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EVAN
The guys and I looked at one another with the same hard expression. The mere mention of Adam Myles was enough to make each one of us want to drop our beers and burritos and storm through town until we found him, beating his sorry ass to a pulp when we did.
At that moment, however, Dream was our priority. The color drained from her face as Clarissa said Adam’s name. She sat there stunned, not sure what to do with herself.
“Adam?” I asked. “As in, her ex-fiancé Adam?”
“That’s the one,” Clarissa confirmed. “Hey guys, by the way.”
We said quick “hellos” before getting back to the issue. Without thinking, I reached over and took Dream’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Maybe it wasn’t the most appropriate thing to do given what had gone down that week, but I didn’t give a shit. She squeezed my hand right back, then gave her head a quick shake as she came back into the moment. The stunned expression faded, replaced by a determined one.
“OK, tell me what happened. Where is he? He’s not here at the market, is he?”
Clarissa shook her head. “No, thank God. He came to the apartment and asked about you. It was crazy – I was sitting in the living room watching Netflix and I heard a loud banging knock at the door. I had no idea who it was, and when I saw that it was Adam, part of me wanted to call the cops.”
She sighed and went on.
“Anyway, I opened the door and right away he’s looking over my shoulder – the prick doesn’t even say ‘hi’ first. He asked if you were there, saying he was in town visiting and thought you might be staying with me.” She raised her palms. “Don’t worry – I lied and said I didn’t know where you were staying.”
Relief washed over Dream’s face.
“Thank you. I mean, I don’t expect you to lie on my behalf, but…”
“This is a major exception to that rule,” she said. “Only thing that matters is keeping Adam as far away from you as possible.”
“That was the smart move,” Jay told her. “But it’s a temporary solution. If he came all the way from Chicago looking for you, not a chance in hell he’s going to leave just because you weren’t at Clarissa’s.”
“Did he say anything else?” Dream asked.
“Yeah. I asked him if there was anything I should pass along if I happen to see you. Thought it’d be a good way to find out what the hell he wanted.”
“Smart move,” I agreed.
She nodded toward me then looked back over at Dream. Clarissa pursed her lips and appeared conflicted, as if she weren’t sure if she should say what she was about to.
“Say it,” Dream demanded, her tone stern. “I need to know everything.”
Clarissa nodded quickly before speaking. “He said that he’d come to apologize. He said that he’d come to tell you he’d been a real jerk and that…” she trailed off but another hard glance from Dream put her back on track.
I had to hand it to Dream. No doubt that this crap with Adam had her all kinds of shaken up, but while that might’ve been how she felt on the inside, she sure as hell didn’t show it on the outside. She seemed calm and in control, like all she wanted was the information so she could decide her next move.
Dream was tough like that – one of the many things I loved about her.
“He said that he wanted you back.” Clarissa blurted out the words, like there was no easier way to say them than to just do it.
Silence fell over the table. All of us put down our beers and burritos and simply sat for a moment, taking in what we’d just heard. Then Jay and Duncan and I glanced at one another, having the kind of silent conversation that only three brothers as close as us could have.
“You can’t do it!” Clarissa said, her eyes wide and her tone pleading. “He’s the worst asshole in the world and if you take him back after the way he treated you…you just can’t!”
“Right,” Duncan piped in. He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “This is classic prick behavior – do something out of pocket, treat someone like shit, then expect to get back on their good side with nothing more than a few nice words and a fake apology.”
Jay nodded in agreement, leaning forward. “Bet you anything he’s got this whole speech planned, got a bunch of over-the-top things to say, all designed to get you to let your guard down. I wouldn’t trust that asshole as far as I could throw him.” Jay’s voice got angrier as he spoke, and by the end I was sure that if Adam were there with us right now, Jay would’ve stomped his ass into the ground.
“Why give that jackass a second of your time?” I asked. “He’s a shithead, that’s all there is to it. You’re back here in town to start fresh and turn the page on your life, right? Seems like the last thing you’d want to do is to go back to a guy who treated you the way he did.”
Dream closed her eyes and raised a palm, letting us all know it was time to stop.
“Guys, I appreciate it, but please don’t tell me what to do.”
