“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Now she can have better.”
Ricki stopped pacing and gripped the chair back as if she needed something to hold herself up. Her pained expression told Blythe she still didn’t understand.
“She’s free.” Blythe gave Ricki a huge smile. “You can ask her out now.”
Ricki stared without speaking. Was she overwhelmed with joy? No, her expression was one of stunned silence, not jubilation.
“It’s okay,” Blythe said, filling the silence. “I’m good with it. She’s yours.”
“Jesus, Blythe. You can’t just go giving me your girlfriend.”
Blythe scowled. “I know that. I didn’t mean it literally. You’ll have to ask her out and all. But I’m sure she’d say yes. I don’t see why she wouldn’t. Then she could have both of us in her life again.”
“Oh, my god, you’re an idiot.” Ricki put her hand over her face. “This was your brilliant plan?”
“What’s wrong with it? We’ve had so much fun this summer. Why ruin a good thing? We can still hang out together. It sounds like a win-win to me.”
“And you’d be okay with being the third wheel?”
“Ha.” Blythe held her arms wide. “I will never be the third wheel. Think of me as the star attraction and you two as my entourage.”
By the sour expression on Ricki’s face, Blythe had played her role of egotistical creator well. It might be hard seeing Ricki withAbby, but Blythe would get over it. Abby was great, but Blythe never looked at Abby the way Ricki did, and she knew she never would. It wasn’t Blythe’s style.
And truth be told, Abby would never look at Blythe the same way she’d looked at Ricki. Blythe had been watching around the corner when Ricki and Abby said goodbye. The sadness in Abby’s eyes when Blythe broke up with her paled in comparison to Abby’s devastation when she walked away from Ricki. If Blythe had any reservations about the breakup, after seeing Abby’s reaction, she knew she’d made the right decision.
“Are you going to say something?” Blythe asked.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Thank you might be a start.”
“Seriously?” Ricki shook her head. “I just can’t.” Ricki turned and walked toward the staircase leading to her bedroom.
“You can’t what?” Blythe called after her.
Ricki stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned. Their eyes met. Ricki’s eyes were full of pain and sadness, but Blythe wanted to believe she saw a hint of hope.
“I want to claim that I don’t understand what you did, but I’d be lying. You’ve been my friend for too long. Scary, but in a warped way, I understand your logic. But I can’t.”
“Can’t what?” Blythe raised her voice.
“Be responsible for hurting Abby.” Ricki started up the stairs.
“You will be if you don’t do what we both know is right,” Blythe called after her.
Ricki kept walking as Blythe stared after her. Blythe knew she’d done the right thing, even if Ricki didn’t see it yet.
CHAPTER 41
A knock sounded onAbby’s office door. She stared at it, knowing it was Madeline. This past week, Madeline had taken to knocking instead of barging in. Self-preservation since last week she’d walked in on Abby while Blythe was breaking up with her.
Leave it to Blythe to do it while Abby was at the library. Blythe had claimed she couldn’t take waiting any longer, but Abby suspected it was calculated. With Abby at work, Blythe knew the conversation would be brief; whereas, if she was home, it might’ve lasted longer.
What Blythe didn’t realize was that it wouldn’t have. Abby was as relieved as Blythe to end the call. There was nothing more to say, and Abby needed solitude to process her feelings. After a week, she was still processing.
“Come in,” Abby finally said.
Madeline peeked her head inside the door and studied Abby’s face before she entered. “How’s it going?”
