Page 87 of Crossing the Line

“Not true!” she exclaims, setting down her coffee cup a little too hard. “You guys went to high school together, right?”

I nod because this conversation is making me too uncomfortable to speak.

“See, you guys go way back. Much longer than a week.” Her head tilts as she remembers something. “You know,” she says, training her stare back on me. “I’m pretty sure I knew I loved Ethan after like three days.”

“Good for you?”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m just saying it’s possible!” Both of her hands smack down on the kitchen counter. “Okay. So, what do we know? Where can we start?”

I sigh as I think of all the things I know about Claire.

She drinks sangria when she’s happy and gin when she’s not.

Her nose crinkles when I try to compliment her like she doesn’t believe me.

And when she smiles, the concrete inside me seems to chip away.

I let my head fall in my hands as I stare down at the kitchen counter because none of those things will help me find her.

Finally, my head snaps up. “I know she lives with this girl Violet we went to high school with.”

“And?”

I think for a moment. “And that she’s studying education at Steinhardt.”

She nods. “I’d start there.”

Downing the last of my coffee, I say, “Yeah, I guess I should.” I set the cup in the sink. “Where’s your guy? Getting his beauty sleep?”

She taps her fingertips against the ceramic mug in her hands. “He’s in the shower. He should be out soon.”

I can tell she’s thinking about something as she stares down at her coffee, so I ask, “Em, what is it?”

She lifts her gaze, meeting my stare. “I just hope I’m right. I don’t know Claire well, but I don’t think she’d go back to her ex. Everything she said about the guy was negative. It just doesn’t make sense.”

All I can do is nod to that because I hope she’s right, too.

76

Claire

I’m finally in the kitchen of our Bay Ridge apartment as I watch Violet organize her new rolls of colored duct tape. I’ve pretty much given her the run-down at this point.

Florida–good.

Aiden–bad.

“I can’t believe him,” she says as she tears off a piece of blue tape with her teeth and sticks it on the board. “He was so set on it not being a casual hook-up, and then he dips as soon as you guys actually hook up?” She tears off another piece with her teeth before spitting, “Asshole.”

I didn’t bother telling her about my plans to meet up with Garret tomorrow. It’ll only get her more worked up. Aiden could have tied me to the train tracks like an old movie villain, and she’d still hate Garret more. Garret is, as she puts it, a preppy, entitled, sissy-boy, or just Sissy-Boy for short.

Violet looks over her shoulder at me. “But the sex was good?”

“Vi!” I force out a breath of laughter. “Seriously?”

She casually waves the roll of orange duct tape in her hand. “What?” When I don’t say anything she turns to face me. “Oh, come on. I’ve kept you in the loop on all the guys I’ve sampled.”

Grimacing, I mutter, “I wouldn’t say that I sampled him.”

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