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“No regrets, remember?”
“Yeah.” I sniff sadly. It’s hard not to think about starting over again.
And whilst Doug and I didn’t have burning hot passion in our relationship, I did love him. It was very, very difficult for me to move on past Taylor, though, and Doug must have sensed it.
I never hid the heartbreak I’d gone through. He knew we’d grown up as kids and how long we had been together. Doug saw Taylor and I as a couple, and he knew the way I loved Taylor wasn’t the way I loved him.
Some would call it puppy love, but I believed it was the real thing.
Maybe I still do.
It doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything about it.
“You’re not wallowing, are you?” my best friend asks, concerned.
“It’s a little difficult not to,” I admit. “It’s not like there’s any super-duper breakups in history that ended well… are there?”
“I wouldn’t know.” She shrugs. Her dating life has been an even bigger disaster than mine. That may be because she works so much. She’s at the same realtor agency she’s been with since she got into this game years ago. She’s worked so hard to get where she is, and she’s certainly made a name for herself. “But you guys will work out the finer details. Doug wouldn’t take you to the cleaners; he’s not like that.”
“I know.” I sigh, biting my lip.
“Em, what is it?”
I’ve never been good at hiding my emotions from those closest to me.
“I’m not good with endings, that’s all.”
“You sure it’s not more than that?”
I don’t know what more she thinks it could be. “I’m sure.”
In reality, I’m not sure of anything at this moment, but I don’t want to worry my bestie too much. She has enough going on of her own.
“Why don’t I tag along with you back to Seattle for the weekend?”
I brighten a little. I’m flying home for a three week vacation to see my parents. Dad hasn’t been well lately, and I haven’t seen them in months.
“Can you do that?”
“Of course,” she says, like it’s no big deal. The truth is, she hardly ever goes anywhere. She plows into work like a crazy woman, hardly ever coming up for air. “Tess wants me to take some of my leave.”
“Wow, a boss who wants to give you a vacation?” I muse.
“She doesn’t want me to crash and burn like she did.”
That’s fair enough as well. Tess has been nothing but spectacular to her, taking her firmly under her wing and showing her the ropes, so she’s great in my book.
“I think that’s a great idea. Can you be ready the day after next?”
Mads snorts. “Have you met me?”
“Yes, I have.” I laugh. I feel brighter knowing she’s coming with me. I still plan to meet up with Susie and Cindy from college, as we’ve kept in touch after all these years and we catch up whenever I’m in town visiting my folks. The most awkward thing of all is Cindy works in the office for the Seattle Hawks, and her dad, Clive Carter, is the coach.
“Thanks, Mads. It means the world to me that you’d drop everything just for me.”
“Well, we need to celebrate.”
I almost choke on my cold cup of coffee. “Celebrate?”
