Page 19 of The Other Room

“What?” Darcy and I echoed, and our gasps merged into one.

Leave it to Jenna to overshare... and miss the mark completely. “I am not in love with Matt!” I shouted too loud and caused the few customers scattered throughout the restaurant to look over. Lowering my voice, I leaned back in. “Why the hell would you think that?”

“Ummm... maybe because it’s true.” She rolled her eyes and tapped me on the forehead.

“You’re in love with him?” Darcy’s slack jaw remained open as she fumbled to get the margarita back to her lips.

“No.” I returned the tap to Jenna’s head with a little extra force, and she swatted my hand away. “I am not in love with Matt.”

“Is that so?” Jenna said, her brows raising to her hairline while she pursed her lips in a challenge.

“Yeah. That’s so.”

“Then you don’t think he’s crazy hot?”

“Well,” I stumbled for words. “I mean, I’m not blind, Jenna. But just because he’s hot doesn’t mean I’m in love with him. I know a lot of hot people that I’m not in love with. You’re hot. I’m not in love with you.”

She tapped her fingers on her chin. “Then riddle me this. If everyone else, including Jake, has forgiven him for his transgression... you know, the one against Jake... then why haven’t you?”

My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water while I searched for an answer. I had one. It just wasn’t coming out.

She leaned back in triumph. “See. It’s because you love him, and he made out with that whore and it pissed you off.”

“That’s not it!” I shouted too loud once again. “I’m still mad because he’s not who I thought he was. He’s not the stand-up guy who would never betray his friends. I was duped. And let’s not forget it was me who cleaned up the mess with Jake he left behind. Jake was destroyed.”

“And Jake is madly in love with an heiress and living a life better than any of us could fathom.” She quickly turned to Darcy. “Jake, the other hottie best friend who got screwed over, met and fell in love with... get this... Cassandra Davenport.”

“Shut the hell up!” Darcy spat. “The Cassandra Davenport? The billionaire playgirl from the gossip magazines?”

Jenna threw her hand up in an oath. “Yep. One in the same. Though it turns out she’s actually a super cool chic and they’re engaged. She lives up here with Jake now. I’m planning the wedding, and it’s going to be epic. Right on Kangaroo Lake.”

“Damn. Talk about an upgrade.” Darcy nodded.

“Yep. So...” Jenna turned back to me. “Thanks to Matt and his inability to keep his tongue in his mouth, Jake ended up meeting the woman of his dreams and got a happily ever after. Shouldn’t you all be thanking Matt for helping Jake get rid of that tramp he’d been stuck with for like, a decade?”

Her eyebrow rose in a challenge, and I clenched my teeth while I struggled for another answer.

“No. Just because it turned out okay doesn’t mean we need to throw him a parade. He’s still a backstabbing asshole.”

“A backstabbing asshole that you love.” Her lips puckered up while she made kissing noises at me.

“If you weren’t here with a client, I’d grab you by the hair and yank you over this bar.”

“Bring it, sister,” she challenged with a grin.

“Then you’re not in love with him?” Darcy asked.

I shook my head so hard my teeth rattled. “No. Of course not. I can’t stand the man.”

“It’s a thin line between love and hate. Just remember that.” Jenna pointed her finger at me, but I swatted it away.

“I’m not in love with him.”

“But you were.”

“But I’m not anymore.”

Darcy’s head twisted to keep up with our back and forth.