Page 14 of Broken
“We’ll check our schedule,” her dad replied.
She hopped in, blew them a kiss, and drove away.
Next stop, her older sister’s new digs in Reston.
Ten minutes later, she pulled into a beautiful neighborhood with large homes, pristine lawns, and tree-lined streets.
Since she’d been gone, she hadn’t heard from Leslie, unless she initiated a text. The sisters had been close, so she was excited to see what had been happening in her life. When Jacqueline left for San Francisco, Leslie had been working retail and had a second job as a server at a high-end DC restaurant.
The nav app announced she’d arrived, so she parked at the top of the driveway.
Wow, this is seriously nice.
The modern-looking structure boasted two stories, but the distinctive angles and bright white paint paired with brown trim looked like something she’d see on the front of an architectural magazine.
As he made her way down the driveway, her phone pinged with an incoming message on the Asylum app.
The message was from Mac. “Drinks at nine. Don’t be late.”
A charge of adrenaline had her fingers flying as she typed out her response. “If I am late, are you going to punish me?” She added a wink emoji, then sent the message.
As she continued up the walkway, the front door flew open.
“Darling, hello!” Leslie threw her arms into the air with dramatic flair. Rather than step outside to hug her, or move out of the way to let her in, she stood there like a mannequin.
Oh, wow.
In that instant, Jacqueline knew exactly what her family had been talking about. Her sister’s startling new look, paired with the heavy makeup and extravagant jumpsuit, made Jacqueline’s jaw drop.
“Look at you!” Jacqueline exclaimed. “I would have walked right past you.”
Older by two years, thirty-three-year-old Leslie Hartley twirled slowly. “Do you love the new me or what?”
Jacqueline didnot, but she wasn’t about to go there. Gone was her sister’s beautiful brown hair with natural chestnut highlights and pretty hazel eyes. Gone was the girl-next-door figure. She was telling the truth when she said she would have walked right by her.
“You’re glowing,” Jaqueline said. “You look so happy.”
Leslie moved out of the way. As Jacqueline stepped inside, she couldn’t take her eyes off her sister.
“Do you want to know my secret?” Leslie asked.
“Absolutely.”
Leslie stepped close and Jacqueline went to hug her. Instead, Leslie gave her an air kiss, her new and super-sized breasts bumping Jacqueline.
“Let’s start with the obvious.” Leslie turned sideways and gestured to her bustline. “Are they the best? I’m a triple D. These babies get me some serious IG likes.”
“Instagram?”
“I’m an InstaModel.” Leslie threw her shoulders back, accentuating her breasts. “And my girls are what sells products.”
“Okay.”
“I make buckets of money every time I post,” Leslie continued. “The more followers I have, the more money I make. And I get paid by companies who want me to help move their products.” She threw her arms into the air, again. “I’m a huge success!”
“That’s great, sis.”
Wow, she’s different.
