Maybe everything the three of us had only meant something to me.
“God, these females have us fucked up, don’t they?”
Alex lets out a humorless laugh. “You’re not kidding.”
I openmy phone and peek at Stephen’s messages for the fourth time today.
Stephen
Good morning, pretty girl.
Stephen
It was so good to see you Friday night.
My stomach coils itself into a giant knot.
No one is as persistent as Stephen McKinley. Ignoring him is useless. I know this, yet I can’t bring myself to respond to any of his texts.
“Just answer him and put the poor guy out of his misery.”
My shoulders jump. “Jesus, Dom. You scared me.”
Dominique gestures to the little silver bell hanging above the doorway. “That’s because you’re too busy fantasizing about your hockey boyfriends.”
I glance around the library, making sure there are no kids lingering in the nearby stacks. “I just don’t know what to say to him. Like, what’s the point of talking to him?”
Her dark brows shoot up. “The point? Ask your vagina. I can hear her crying from here.”
I roll my eyes. “Be serious, Dom. Think about it: He’s a pro athlete. What does he want with me?”
“Maybe he’s looking for closure. I’m sure he’d like to know why you disappeared so abruptly from his life.”
I chew my bottom lip while guilt gnaws at my insides. “You think that’s what it is?”
“You won’t know until you find out.” She slides my phone closer to me on the desk. “Just text him.”
Heaving a sigh, I lift my phone and type out a text.
Me
Hi, Stephen. It was really good to see you too.
His response is instant.
Stephen
I’d love to see you again.
I hold my phone up so Dominique can see his response. “Now what?”
She grins. “Now you set up a time and place to meet up.”
The dismissal bell rings before I can offer her an excuse as to why I can’t hang out with my ex-boyfriend, and we head outside to our afternoon duties.
After the parking lot clears out, I head to my car and drive to pick up my niece and nephew.
Monday through Friday, I run around like a chicken without a head. Alyssa is split between field hockey and band practice, while Avery takes private art lessons, which means I’m drivingthem to and from their extracurricular activities and trying to fit in some time to cook a healthy, balanced dinner when we get home.
