“Sit, sit, honey.” She pulled out a bar stool that lined the kitchen’s peninsula.
A plate of freshly baked cookies appeared in front of me, and I snatched one.
“So work is okay with you taking some time off, then?”
I nodded. “Mike was pretty understanding. I’ll go back on Monday, though.”
“You sure you don’t want to take some more time off?”
I shook my head. “I broke up with my boyfriend. No one died or anything.”
“Honey, it’s a bigger deal than that. You two were practically married.”
“Except we weren’t,” I said flatly.
“Well, you lived together. You had to move out. That’s a huge life change. I’m sure they would understand if you needed to take a few extra personal day—”
“Mom, stop. I’m fine. Yes, I have to find a new place to live, but I’ll manage. Did I expect to be planning a wedding this holiday season instead of signing up for dating apps? Maybe. But there’s nothing I can do about my situation except move on. Going back to work and keeping busy is exactly what I need. The last thing I need to do is fester and be sad over this while Garrett and Nadine play house in my old apartment.”
Just thinking the last thought made me fume. I took a few deep breaths to calm down. The fact that as I was moving into my parent’s guest bedroom, they were probably popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate their new chapter together made my blood boil.
“Well, I don’t want you to bottle anything up. It’s okay to be upset about this.” She came around the peninsula and kissed the top of my head. “I would say for your situation, at least a week of wallowing in self-pity would be appropriate.”
I rolled my eyes. “I promise I’m fine. That’s hardly necessary.”
* * *
A few hours later,I was unpacking the contents of my suitcases into a tiny dresser only intended for overnight guests. My jeans were overflowing out of the bottom drawer as I struggled to jam it closed. I would have to find some more storage if I was going to make this work for any extended amount of time.
The vibration coming from my phone was a welcome interruption. I picked it up to see Jennifer's name flashing across the screen. I was dreading this conversation but figured it would be better to get it over with. Since she and Nadine were so close, I wondered if she had already been informed.
“Hey, Jen,” I said.
“Hey, girl. How are you holding up? I called as soon as I heard what happened.” The sympathy oozing from her voice made me cringe. The last thing I wanted was everyone in my friend group to pity me.
“I’m as good as can be expected. Better now than yesterday.” I fell back onto the plush bed. “I guess I’m still in shock a little bit. I can’t believe Garrett isn’t in my life anymore. And then the fact that he and Nadine were sneaking around all this time? It makes me sick to think about it. I feel like an idiot.”
“Ugh, I can’t even imagine what you’re going through.”
I paused before responding. “I thought he was going to propose to me yesterday. Instead, I found him half-naked with someone I thought was my friend.”
“Sheisyour friend,” Jennifer insisted.
I snorted. “Not anymore.”
“Oh no, you can’t let this break up a friendship. You just need some time to adjust.”
Her relaxed tone made me shoot up in bed. “Um, excuse me? I don’t just needtime to adjust. They had been having an affair behind my back formonths.They’re dead to me.”
“That’s so dramatic,” Jennifer whined.
“How are you being so casual about this? They were lying to all of us. I know you’ve known Nadine longer, but you should be on my side.”
The call went silent. I checked my phone to make sure we hadn’t gotten disconnected.
“Jen?”
“Mattie…”
