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She wanted to be honest with Jake as much as she could, and that meant not pretending that everything was the same after last night. But she also didn’t want to strip her heart entirely bare when he hadn’t offered her his heart too.
Raney was at work, but Meg worked in retail and her shift didn’t start until the afternoon, so she was coming back from a run as Anne wheeled her case up to their door.
“What are you doing here?” Meg asked, wiping sweat from her face. “Are you okay?”
Anne opened her mouth to say she was fine but couldn’t get the words out. She just shook her head instead.
“What happened?” Meg asked, unlocking the door since Anne hadn’t yet managed. “Did something happen with Jake?”
Anne stepped inside, left her case next to the door, and collapsed onto the couch. Meg went to grab a bottle of water and sat beside her.
“Tell me,” Meg insisted, when Anne tried to compose herself enough to talk.
“I slept with him.”
Meg gasped, almost choking on a sip of water. “You’re kidding. How did that happen?”
“I don’t know. It just did. I don’t know what we were thinking.”
“Well, you were thinking you were in love with him. But what was he thinking?”
“He was thinking…it was just a one-time thing.”
“How do you know?”
“He left me.”
“What do you mean, he left you?”
“He left in the morning. Without saying a word.”
Meg’s mouth fell open. “So he wouldn’t even talk to you?”
“He didn’t. He just left.”
“I mean, you tried to talk to him, right?”
Anne swallowed. “No. He was gone.”
“Wait a minute. I don’t understand. You didn’t even try to talk to him afterwards.”
“There wasn’t any point. He always thinks about work first. He’s trying to keep me as an employee.”
“So he had sex with you as a way to—”
“No. No. Not like that. The sex was separate. It was just a thing. But he only wants me as an employee. Not as a…as a…”
Meg was obviously thinking hard, a frown breaking her pretty, freckled face. “Did you leave him a note or something, to explain why you left?”
“No.” Anne released a long sigh and rubbed her face. “I guess I should have. I’m technically still working for him.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not about work. It’s about you running out a guy you had sex with without explanation. That’s kind of cold.”
“It’s not like I snuck out while he was asleep.” Anne was starting to feel a little defensive. “He snuck out on me. He didn’t want to talk to me. He feels awkward and doesn’t want to hurt my feelings. I know him, remember? I’ve worked for him for seven years. I know exactly what he’s thinking. He doesn’t give himself over to things he wants very much. He wanted to have a good time last night, so he let down enough to have it. But he’s not about to let it reprioritize his life. It’s always work for him. That’s always going to be first.”
“Damn it, Anne. You didn’t even give him the chance!”
“If he wanted a chance, he would have said something. And he wouldn’t have left me alone this morning. He doesn’t want a chance. I know him, Meg. I know him.” She was almost crying again, so she took a minute to stop herself.
Meg looked like she was going to argue some more, but she must have stopped herself. Her mouth closed, and she was silent for a minute. Then she said in a different tone, “So what are you going to do?”
“Nothing. He can sue me if he wants, for not giving him two weeks’ notice. I just can’t work for him anymore.”
“Oh, Anne. I’m sorry it’s all a mess. But take today. Maybe you’ll feel a little better tomorrow, and then you can go talk to him.”
“What would I even say? You don’t expect me to humiliate myself by pouring out my heart when he doesn’t return my feelings, do you? Because I’m never going to do that.”
“Maybe there’s something in between spilling your guts and not saying anything at all.”
