“We’re worried about you.”
“We?” Was Audrey included in that statement? And why did I care?
I spread my arms wide. “Well, as you can see, I’m fine.” Though my chest felt as if there were a gaping hole in it where my heart should’ve been. I couldn’t believe… I shook my head. She’d made me fall for her and then played me for a fool.
“Audrey cares about you, Ethan.”
“Yeah?” I scoffed. “She sure has a funny way of showing it.”
“I think you should talk to her. Give her a chance to explain.”
“Why do you even care?” I downed the rest of the water and tossed the bottle in the recycle bin.
“Because I care about you, and I care about Audrey. But also—” He leaned toward me “—Em doesn’t like seeing Audrey upset. And…”
I shook my head with a laugh. “Ah. So that’s how you knew what was going on. Some detective you are,” I said, though I was mostly teasing.
“She’s flying back to Boston tomorrow,” he said, ignoring my jab.
“Yep.” I let the “p” pop. Like I cared. “She never wanted to be here, and now she’s leaving. And since you’re her little messenger boy, you can tell her to list the house.”
“Ethan,” Grant chided. “You can’t be serious. Everyone knows how much you love that house.”
“Loved—past tense.”
“Okay.” He rested his elbows on his thighs. “Be straight with me here. We’re talking about Audrey, not the house, right?”
“Same difference. I don’t want anything to do with either of them.”
“Why are you giving up so easily?”
“Giving up?” I scoffed. “Clearly, you haven’t heard the full story,” I said and went on to explain how she and Ben had concocted a plan to “charm and disarm” me, how everything had been a lie. And worst of all—she’d used me to cheat on her big-city boyfriend.
No, that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that I’d fallen for it—for her.
“She and Ben aren’t together.”
My heart faltered, skipping a beat and then racing ahead. “Yes, they are.”
“No,” he said more firmly. “They’re not. Again, you really need to talk to her.”
I shook my head. Even if that was true, it changed nothing. She’d still lied and manipulated me. “I’m done.”
“What do you think Scott would think of that?” he asked.
I spun on him, clenching my fists. “Don’t you dare bring him into this.”
“Why not? She’s his daughter. He’s the one who left you both the house. And he was always big on forgiveness and second chances.”
“Fuck off,” I spat. “And you can tell Audrey that too.” I walked toward the office, slamming the door behind me.
I dragged my hands through my hair, the strands slick with sweat from my exertions. Grant seemed to think Audrey deserved a chance to explain, but I didn’t see what more there was to say. She’d attempted to “charm and disarm” me to get me to sell the house, and it had worked. I wanted nothing to do with her or the house.
* * *
“Oh, come on,”Chase said, dropping his arm on my shoulder. “You can’t be a grumpy bastard tonight. It’s my birthday.”
I grunted, taking another pull of my beer. If it had been anyone else, I would’ve ditched. But Chase had always been a good friend, and I couldn’t miss his thirtieth celebration—much as I might have wanted to.
