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“It is,” I respond, trying not to groan. “I just—I was going to do what you recommended, but when I got home …”
“Seth,” she finishes.
I nod.
“Well, shit.”
“Yeah.Shit,” I whisper.
She lets go of my shoulders and brings me into a hug. “I know you know this already, but you can’t hide forever. You need to get back on the job. And if you can’t handle it—”
I pull back, horrified at the direction she’s heading down.
She shakes her head. “ Okay, so no quitting.Good. Well, then you need to get your head out of your ass and get back to work.”
“I know,” I mutter. “I just couldn’t face him. Not yet …”
“He needs to know this isn’t about him. I mean, it’snotabout him, is it?” she asks.
I shrug. “I don’t know how to act around him. I don’t know how to explain to him that my husband’s back and it’s messing with my head more than it should. Or that I’m confused every time we’re in the same room. I want this job—hell, Ineed it.But if I’m honest, I just want to be around him. I’m so …”
She nods as if she expected all of that. “Well, none of it’s going to get resolved tonight. So, instead, we’re going to talk about dirty books and drink wine. Forget heading out. I have a stash in the back.”
“Really?” I respond, surprised.
She grins. “Yup. Granted, I bought it in case Vivian ever flaked out. Never thought it would be to save your ass,” she huffs, nudging me with her hip.
I let out a soft laugh and run my hand over my face. “God, I suck.”
“You don’t suck. You’re just trying to find your worth.”
My gaze flits to hers.
“You deserve more than the life you’ve been living, Lil. We’ve talked about it hundreds of times. I bet Seth hasn’t even made a move since he’s been back,” she says. When I don’t say anything to rebut her, she nods tersely. “Thought so.”
In the past, I would have argued on Seth’s behalf.
He’s tired from all the travel.
He needs a few days to get back in the flow.
He’s got a lot of people to catch up with.
But now, I don’t even want to.
I just want to feel whole.
“Come on. I’ll steer the conversation away from your drama and back to Vivian’s. Did you hear? Tyler wants to bring in another woman so he can watch?” she whispers, grabbing me by the shoulders and guiding me back to the alcove.
“What? No. How did I miss that?” I ask, my voice dropping into conspiratorial territory.
“Apparently, he hasn’t been as ‘into her lately’and he thinks it’ll be hotter to watch her make out with another girl. I doubt it will stop there. Between you and me, I think all these trips to Tahoe are so he can get it on with other women without Vivian finding out,” she declares.
I turn to her. “You think?”
She shrugs. “Can’t be sure. Just waiting for the signs to get a little more obvious.”
I nod slowly as that sinks in—the idea that Tyler might not be as into Vivian as he used to be. I never would have thought Vivian’s relationship might be having troubles. By the way she always talks about it, things have always been hot and heavy.
