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Makayla shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know.”
Maybe she just didn’t want to talk during the movie. Fine by me. I went back to scrolling through questions and waited until the credits rolled before I started straightening things up. I took the dregs of the popcorn bowls and deposited them in the trash. Then I waited for hot water to flow out of the sink and rinsed them out.
“Are you good at keeping secrets?” Makayla asked, coming to lean against a kitchen counter nearby.
I had the GoWithFriends questionnaire on the brain and thought she was referring to that until I caught her expression. Ugh, she was about to confess something. “I’m a terrible secret keeper,” I warned before she could say anything. Which was a lie. I had a lot of secrets—mine and other people’s. And they didn’t come out unless it was absolutely necessary.
She wrinkled her nose. “Nah, a terrible secret keeper is someone who’s eager for gossip, and you look like I asked if I could torture you.”
“You did ask if you could torture me.”
“Very funny. It’s just, Jenny said you’re good with advice, and I could use some right now.”
Wow, she was laying it on thick, and I had a feeling she’d keep pestering me until I agreed. “Fine, go ahead.”
She tapped the counter, creating a dramatic pause that had my mind going to all sorts of places. She was broke. She was filthy rich. Her father was in the mob.Shewas in the mob. Really, I knew so little about her, it could be ANYTHING.
“I have an old boyfriend who’s been contacting me.”
Ah, I should have guessed that one. “Contacting you how?”
“Texts. Sometimes he tries to call. He left me a note, slid it into the crack of my door while I was at dinner with Denver the other night.”
“A creepy note?” My protective hackles began to raise, but Makayla waved me off.
“No, a sweet note.”
That was actually sort of worse. It sounded like she was ready to dump Denver for her ex, and as much as I didn’t like the guy, I didn’t wish that kind of heartache on him. A bad case of the stomach flu? Maybe. But not heartache. I’d had enough of it in my own life to never wish it on others.
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Denver’s so sweet. And everything with him is so easy, and light, and uncomplicated. But maybe that’s not a good thing.”
All that sounded good to me, but then what did I know? I hadn’t had a boyfriend in ages. Maybe angst was less angsty than I remembered.
“You’re not going to say anything to him, are you?”
“Denver and I don’t exactly confide in each other. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.” I scrubbed at the bowl in my hands, taking out my discomfort on it. This was Denver we were talking about, not some hypothetical breakup.
“I’ve just been waiting to make up my mind before I say anything.”
“Naturally. But you should decide. Sooner rather than later. It’s only fair.”
She nodded. “Jenny was right about you. Youaregood with advice.”
All her compliments made me uncomfortable, so I just nodded my thanks and kept cleaning. I didn’t think my advice was all that stellar anyway. Telling the truth shouldn’t be such a conundrum, but it seemed like so many people struggled with it.
Makayla picked up a dishcloth and helped me dry the bowls, moving on to other topics. Then she took her things and left, wishing me luck on getting the job, and telling me once again what a good friend I was.
Was I a good friend, though? I didn’t want to keep her secret. I didn’t want to think about her relationship with Denver at all, let alone whether it was ending soon. Feeling sorry for someone you hated was the worst.
Chapter 6 – Denver
I was usually such an easygoing person, never giving in to emotional impulses, letting things fall into place, for good or ill. And yet, my blood was boiling on a level I’d never experienced as I drove to Reed’s Gym and rehearsed what I had to say. After parking my Jeep, I jogged inside and peered around before reluctantly meeting the expectant gaze of the woman at the front desk.
There would be no sneaking in, which had been little more than a pipe dream anyway. Gyms kept tighter security than the White House. I had a feeling if I ignored her and marched down the hall, I’d be restrained by two buff dudes within ten seconds. Ha, they’d need four of them for me.
But I wasn’t interested in being arrested tonight. All I wanted was to confront the busybody messing up my life. Again. And I had it on good authority she was in here somewhere.
