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I squeezed her hand. “Sky, don’t be like that. You couldn’t have known he’d turn out to be such an asshat.”
Skylar shook her head. “Maybe not, but I should have known better than to try and have a relationship with anyone. I’ve seen firsthand how shitty loving someone is. I can’t believe I thought I could do healthy and normal.”
I was taken aback by her attitude. Skylar wasn’t the kind of woman to sink into self-pity. She was strong and confident and took no bullshit.
But I also knew that she had witnessed firsthand the havoc a dysfunctional relationship could cause. Her parents had divorced three times over the years and always managed to get back together—not that they should have. They spent most of their time yelling and screaming when they weren’t completely ignoring each other. Her father had cheated on her mother, and her mother had cheated on her father. They hadn’t even tried to hide it from their impressionable daughter. It was no wonder she developed a jaded view of love and relationships.
I had been pleasantly surprised when she met Mac and then moved in with him, even though I thought he was a total plank and completely beneath my more amazing friend. I loved that she was taking the plunge—making an effort.
Now it had all exploded in her face just as she had always been scared it would. Bastard Mac had just reinforced every horrible thing Skylar ever believed about loving someone.
I wanted to murder him.
Skylar furiously wiped her eyes. “Ugh, enough with this maudlin shit, tell me about you. That’s got to be slightly less depressing.”
“I doubt it,” I said with a sigh.
Skylar went to drink more coffee, then realized she had finished her cup. “I can’t handle this town without more coffee. Do you need some more?” she asked, getting to her feet to head to the counter.
“Nope, I’m good.” I pointed to my still full coffee cup. Skylar quickly got into line, not hiding her impatience at waiting for the woman with two toddlers in front of her to reel off a giant order.
I pulled a pen out of my purse and started doodling on the napkin to pass the time. From the looks of the haggard mother and her unruly kids, this was going to take a while.
“Still doodling my name on napkins, I see.”
I startled, dropped my pen, and watched it roll off the table and onto the floor. Adam bent down to pick it up. And then proceeded to smack his head on the table.
I laughed, and I laughed hard.
“Ouch,” he whined, rubbing the back of his head and handing me the pen.
“Maybe it’ll knock some sense into that thick head of yours,” I joked before realizing who I was talking to and that I shouldn’t be talking to him at all. I did have to peek to be sure I hadn’t unconsciously written his name on the napkin like I used to do when I was fifteen.
I hadn’t.
He was such a jerk.
I looked over at Skylar, who had out her phone again and was glaring at the screen. “What do you want?” I asked Adam, staring at a spot over his left shoulder so I wouldn’t have to look at his face.
Adam lifted his to-go coffee cup. “Getting provisions for the day ahead.”
“Mmhmm,” I responded distractedly.
Come on, Skylar.
“You just hanging out?” he asked wryly.
“I’m here with Skylar.” I indicated the tall, dark-haired girl who was now at the counter giving the intimidated barista a chewing out for something.
Adam’s face lit up. “Oh man, I haven’t seen Skylar in a while.” He chuckled. “Should we intervene? That poor kid looks like he’s about to piss himself.”
He was right. The pimply-faced guy behind the counter looked positively terrified of Skylar.
“Nah, let the girl have her fun.”
Adam took a sip of his coffee. “You look tired. Wild and crazy night after leaving Mom and Dad’s?”
“Oh, you know, the usual carousing and whoring,” I replied tartly.
“You always were quite the carouser.” Adam chuckled, and I found myself smiling.
“It was all that rummy and the pickup soccer games. I was seriously out of control,” I joked.
“It was a miracle I could rein you in. You would have led me down a very dark path if I wasn’t careful,” he whispered conspiratorially.
“I’m a total badass; don’t you forget it.” Then I actually winked at him.
What in the hell was I doing? Falling into comfortable ribbing was so natural. I found myself doing it without thinking. Even last night, when I was knee-deep in a tumult of emotions at seeing him again after so long, I still found myself reminiscing and sharing inside jokes the way we always had.
Deep down, I knew this was what I had been scared of. Why I resisted visiting Southport, and by extension, seeing him. I knew how tempting it was to be effortless with him, at remembering why he was so important to me. Being around him made it easy to forget all the ways he had hurt me.
