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Ashley opened her mouth, but Vera got there first. “He gets an unfairly bad rap. When we had him over for dinner, he was the nicest guy. Really humble.”
“Dinner?”
“He was here?”
Vera shared a smug look with Ashley. “Yeah, if you must know?—”
“Vera,” Ashley warned.
“What? So you guys didn’t work out but hell, if you’re giving him the time of day, Ash, then he’s got to be worth the effort.”
Maeve pointed at Vera. “Stop gossiping.”
Eva’s mouth gaped. “You and Dex O’Malley … had a thing?”
“No. As I said before, we were just friends. Are.”
Mallory nodded in sympathy with a look that said: got what he wanted, did he?
Ashley’s cheeks flushed hot. “Could we talk about something else? What did we think of the mime character in the book?”
Vera wasn’t finished. “You think my sister can’t attract a guy that gorgeous?”
Lainey weighed in. “Of course she can. That’s not what we meant.” She continued, “But he’s not here now and there’s a reason for that. It’s not real life, is it? It’s not being there when you need him or picking up the kids from school or doing laundry. We all know that men are always looking for the new and shiny. Guys like Dex O’Malley are a nice distraction, but they’re not for keeps.”
“What guys are?” Ashley had finally found her voice.
“Excuse me?” Mallory asked.
“What guys are for keeps? Because listening to everyone here, none of them are. Not a single one can be trusted. Everyone cheats and lies and runs off with the nanny or the personal assistant or the babysitter. Every one of them gets bored or can’t handle the mundane day to day or are ready to bail when the going gets tough. I don’t want to spend my life expecting to be hurt and I don’t want to raise my daughter with those levels of distrust. So Dex O’Malley might not be right for me but he was sweet and kind, generous and passionate. One day, he’ll make someone very happy.”
Just not her.
She stood and grabbed her half-full glass of wine. “Even in the midst of war, people found a way to love each other. I don’t know why you guys bother with these books when you’ve already given up on everything.”
Leaving them with mouths agape, she headed into the kitchen.
A few seconds later, Maeve appeared behind her. “You okay?”
“Fine! Absolutely perfect.”
“You haven’t said what happened. With Dex.”
She turned to her sister. “What you said would happen. What they said would happen.” She gestured at the living room. “He’s not ready for something real. He’s not ready to trust anyone with his heart and I’ve realized that I’m not there, either.”
This was more than his situation with his mother. Dex had gone much of his life thinking he wasn’t worthy of love, that his value was tied up in being a hockey player. She had tried to imbue in him a sense of self-love and the recognition that he had so much more to give, the values she believed in and taught to her daughter.
When he told her she’d messed up in talking to his mom, she knew it was his hurt heart talking. But she also saw him reaching for the easy out, a way to exit this fling because he wasn’t ready for the commitment she needed.
And she’d offered it to him, hadn’t she? She told him she loved him, that he needed to face his fears. Implied that only when he stepped up, would he become worthy of her. She didn’t truly believe he’d stick around, and when pushed out the door, he’d taken the chance to leave and proven her right.
Was that an Ashley problem or a Dex problem? She just didn’t know.
Her sister looked concerned, to which Ashley scoffed. “I’m taking a leaf out of your book.”
Vera came into the kitchen. “Cat amongst the pigeons, Ash. Now they’re talking about the good things their exes do. It’s a short conversation.” She frowned. “What’s wrong? Other than the obvious?”
Maeve pointed at Ashley. “It’s finally happened. We broke her.”
