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Everly
Me:Good luck today! I wish I could come to FanCon to hear you
Wyatt:Don’t worry. I know you have to work
Wyatt:There’s a ton of people here. The convention hall is packed
Wyatt:I even saw some people dressed up as Serena and William
Wyatt:It’s wild that the StarFire fans are so dedicated
Me:That’s wonderful! How’s Ben?
Wyatt:He ditched me the moment we got here. There were a couple of talks he wanted to go to
Wyatt:Also, WebComics just went live and the numbers blew our expectations out of the water
Me:That’s amazing!!! Celebration tomorrow night?
Wyatt:Definitely. We can celebrate FanCon and your mural
Wyatt:Did you choose a design yet?
Wyatt:You must be excited to see your artwork out in public
Ihesitated for a moment, debating how to answer that. Joy and I had already chosen a design for her mural, but excitement was the last emotion I felt right now. Fear and dread were more like it.
It was four thirty, half an hour until my meeting with Lukas. I’d chosen Stellaluna’s since it was across the road from Joy’s plant shop, Blooming Queen, and came into her store early because I’d been a wreck all day.
Wyatt:Sorry, I have to go set up
Wyatt:Love you. Can’t wait to see your latest painting
After a lot of debating,I’d decided not to say anything to Wyatt about my meeting with his brother. I didn’t want to stress him out before his panel. I’d tell him later.
“Things seem to be going well at the convention.” I slid my phone into my purse and picked up a small plant off one of the display tables, admiring its beautiful spotty pink leaves.
Joy paused her dusting. “Great. And how are you feeling?”
“Like I’m about to vomit.” I put the plant back down with the others. The last time I saw Lukas was at our engagement party, locked in Seline’s arms.
Joy put down her dusting cloth and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “You’re doing the right thing.”
That was hard to believe when my stomach was tied up in knots. “Am I?”
“You certainly are.” She spoke in the same soothing tone I used with my students when they were hurt or sad. “Your ex cheated on you. You owe him nothing, but you’re being the bigger person and meeting with him anyway because you love Wyatt.”
I wrung my hands and nodded. I didn’t want to be the reason they stopped talking altogether.
“Doing something for someone you love is all well and good, but I’m going to challenge you to do this for yourself as well.” Joy placed a hand on her hip and her eyes narrowed. “You never got the chance to tell Lukas how much his betrayal hurt you. Maybe it’s time for you to let him know, so you can move on too. It’s difficult to start a new relationship with an old one hanging overhead.” Joy’s mouth was set in a firm line.
Why did it feel like we weren’t talking about Lukas and me anymore? I wasn’t privy to all the details of Joy’s relationship with Jasper and Leo’s father, but I knew enough to realize how his irresponsible behavior affected their lives daily.
“Life is messy,” I said carefully, reminding myself as much as her. “Relationships are complicated, and everyone has a past.”
“But how much messiness are people willing to accept? Why would a guy even contemplate dating someone who has so much baggage she could practically open her own luggage store.”
Oh, Joy.How could someone so amazing get it so wrong? “Who earned a degree while also running her own business?”
