Page 39 of The Ex-Best Thing
I crack a smile and take another bite of the sandwich. “I haven’t been on my phone at all in days.”
“Good.” She gives Benny a look, then swings her gaze back to me. “Stay off it.”
Why does that make me immediately want to open my phone and look everywhere I have followers? I shove the impulse away, glad my phone is in the other room. Assistants manage most of my accounts, so I’m curious what they’ve posted today.Wouldthey post, not knowing where I am?
I lean back in my seat, looking between my self-appointed support team. Benny lays his full attention on me like no one and nothing else in the world is important right now. Nancy watches me like I’m a feral cat and she put out a bowl of milk.
“What’s going on?” I ask, looking between them, wanting to read their expressions at the same time. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
Nancy looks at Benny for a long moment as if she’s waiting for him to jump in. He doesn’t. She sighs. “I won’t lie to you, Bree. I’m disappointed.”
A tiny knife lodges between my ribs, twisting with her words. Did I expect her to say she was fine with it? That my surprise release single isn’t a big deal? I ran away from the world because of how big of a deal it is. I know my stupidity. I can’t be mad that she agrees with something I think myself.
“But everyone makes mistakes,” Nancy continues. “Yours is enormous, but I’ve never been one for cancel culture or jumping on bandwagons.”
Cancel culture? Bandwagons? The knife buries itself deeper, making it hard to breathe. “I’ve already beencanceled?”
They exchange another glance.Enough with the knowing looks already. I can’t take it anymore.
Nancy grimaces. “I’m not sure. I hurried over here once I realized what was going on.”
I push the plate away, my appetite totally gone. That’s it. The phone ban is over. I need to look at the train wreck and assess the damage. No more blanket forts or blissful ignorance for me.I get up and head toward the bathroom where I stashed my phone when Ben steps in my path.
“Not a good idea,” he says.
I try to move him aside, but he’s rock solid. “I can’t bury my head in the sand. I need to know.”
“Give it a day, at least.”
I’m still gripping his arms, grateful for the solid feel of him.
“Your adamance only makes me need to know more.” I expected people to be upset, but this is…more. Canceled? That feels so huge, sofinal.
“Bree,” he says softly, looking down at me earnestly. “Trust me. You need to give it a day. Or five. Or fifty.”
I close my eyes. “Can you dig me a bunker? I think I need to disappear for real.”
“No,” Nancy says from the kitchen, “I think you need the opposite.”
“Grandma—”
“What do you do when you hurt someone, Benny?”
“Apologize?” he says over my head, like it’s a question.
“Exactly. Bree needs to make a very big, very public apology.”
“I can’t.” I drop my hands, spin to face her, and shake my head. “If I’m being canceled, no one will listen to me anyway.”
There’s a beat of silence before Nancy snaps her fingers and points at us. “That’s it! You need to apologize andmake themlisten to you.”
“Like an Instagram live?” I ask.
“No. Like a song, silly.”
“She has a contract, Grandma.”
I don’t tell him this, but that diss track let me out of my contract. It’s part of the reason I was so quick to move forward with it. I’m done with the label, a free agent, ready for my next thing. My wheels are spinning. “Like write an apology?”
