I can't just call Jessica out of the blue. What would I say? I haven't talked to her since she graduated. And it wasn't like we were ever friends."
"You can say you're planning a reunion for everyone in the house during the four years you were there. And since she's now the adviser for the Gamma Delts, you wanted to start with her. It's perfect."
"What do I say after we get past the fake reunion thing? I don't want to bring up the book if she doesn't know about it. That would just add to the publicity."
"That's a good point," Natalie put in.
"Just wing it," Madison advised. "If Jessica knows about the book, she'll probably bring it up. If she doesn't bring it up, try to find out what happened to some of the other girls who were there that night, like Marie or Danielle."
"Drew is not going to like this," Laura muttered as she reached for her address book. "This isn't exactly staying out of it as he ordered me to do."
"You're a grown woman. You can make your own decisions, can't you?" Madison asked.
"You make it sound so easy, but Drew and I—our lives are complicated by our children, and my parents have practically adopted Drew. If we divorced, they'd probably take him in the settlement. They like him and respect him so much. They don't feel the same way about me."
"Maybe you haven't given them a reason to respect you. People treat you the way you ask to be treated," Madison said. "If you let them walk all over you, they will."
"I don't have as much confidence as you and Natalie do. You're both so smart."
"So are you, Laura," Natalie interjected. "And Madison is right. If you don't stand up for yourself, no one will stand up for you. If you want change, you have to make change."
Laura sighed, her expression clearly troubled. "I do want change."
"So start now, with us," Madison encouraged. "Call Jessica. Help us get to the bottom of this book situation. Think of it as a small step on the way to your independence."
"Fine. I'll do it. Give me the phone."
Natalie handed her the portable phone, pleased that they were taking some action. Even if calling Jessica accomplished nothing, at least they weren't just sitting back, waiting for the other shoe to drop. She pushed the button to put the phone on Speaker as a woman's voice came over the line, saying, "Hello?"