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“When did you start sleeping together?”
Rowan blinked. “Jesus, Temperance.”
“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s too late for pearl clutching, Lady Grantham. Tell me.”
“April.”
Temperance made a thoughtfulhuhsound. “The wedding?”
Rowan nodded.
Temperance pulled back in mock outrage and breathed, “You slept with my date?”
Rowan tried to give her a bored look, but couldn’t help a teary smile. “Looks like he left you something,” she said after a while, pointing to the dresser.
Temperance retrieved the note and settled back on the floor beside her. Fresh tears burned her eyes as her friend unfolded it, revealing Harry’s compact, expressive script. Temperance read it out loud.
T-Bird,
I was ready to go. I need you to believe that.
Had a nice send-off party with the family. Duncan joked about taking the carriage house furniture, and Ma made me promise to FaceTime more. I hate that shit, but for her, I’ll do it. Dad got a little teary-eyed at the end of the night, which made me teary-eyed. Asshole.
I’m glad you’ll be there for Rowan. I messed it up, T.J. Mal always said I was self-righteous, but I never believed it until I saw myself through her lens. I was sure I could love her enough to change her mind. About us. But I realized—loving her means not trying to change her at all. I don’t want to be just another person in her life who held her back.
You and Frankie are the two people in this world she’s truly let in, and I know you know how lucky you are. Take care of her. She deserves to know how it feels when people stay.
Love you.
Harry
They sat there in silence for a while until Temperance said, “Screw this,” and bounded to her feet to stalk from the bedroom.
“What are you doing?” Rowan stood to follow, stumbling over a pillow.
“You’re going to tell him to get his ass back here so you can fight about this face-to-face like people in love are supposed to do. Where’s your phone?”
“I left it at the cottage.”
“You can use mine.” Temperance was in full-on tactical advance mode, digging around in her massive purse.
“Stop.”Rowan seized her wrist. “You’re not getting involved, remember?”
Mouth pressed into a tight line, Temperance narrowed her eyes.
“T.J. He left. Heleftme. That’s it. Let it be done.”
Temperance lowered the phone and looked down at Rowan’s clasping hand on her wrist. “Damn it.”
“You have topromiseme you won’t call. I’m not equipped for this emotional stuff, and I can’t lose himandbe mad at you, too.”
Temperance dipped her eyes to the phone in her hands and paced the kitchen like a tiny soldier. “Fine. I won’t call him. I promise.”
For a while, Rowan sightlessly stared at the beige rug in front of the sink. Temperance stopped pacing and leaned back against the counter with stooped shoulders, and sighed. Suddenly, her thumbs quickly flew against the little glass screen of her phone, and the silence was split by the unmistakablezhwoopsound of a text message being sent.
Temperance dropped the phone to the countertop and it spun a few times, like a high-tech Ouija planchette. “I didn’tcallhim,” she said with a shrug.
The text said:
