Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Simon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I love her. She made a mistake.”
“She didn’t make a mistake. She made it dozens of times. It wasn’t like they had too much to drink one night, wound up in bed, and regretted it the next morning. They carried on an affair for months—with her supposed best friend’s fiancé. We went out to dinner as a foursome all the time, Simon! Her hand was probably on his dick under the table while the two of us sat there like fools.”
“I know you’re upset, but… Mia feels terrible about what she did to you.”
“They slept together in the honeymoon suite the night before the wedding. My dress hung five feet away from where he had her bent over. She was staring at her best friend’s wedding dress while Christian stuck it in her ass, Simon! Her ass! She’s told me she didn’t let you do that to her!”
He looked over my shoulder. “Please. Keep your voice down. I work here.”
“I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “I shouldn’t have come. I just… I thought we were friends, and I needed legal help, and… I don’t know. I guess I thought we could exact revenge together somehow.”
Simon frowned. “We are friends, Evie.”
“No, we’re not. You can’t be friends with someone who’s on the other side of the enemy line. I have no hard feelings toward you, but let’s be realistic. We’re never going to hang out again. Maybe you’ll write Happy Birthday on my Facebook wall, and I’ll post an LOL on the occasional Instagram picture, but that’s the extent of it.”
Simon’s mouth set to a grim line. There wasn’t anything he could say, because he knew I was right. And really, I felt sorry for him. Mia had screwed over him and her best friend. That wasn’t a mistake; it was a character flaw. And she would do it again to the poor bastard.
I stood and held out my hand. “Goodbye, Simon. Good luck.”
He stood. “Do you want me to at least refer you to someone?”
“No.” I smiled sadly. “That’s okay. Thanks anyway.”
I walked out of Simon’s office feeling like a layer of new flesh had been ripped off a gaping wound. I’d known coming here to talk about what had happened wouldn’t be easy. But I hadn’t been expecting this. Six months had gone by, and it seemed I was the only person left behind. Christian had posted a photo while out on a date the other night, and Mia… She’d gotten her boyfriend and her old life back. Meanwhile, I was unemployed, homeless, a laughingstock to a billion people, and about to be sued for everything I’d earn over the next ten years—if I could actually find a job.
• • •
“That sucks. I’m sorry.” Greer frowned. I’d arrived at her specialty wine shop a little earlier than she’d needed me to so I could fill her in about Simon and Mia. I hadn’t been able to shake the conversation I’d had with him, and I’d wound up going out to Brooklyn to take a long walk on a beach where I often collected sea glass before coming to the shop.
“I expected he might turn me down. Simon was never big on drama—that was Mia’s forte. But I never anticipated he’d turn me down because he and Mia were back together.”
My sister shook her head as she finished unpacking a box of wine, lining the bottles up on a shelf. “I can’t believe someone as smart as Simon would be stupid enough to take her back.”
“I know. I tried to put myself in his shoes. He and Mia were only boyfriend and girlfriend, not engaged like Christian and me. But I honestly don’t think I would feel any differently if Christian and I hadn’t been engaged when I caught him. Cheating sort of has levels. If you have a drunken one-night stand, that’s a three on the cheat-o-meter. If you have an ongoing relationship with someone else, that’s like a six and a half. If it’s with your significant other’s friend or family, it rockets the offense up to a ten. Maybe, maybe, I could forgive a three. But anything higher, it’s no longer a mistake. It’s absolutely a choice. The whole thing just makes me so crazy…” I lifted my chin to the locked glass cabinets behind my sister. “I might bust open your fancy reserve cabinet and drink a few bottles.”
She pointed to the shelf behind me. “You can get just as drunk on the cheap stuff, sister.”
I walked behind the counter. “Don’t worry. I like to match my alcohol with how I’m feeling, so the cheap and crappy stuff it is.” Pulling open a drawer, I tossed my purse inside. “Now go—get out of here. I don’t want you to be late for your appointment to pick out my future niece or nephew’s genetic benefactor. Actually, hang on a second…” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a piece of bright red sea glass. Leaning over the counter, I held it out to my sister. “Take this with you.”