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I was on my second glass of wine. The more I drank, the more I started to think about Patrick. I always tried to be good around Carter. It was awkward that he was still friends with Patrick. I knew they hung out. I ran my thumb along the spot where my engagement ring used to be. I just needed to know something. Anything. “Have you seen Patrick recently?” I looked up at Carter.
He glanced at Marie and then back at me. “Yeah, we usually catch the Giants games together. I saw him last weekend.”
“Oh. Cool. How is he doing?” I tried to hide the eagerness in my voice. I hadn’t heard from Patrick in months. I just wanted to know if he was still hurting too. Time was supposed to heal you. But I still felt broken. I was worried that I always would. Just thinking about him made me want to cry. I took a huge sip of my wine.
“He’s good, Bee.”
“Good. That’s really great. I’m glad he’s good.”
We were all quiet for a minute.
“So when you say good…” I let my voice trail off. “Is he seeing anyone right now?” That’s what I really wanted to know. I wanted to know if he had moved on.
“What does seeing someone even mean these days? Am I right?” Marie laughed awkwardly.
“Does that mean he is?”
“Bee. It’s been six months,” Marie said. “You need to move on too.”
He’s seeing someone else? My chest hurt. I took another sip of wine. I wasn’t sure why I was surprised. He had moved on while he was still engaged to me. But the more time passed, the more I thought about the good things and not the bad. I missed him. I missed what we used to be. He had promised me that he’d never leave me.
“So, what is this Mason guy like?” My voice sounded small. I wanted to move on too. I wanted to be able to heal.
“He’s super handsome,” Carter said and laughed.
Marie rolled her eyes. “He’s fun. I think he’s exactly the kind of guy you should be dating right now.”
“So he’s gross?”
“No. He just knows how to have a good time. He’s always the life of the party. Like I said before, he’s charming.”
“Is he friends with Patrick too?”
“Not that I know of.” Marie looked at Carter.
“I don’t think they’ve ever met,” Carter said.
“Okay. I’ll do it.”
Chapter Three
Bee
I jumped onto my bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. My apartment was cold. Everything was cold. I was homesick. The only reason I had come here was Patrick. And now that he was gone, I wasn’t sure what I was doing. I couldn’t afford to continue living here on a secretary’s salary. The apartment had seemed warm and full of life when Patrick had been here with me. But now it was easy to see it for what it really was. It was rundown and the heater was on the fritz.
I didn’t want to pitch my ideas during the staff meeting tomorrow. And I didn’t want to go on a blind date with some random guy. I was so sick of this city. Nothing good had happened to me here. New York had taken everything from me. All I wanted to do was go home.
Before I could change my mind, I picked up my cell phone, scrolled through my contact list, and pressed the call button. The phone rang.
“Hi, sweetie! How’s the big city treating you?”
“Hi, Mom.” My voice caught slightly.
“Sweetie, what’s wrong?”
“I just want to come home.” I pulled my knees to my chest.
