Fuck my life. Standing there in the entrance was my ex. Of all the restaurants in Massachusetts, what were the chances? There was no way this was a coincidence. It was intentional. I would bet everything I own.
“Hey, Nate.” She smiled and walked toward the table. “Long time no see.”
This was the first time I’d come face-to-face with Lydia since breaking things off last year.
I didn’t stand. Didn’t smile. I didn’t do a damn thing to make this easy on her. I hoped maybe if I stared at her long enough without blinking, she would disappear.
She was dressed in a cream dress that was so tight, you could see every outline of her curves. Her long blond hair was in loose waves, and as usual, she looked put together. Way too put together for this to be an accident.
Callie picked up her wineglass from the table and shoved it into my hand. I quickly downed it and pushed my chair back before this turned into a shit show.
“What are you doing here?”
“I heard about the fundraiser this weekend. It was always one of my favorite events.” She shifted on her feet as I met her halfway across the room. “I would have called or reached out to you directly, but you blocked me.”
I glanced at the table briefly and turned back to her. “And you thought I would be happy that you showed up uninvited to a family dinner?”
“It was a last-minute decision. I promise, I’m not here to ambush you.” She looked at me hesitantly. “Can I talk to you for a minute privately?”
The last time I saw her was the day I kicked her out of my house. My family knew we had broken up but never knew why. They adored Lydia, so without fully disclosing what a cheating, conniving person she was, I simply told them she wasn’t the person she pretended to be and left it at that. I didn’t want my family’s pity.
“Now is not a good time. As you can see, I’m busy.”
There was no sense in pretending that I was happy to see her.
She glanced around the table and hesitated. “I didn’t know how else to get in touch with you. I just need you to spare me five minutes alone, please.”
I wasn’t sure if I could handle a civil conversation with her, but I didn’t want to cause a bigger scene in front of my family either.
I nodded toward the door for her to follow me. “Not a second more.”
I walked toward the hallway, not waiting to see if she was following me, and didn’t stop until we reached the bathrooms. It was far enough away that we were out of earshot.
“What are you doing here, Lydia?”
She sighed quietly. “I didn’t come here to fight with you.”
I crossed my arms, pissed off that she had hijacked my family time. “I don’t have all night, so answer the question.”
She met my eyes. “Are you going to hate me forever?”
My smile was tight. “It’s kind of hard not to after what you did to me.”
Her shoulders stiffened defensively. “You weren’t exactly the perfect boyfriend, Nate.”
My jaw ticked. “At least I didn’t cheat.”
“I thought maybe if I came tonight?—”
My eyes flared. “You thought what?”
She flinched. “That we could be civil.”
“You thought wrong.”
She shook her head like she was frustrated with me. What the hell did she expect?
“I tried to be nice, but clearly that’s not going to get me anywhere. I shouldn’t be surprised, because this is exactly your problem. You shut down and act cold and indifferent.”
