“Hold the phone, Lady Gaga.” Antoni whipped around to face me. “You can’t just name drop like that and not show me the receipts.”
I pulled my phone out of my purse and found one of my favorite pictures of Bradley Cooper.
He took the device from my hands. “Honey, you need to get your eyes checked becausethisis a dog.”
“Yep.” I smiled. “My dog.”
“Look at that cute little nugget,” Antoni said as he studied the picture. “Let me guess, you named him that just so you could say you’re going home to Bradley Cooper to fool suckers like me.”
“That’s correct.” I laughed. “If you swipe over there’s a few more pictures.”
“He is adorable, Ella.” He moved his fingers across the screen, making schmoopie faces as he did. He came to an abrupt stop, his mouth gaping open. “Is this our own Cash Mongomery with your dog?”
Shit.I hadn’t been able to bring myself to delete those photos he’d sent me the day he took Bradley Cooper out while I was at work. In fact, I’d spent more time than I cared to admit staring at them.
“I knew it,” Antoni exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the table. “I saw the way he looked at you at Liv’s wedding. It’s about damn time is all I have to say.”
My gaze fell to my lap. “Well, it’s kind of complicated.”
Katie’s eyes widened with concern. I hadn’t had a chance to tell her yet. “No…”
I frowned. “We had started seeing each other, but things didn’t quite work out.”
Antoni placed his arm around my shoulders. “What happened, honey?”
I gave Antoni and Katie theReader’s Digestversion of our relationship, unable to make myself relive it all in detail again.
Katie reached for my hand across the table. “I’m so sorry, Ella.”
Antoni shook his head. “I just… I don’t get it. This isn’t like him.”
I sighed. “That’s what everyone keeps saying.”
“And I have no doubt in my mind that man is in love with you,” Antoni said. “I don’t know, honey. Call me crazy, but I don’t think your story is over.”
“It sure feels over to me,” I muttered.
“How did Grace take it?” Katie asked.
“She handled it pretty well,” I admitted. “I kind of got the feeling she might try to talk to him, but if she did, she hasn’t told me. And I think I’m okay with that.”
“Is that… weird for you?” Katie’s brow furrowed with concern.
“She and Cash have a relationship outside of the one I had with him. I don’t want her to feel she can’t maintain that if she wants to,” I said. “I’m sad because I guess I really saw a future for us, but it just wasn’t meant to be. It might be a little awkward for a while, but I don’t want this to affect anyone else’s relationship with Cash. I don’t want us to be the reason Sunday dinners get weird.”
Liv snorted. “That’s Luca’s job.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Besides, even though this didn’t turn out the way I hoped it would, I still care about him. I want him to be happy.” Even if it wasn’t with me.
My gaze dropped to my margarita as I twirled the straw around the glass.
Liv caught my eye, and sensing my mood, she changed the subject. “Antoni, we’ve got to tell you about the latest Luca debacle.”
Katie nearly choked on her cocktail. “Brandi?”
“With an i,” Liv and Katie said together.
Antoni leaned in, listening intently as Liv and Katie regaled him with the details of Luca and Brandi’s sexcapades at our Sunday dinner.
