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“Absolutely not,” I admonish and then sigh. “I just wanted to use the vending machine.”
Melissa’s laugh echoes through the phone. “That’s karma coming for you because you won’t let Ainsley drink any. Someday, she’s gonna find out you’re a closet soda head.”
“Am not.”
“I saw you down that Big Gulp when we were driving back from Pennsylvania for the Bristol wedding last month.”
“That was a five-hour drive. I needed the caffeine.”
“Just as believable as the news that you stayed with a friend last night. What friends do you have in Walden?”
I lower my head and move my hair in front of my face, like a veil, so as to cover my voice from traveling to the kitchen. “A firefighter I met a long time ago.”
“Oh my God!” Her shriek has me holding the phone away from my ear before placing it back. “You went home with a man last night.”
I glance at Luke again. As my eyes rise, his lock with mine, and he lifts his brows. I give a small smile, then get up and scurry down the hall and into the bedroom for some privacy.
“Get your head out of the gutter.” I close the door and lean against it.
“Can’t. It’s already so far down that I’m in sewage. I have to call Tara.”
“Please don’t. She has Ainsley with her, and I don’t need her harping all morning about this with little four-year-old ears hearing it all.”
“You’re right. Ainsley is young, but she’s four going on forty. You really need to get that kid evaluated as a child prodigy.”
“Just let her be a normal kid in a normal town.”
Melissa laughs, and I can picture her walking around her kitchen as she talks. Unless she’s working, the woman doesn’t know how to sit still. “Should I have Tara call this number? Ainsley will be surprised you haven’t called.”
“No,” I say rather quickly. “Let her know I’ll be home in … shoot. I don’t know how I’m getting home.”
“I’ll bring you your spare keys. Where are they?”
Placing a hand on my forehead, I shake my head and reply, “I don’t know where the key fob is. Maybe the kitchen drawer. Never mind. Forget about me. You have your daughter’s art show. That’s important and why we decided I was staying the night and you were going back. Be with your family. I’ll figure out something. Maybe there’s a dealership in the area, and I can have a key made. Just check in with Tara and make sure she’s okay to keep Ainsley for another few hours should it come to it.”
“I’ll touch base with Tara, and between the two of us, Ainsley will be taken care of, and one of us will come and get you,” she assures. “We are the two best girlfriends a woman could have. And we’re definitely going to want to hear all about this guy. Oh, why doesn’t he drive you back?”
“Absolutely not. For a hot second last night, I wanted him to drive me home, but I was delirious. Trust me when I say, I don’t want Luke anywhere near Greenwood Village. The faster I get out of Walden, the better.”
“Luke?” She says his name with a hum. “I vaguely remember you talking about Luke one night over too much bourbon.” She pauses, and I can feel the revelation coming from the intake of air she takes. “Oh. Shit. He’s the one, isn’t he?”
I bang my head against the door and close my eyes. “He’s the one all right. The one I never thought I’d see again. The one who destroyed me.”
“How are you handling this? I would have burned all his underwear by now.”
“I’m fine. He means nothing to me, so I feel nothing.”
“Damn, woman. You are a pillar of strength. I swear, nothing gets you unraveled. Well, except your mom, but we all know she’s a bitch. Otherwise, you’re so stoic, which I’m calling out as major bullshit. Okay, this is more a Saturday night convo over lots of drinks than a Sunday powwow. You do what you need to do today, and we’ll unload all of the things—emotionally, that is—at a later date.”
We hang up, and I take a moment to compose myself. Waning over exes while on the phone with your best friend can certainly affect your complexion, and no one wants a sallow complexion when trying to appear put together, headstrong, and fabulous in front of your ex … if I can even call him that. Ex-fling perhaps.
With my shoulders back and chin held high, I exit the room and walk back to the kitchen, where Luke is taking a pan out of the oven.
He doesn’t look at me as I enter.
“Smells good,” I offer as I place the phone on the counter.
“I hope you like it. I slaved all morning.”
