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“Tell me what happened. Without sticking that spoon in your mouth or gulping any more wine,” Willow said just as Aubrey lifted her head. “And no more pillow action, either.”
Aubrey threw the offending pillow onto the floor. “Flynn came to my office and cornered me. And we argued and then we broke up.” Okay, she was skimming over the more pertinent details, but she couldn’t admit to Willow exactly what she’d said to Flynn and how it ate her up inside. She’d look like the world’s biggest asshole.
She felt like the world’s biggest asshole. Someone who couldn’t be trusted. When Flynn had hit her with that, it was like his words had shattered her heart into pieces.
“Who was breaking up with who first?” Willow asked.
“Does that really matter?” Aubrey held out her empty glass, and Willow grabbed the wine bottle off the coffee table and filled Aubrey’s glass, until the bottle was empty.
“Yes, it definitely matters. Because if he was the one who broke up with you, then he’s a jerk, and I’m being kind.” Willow’s eyes narrowed in that way they did when she was being uber-perceptive. Aubrey hated when she did that, especially right now when she was drunk and sick to her stomach from too much ice cream and feeling extravulnerable. “But if you’re the one who dumped him, and now you’re sitting here drowning your sorrows in a disgusting concoction—that I provided; I know I’m guilty—then I’m going to ask you a simple question.”
“What’s your simple question?” Aubrey mumbled.
“Why?” Willow yelled the word, startling a shriek out of Aubrey. For such a tiny thing, she sure was loud. “Why would you dump him? I thought you liked him.”
“I did. I do like him. I tried to convince him of that, but he wouldn’t listen.” She sighed. “It just wouldn’t work between us. I know it wouldn’t.”
“Because he’s getting traded?”
Aubrey’s entire body went cold. “How did you know?” she breathed.
Willow shrugged. She sat curled up in the overstuffed chair across from Aubrey’s couch, perfectly composed despite the copious amounts of wine she’d consumed. “It’s unspoken knowledge. Everyone knows.”
“Even Flynn?”
; “Especially Flynn, but he’s not talking about it. He can’t think about that right now. He has a play-off game to concentrate on like the rest of them.” Willow said this like Aubrey should already know.
And she did already know. “There’s more,” she admitted, her voice soft, her thoughts in total chaos. Willow would hate her. Everyone would hate her. She’d pretended to like Flynn for selfish reasons while he’d thought what they’d shared had been real. She’d been trying to keep her job intact, and he’d been trying to convince her they made a great couple.
“More what?” Willow asked.
“Harvey made me pretend to be in a relationship with Flynn, because I was stupid enough to let go for one night so I could fool around with him. I pretended to be Flynn’s girlfriend, all while he thought it was for real.” She wanted more wine, needed more wine to get the rest of it out. “Harvey said if I didn’t do it, he’d let me go. And if I did do it, he’d give me a promotion.”
Willow scowled. She reached down and grabbed the pillow Aubrey just threw onto the floor and punched it once, twice, scaring the hell out of Aubrey. “Harvey Price is an asshole,” she murmured, looking murderous. “You’re going to need to do serious damage control.”
“How?”
“Go to Flynn. Tell him you’re sorry. Tell him again how you really feel about him. I’m guessing earlier he wasn’t listening to you because all he could hear were the words ‘fake’ and ‘pretend.’”
Aubrey shook her head and hiccupped. “I’ll say something I might regret.”
“Better than saying nothing at all?”
“I don’t want to break his concentration,” Aubrey said, her excuse feeble, even to her own ears.
“Please. He’s probably not going to play this weekend,” Willow said. “Jared’s shoulder is much better.”
“I heard that. He’s doing all right?”
“Oh yeah, he’s feeling good. On top of it. Though with Sheridan pregnant, he’s—” Willow covered her mouth with her hand, the word “pregnant” dropping like a bomb in the middle of the room.
Shock reverberated through her. Well, that was news to her. “Are you serious?” Aubrey asked.
“Oh my God, please don’t say anything. Please, please, please. That’s why Sheridan hasn’t been feeling very well and she hasn’t come to the games. She’s so sick, like all the time. Morning sickness for her is more like morning, noon, and night.” Willow tilted her head back and sighed.
“I won’t utter a word, I swear,” Aubrey promised, trying to ignore the sadness that wanted to consume her. She wanted to be happy for her friends. Willow was madly in love with Nick. Sheridan was going to have Jared’s baby. And she was alone with only wine and ice cream.
