“Can’t she give me a ride too?Seems stupid to call a ride share when we’re going to the same place.”
How is he not getting this?“We’re not going to the same place.”He’s going his way, and I’m going mine.
He blinks at me, my words slowly registering as his eyes grow wider.“Let me get this straight,” he says.“You sat here all night, letting me pay for your drinks and eating my food, and you’re not asking me to come over?”
I didn’t realize the offer of those things came with expectations.
I try to smile, to play this off as some sort of joke, but the truth is, I don’t feel like it.
I’ve had a shitty day, and Steve’s entitled attitude is just icing on the crap cake.
Say it with a smile, Clo…
My dad’s words that would usually bolster me through disappointment fade into nothing, replaced by a deeper, more clipped tone.
You deserve better.
I don’t owe this guy anything.
Not an excuse, or an apology, or a smile.
Not a damn thing.
“Do you know what I find funny?”I prop my hands on my hips, ready to go full supervillain on this jackass.“You’re sitting here calling Ethan a dick, yet you’re the one thinking you deserve to hop straight into my bed simply because you’re here or because you bought me a few drinks.Well, guess what?It’s not happening tonight or ever again.”
I turn to find Lola standing behind me, Willow at her side, both of them staring with wide eyes and huge grins.
I snatch the black checkbook from Lola’s hand, drag a wad of cash from my purse, and stuff it inside.Then I tuck it into Lola’s apron, give her a smack on the ass, and tell her to keep the change.
“You’re my new hero,”Willow says for the fourth time, laughing and shaking her head as she peels out of the parking lot and onto the road.
I think I might be my new hero too.
“I thought you’d be all sad after finding out about Ethan leaving,” she goes on, “but instead you’re on fire.”
I am on fire.It feels good to say exactly what I mean and to mean exactly what I say.
“You good if I swing by my place to check on Sebastian?”she asks.
“Only if you’re good with me using your bathroom.”I really,reallyhave to pee.
She turns onto a small road and the car bobbles over the uneven pavement, rattling my teeth.
I sink deeper into the upholstered seat, letting my head fall back with a sigh.“I really like him, Wills.”
“Who, Steve?”she scoffs.
“God, no.Ew.What did I ever see in that guy?”
She pulls into the driveway of her tiny cottage and shifts the car into park.When she pulls her key from the ignition, the light above us flicks on, making me squint.“Loneliness makes us do stupid things sometimes,” she says, sympathy in her eyes.
I never considered myself a lonely person, but I think maybe I have been.
And I think maybe Ethan has been lonely too.
“I like Ethan Davis,” I say for the record.“Scowls and all.”
“I know you do, babe.”Willow reaches across the center console and squeezes my knee.
