AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s great!”
“It’s not just that,” I said. “Things have progressed a bit, and…”
“And?” she pressed.
I took a deep breath, taking the plunge. “And I’m getting married. He proposed a few days ago.”
There was dead silence on the phone before Brooklyn exploded. “WHAT?!”
I held my phone away from my ear, smarting from Brooklyn’s screech. I was glad I decided not to mention that technically, we were already married. “Yeah, it all kinda happened pretty fast, and—”
“No, you have to start from the beginning. What’s his name?” she demanded.
“Nathan.” I grimaced. “Hemingway.”
“NATHAN HEMINGWAY??”
I pulled my ear from the phone again. “Lyn, my ears…”
“I don’t care about your ears; you deserve it for not telling me thisimmediately.The Hemingways arethefounding family of our hometown! How could you not tell me??”
“I know.” I grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m coming home,” she announced.
“No, no, don’t come home,” I pleaded. “We have some time before the wedding, and—”
“I’m not coming home for the wedding; I’m coming home to make sure you’re okay!” She huffed. “Getting married after knowing someone for—what, a few weeks at most? How long have you known him?”
“About a week,” I said in a small voice.
“I’m coming home.” The determination in her voice told me I didn’t have a choice in the matter. If I knew my best friend, she was probably buying a plane or train ticket at that very moment.
“There’s more,” I said, biting my lip.Just gotta rip the bandaid off.“I got fired. And the animation program is not accepting new students after this coming fall.”
“WHAT? Cici, how come you didn’t call me?”
“I didn’t want to worry you.” I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. “Everything’s fine; I’m fine. It’s just been a busy season.”
“This is more than just a ‘busy season,’” Brooklyn countered. “This is a full-on apocalypse. I will be there in two days, on Saturday afternoon, and we can talk about all of this. But I have to go right now; we’ll talk later, okay?”
“Okay.” I gulped. “I’ll talk to you then.”
“Good. And Cici—seriously, are you okay? Are you safe? This isn’t like you.”
I hesitated, closing my eyes as I wondered how on earth I was going to deceive my best friend into thinking I was actually in love with Nathan. The moment she saw my face, she would know, and the jig would be up.
“I’m safe,” I said finally. “Like I said, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind, what with losing my job at the same time. But I’m okay. It’ll be good to see you, though!”
“And you, too. I love you, Cici. I’ll see you soon.”
“Love you, too. See you soon.”
Brooklyn hung up.
I flopped onto the couch, putting my head in my hands. I was in deep trouble, and I had to talk to Nathan quickly—before our ‘marriage’ imploded.
ChapterFifteen
