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“I’m in,” I said.
“Okay, great. Will I see you tonight?”
“I’ll come find you between periods.”
“See you later.”
I disconnected just as Mo came over to me carrying a large manila envelope.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Divorce papers,” she said quietly. “Tony’s not going to contest anything. We’re splitting all marital assets down the middle. I keep my car, he keeps his truck. We both keep our retirement accounts. House goes on the market this week and we’ll split the profit.”
“Oh, hon, I’m sorry.” I looked up at her. “At least it sounds very fair. Are you okay with those numbers and all the emotional aspects of it?”
“I’m shell-shocked but hanging in there. I’m just glad it’s going to be amicable. I was afraid he’d fight me on everything. He’s been such a dick the last month or so.”
“He knows better because that lawyer Lars found for you sounds badass.”
“She totally is.” Mo smiled. “I’m really grateful for the friends I have here with the Mavericks. That lawyer saved my ass. Or at least my state of mind. Same thing.”
We both chuckled.
“Anyway, wanna go to lunch?” she asked. “I feel like Italian…something decadent and fattening and comforting.”
I shook my head. “Honestly, the food sounds good, but I just want to bury myself in work and not think about all the shitty things happening in the world.”
She sighed. “I hear that. But sometimes friendship and laughter can be the best medicine.”
“I know. Just…not today.”
“Okay. Should we order in then?”
“Sure.” I waved a hand. “I’ll eat anything when it comes to Italian food. Just get me something from wherever you choose.”
She eyed me. “You sure you’re okay? You are not yourself and it’s starting to freak me out.”
I shrugged. “I feel guilty even talking about my situation, considering what happened to Annie, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist or that it doesn’t hurt.”
Her face softened and she dropped her voice. “Nash.” She knew the whole story and though she’d been sympathetic and supportive, she’d also been of the mindset that Nash was a good guy who’d simply made a mistake. According to Mo, he was miserable too, but I wasn’t sure how to reconcile how much I missed him with how angry I was that he’d deceived me.
“I don’t expect you to take sides,” I said quietly. “I know you’ve been friends with him a lot longer than you have with me and—”
“Stop it.” She shook her head. “It’s not about sides. I let him know what a numbskull he is in no uncertain terms. I let him have it—you would have loved it.”
I managed a tiny smile.
“But in the grand scheme of things, what did he do that was so bad? He didn’t take anything from you. Rob was basically an online friend. You talked, you laughed, you confided in each other. But there was no depth there. Nash is real. He’s here for you. He brings you coffee every damn day. He’s shown you the sweet, kind man beneath the rough-around-the-edges exterior. I know he rocked your world between the sheets. And that matters. I could sleep through Tony’s lovemaking.”
I grimaced. “That’s awful. I don’t think I’ve ever had a lover that boring. A little boring, but not sleepworthy.”
“You don’t have to talk to me about what you’re thinking right now—I know it’s been a rough week on all fronts. Just think about it. Think about what you might be letting go over what amounts to a bad judgment call. Because we all make mistakes.”
I loved Mo, but this was so frustrating. Why was everyone so quick to forgive him? Was I the asshole in this situation?
She nodded when I didn’t respond. “Okay, I’m going to order Italian. I’ll let you know when it gets here.” She patted my shoulder and headed off toward her office.
I stared after her for a few seconds, trying to pull my psyche out of the deepest, darkest parts of my soul. The parts that mourned the death of a woman I hadn’t known. The parts that wanted the team to make a comeback tonight so badly, but I had a feeling they might not. The part that had been bruised and emotionally battered by an ex who cheated and therefore refused to make excuses for anyone who lied in any way. The part that still ached for Nash even though he’d hurt me.
Ugh. I put my head in my hands and tried to breathe.
How had everything gone so wrong in such a short amount of time?
“Hey, uh, Sariah?”
The voice made me jump and I lifted my head, shocked to see Eric standing there. He was on my shit list too, because after talking to Dee about the whole thing, I realized that he hadn’t told me about Nash for any altruistic reasons and I detested being a pawn in whatever bullshit he and Nash had going on. It was almost as bad as what Nash had done.
