Page 26 of Rumor Has It

“I think you’re right,” Rebecca replied, her voice a little watery.

Another good wipe, this time with the collar of her shirt and Wren had the evidence of her tears swept away. She cleared her throat, desperately needing a distraction—anything from her spiraling thoughts. “Well, Rebecca, what were you up to before I ruined your evening?” God, that felt lame, but she didn’t care. It was Rebecca on the other end of the phone, and for some reason Wren couldn’t quite understand, that made Wren feel safe. She filed that away as something to think about another time.

Rebecca let out a shaky laugh, rolling with Wren’s question. There was a pause, which Wren could only guess was Rebecca wiping her own tears away. “I was painting my toe nails. Wanna see?”

“Are you trying to send me foot pictures?” Wren asked, doing her best to ask as ridiculously as she could muster.

“Oh my God, you’re insufferable. I’m hanging up on you now.”

Wren let out a little laugh, her whole existence lightening with that small reprieve. “I am sorry, Rebecca. For”—

—“No, I don’t accept your apology. This is all my fault. Again,” Rebecca’s voice cracked. “You really were just being lovely to me. You always have been. Wren, I”— Rebecca sighed—“Sometimes, I wish we could have a do-over.”

“From the beginning?” Wren asked, her pulse picking up the slightest amount.

Rebecca was silent on the phone for a while, but Wren didn’t rush to fill it. “Yeah,” she said, softly, finally, but she didn’t let the sentiment linger. “But hey, as much as this sucks, I really appreciate you telling me and not letting me discover it on my own.”

“Of course.” Wren shook her head. “I’d never do that to you.” Wren stopped herself from saying anything further. What had Rebecca meant when she wished she could have a do-over from the beginning? What did Wren want her to mean? Wren could feel a headache coming on, a lightning storm of too many overlapping emotions all at once.

“I know,” Rebecca said softly, cutting off Wren’s thoughts. The weight of her words, the depth of their meaning, with an underlying trust that she had never given to Wren before, it nearly stole the breath from Wren’s lungs. Rebecca sighed. “I should probably go. It’s getting pretty late over here.” She paused. “I’m sorry, Wren. I never meant to ruin your relationship.”

Wren let out a bitter laugh. “You didn’t, Rebecca. It’s been over for a while. I think this was just the final excuse.”

They were silent for a beat, letting reality hover beyond the periphery of their phone call. “Are you going to be okay?” Wren asked, more than a little worried about how Rebecca might respond.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. You?”

Wren sighed. “Yeah, I’ll be alright.”

“Okay, well. I’d say good night, but that feels absurd. So, I hope the rest of your evening doesn’t suck.”

That made Wren actually laugh. “Thank you, Rebecca. I hope the rest of your evening doesn’t suck, too.”

When Wren was finally getting ready for bed, she was hit with the realization that Andy wasn’t coming back—not that Wren wanted her to, but still. Before she could dwell on it, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She half hoped that it would be Rebecca. What did that even mean? She couldn’t let herself get hung up on that, at least not if she wanted to be able to actually take the call.

She was surprised to see Molly’s name on the screen. Wren couldn’t help but smile every time her best friend called. She answered immediately. “Molly, hey.”

“I’m sorry it’s so late,” Molly started. “I’ve needed to call you for weeks now.”

Wren shook her head. “Nah, Molls, it’s fine. How are the twins?”

“Wren Eames, I’m not calling you about my kids. I’m calling you about this magazine article. Are you really sleeping with Rebecca Rothschild again?” Ever since having children, Molly had gotten straight to the point, especially when they were on the phone with each other. At any point in time, their conversation could be interrupted or completely taken over. Wren usually didn’t mind. She loved the hell out of Molly’s kids, but when things were serious, she and Molly could rapid fire facts at an impressive pace.

“No,” Wren answered quickly, knowing approximately fifty-two more questions were sure to be on deck.

“How did Andy react to this?” Molly wasn’t Andy’s biggest fan, and Wren knew it. Honestly, Wren should probably have taken that more seriously than she had.

“She dumped me.”

“She dumped you after she posted that picture of you on the internet?” Molly whisper-screeched into the phone.

Wren sighed. “Yes.”

“You should have dumped her for that.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“Have you talked to Rebecca?”