“What did you tell them happened between us? Did you tell them the truth about how we broke up?” I ask her. Because, Lord knows, Carina will always tell a story that makes her look good.
She drops her head, and that’s enough of an answer for me.
I scoff. “You know what, I don’t even care. Typical.”
“I didn’t go too far off the script,” she huffs, finding her voice again. “You were avoiding me. A lot! Your work was more important.”
To this I say nothing. It was an argument that stayed on repeat back in the day. And I would give Carina the same excuse each and every time.
Deadlines.
Schedules.
Book tours.
Meetings.
I’m not going through this again, because what’s the point?
Carina shakes her head, as if she gives up.
“I just want us to get along this week,” she says earnestly. “Please. I appreciate you being here. I…” she sighs. “I’m sorry. I know this is a lot for you.”
My eyebrow raises. An apology? From Carina Sterling. I’m amazed.
“I feel like such a bitch,” she sighs. “I’ve just been so stressed with this wedding.”
Her confession and apology chip away at some of the resentment I've carried all these years. Maybe I am being a bit much. But I had my reasons.
“I mean, this is a little over the top compared to what you said you’ve always wanted. What happened to the courthouse wedding in LA and then the trip to Europe after?”
She gazes at me. “You remember that?”
“I do.”
We'd had that conversation years ago over takeout and a bottle of cheap wine while watching coverage of yet another multimillion-dollar celebrity wedding. Carina had spent almost an hour ranting about celebrity weddings and how ridiculous they were. According to her, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single day was insanity.
“Well, when you have a mother like mine, a simple wedding just won’t cut it.”
“True. A simple wedding never stood a chance with Collette.”
Carina snickers.
“No, it doesn’t.” A bright, sincere smile graces her face, and she suddenly looks content. “I meant it when I said I was sorry, Ozzy. Truly and deeply. I hate that it happened that way. But there was no denying the inevitable.”
I understand clearly what she means. Although it doesn’t excuse what happened and how. She is right. There was noescaping it. Whatever she and Gavin have was always going to lead them here.
The apology she gave sinks in, settling slowly within me, almost like a hug. And maybe that was all I needed.
A look of understanding passes between us, and Carina smiles before walking away. Something that had always felt unfinished and unresolved has finally happened, loosening its grip on me.
Closure.
16
rule one
MARLEY
