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“Great. Never better. Engaged!” She raised her hand, the diamond glinting. A half-carat princess cut. Cute, even though I hated admitting that.
“Congratulations! I had no idea. Who’s the lucky man?”
“His name is Mike. I don’t think you’d know him. He lives in Tipton. I’m just up visiting friends.”
“Well, he’s a lucky man. I’m happy for you.” More happy that she wasn’t still pining after Ben.
“How about you?” She dropped her hand and took a sip of her coffee.
“Not engaged.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Still dating that guy…What was his name?”
“Chase.”
“Right, Chase. The sales rep, right?”
I raised an eyebrow, surprised she remembered. She’d never taken much interest in my personal life. “That’s him. He got a promotion and moved to New Jersey.”
“Huh,” she frowned. “I don’t know why I thought that one would last.”
I grimaced, regretting that I’d complimented her recent engagement.
“Just as well.” She shrugged, the frown smoothing off her face. “I don’t think you and Ben are really cut out for mature relationships.”
My eyes widened as she dropped Ben’s name. “Excuse me?”
She smiled smugly. “Obviously, you have a codependent relationship. No need to be ashamed. I mean, I said as much to Ben when we broke up.”
“Codependent?” I repeated. “Wait, you told Ben that?”
Her eyes widened in feigned innocence. “He didn’t tell you? I thought you two shared everything.”
“Clearly not,” I said, gripping my coffee enough to pop the lid.
Emily smirked. “Well, it’s not his fault. Or yours, really. I mean, it must have been hard to lose your own family, but at some point, you need to let Ben live his own life.”
“He has his own life, Emily.”
“Does he?” Her face scrunched up, ski slope nose tilting toward the ceiling. “Do you? I mean, you’re almost thirty and neither of you can stay in a relationship with anyone else. I’m just worried about him, that’s all. And you.”
“Worried?”I had always worried that she would lead him straight into a marriage and family that wasn’t right for either of them, because he didn’t want to hurt her. I stopped worrying about Ben the minute she broke up with him.
She slid into the seat opposite me, pitching forward with a weak smile, like she was really trying to help me and not just getting in one last jab before she took off. “He’s clearly hung up on you, and you keep stringing him along. It’s sad, and I was done being the second woman in Ben’s life. But, you know what? That was for the best. Now, I’m engaged to a guy who actually loves me, and you two are still exactly where you were when I left you. Best of luck, Thea.”
She fluttered out of the coffee shop with nothing but a pleased smile. I picked up the now cold latte and took a sip, forcing it down and focused on what Emily had said.
I hadn’t asked Ben about the specifics of their breakup. He made an offhand comment about Emily feeling neglected and left it at that. I didn’t press. And now I wished I had. Maybe then I’d be in the right headspace to listen to her saying I was the problem with Ben.
Instead, I had a friends with benefits situation with Ben; him asking for more and me not ready to move our relationship firmly out of friendship and into dating.
And maybe she had a point. Maybe I was Ben’s problem.
My phone buzzed on the table. I picked it up.
BEN
How’d the showing go? Want to come over and tell me about it?
