Page 33 of Silver Lining Love

“Thanks.” I smiled as I took a step back. “I was actually just leaving.”

“No, bitch!” She reached out and grabbed my arm as she stuck out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. “You can’t leave! I haven’t seen you inforever!”

Yeah. My sister died, and I became a mom overnight, and you didn’t even call once to see how I was, is what I wanted to say.

I ended up going with, “I’ve been busy.”

Her eyes widened dramatically. “I know. Cass told me that Addi died.”

Cassidy French used to be my manager. She also happened to be Talia’s manager. It didn’t bother me that she’d told her. Talia had been my best friend. What bothered me was that Talia knew that Addi died and hadn’t even tried to contact me.

“How are you?” She cupped my cheeks with her hands, and I wanted to slap them away.

Instead, I reached up and removed them gently. “I’m fine.”

“Where have you been? What have you been doing? I mean, I know, like you were probably beingsadand all that.” She waved her arms in front of me. “But that was like a year ago.”

“Seven months.” I corrected her. “And I’ve been busy with the kids.”

“Holy shit!” Her face scrunched up in horror. “You have akid?”

“No, I’m raising my niece and nephews.”

“Why?!” Horror registered on her face as she flinched and retreated from me as if raising children was contagious and she might catch it.

“Because my sister died,” I said flatly.

This conversation was over.

I started to walk away, but Talia threaded her arm through mine. “Um, before you go, I need to ask you something. Jasper is here, and I was just wondering, did he ever start acting weird? I mean, before, when you guys were together. Because, I don’t know, lately, I just…I think he might be cheating on me.”

“You mean like he did to me. With you?”

“Yes!” She nodded as she pointed at my face, completely missing the irony in what she was asking me.

“I don’t know Jasper anymore. I don’t think I ever did.”

I pulled my arm out of Talia’s and started making my way to the elevator. I could hear her trailing behind me, jabbering on about how Jasper was acting, but I ignored her. Somewhere in the middle of the dance floor, I lost her.

When I got to the elevator, I exhaled a sigh of relief that this night was almost over. Soon, I would be home, in my sweats, with the kids, which was exactly where I wanted to be.

I’d no sooner pushed the button than I heard a familiar voice behind me. “Leaving so soon?”

It was strange, I remember a time when Jasper’s attention was all that I wanted. Now, I wished he’d just fuck off.

“Yep,” I responded curtly without turning around.

The doors opened, and I stepped inside. When I turned to hit the lobby button, I saw that he’d followed me into the elevator.

I ignored him. The mirrored doors closed, and in the reflection, I saw him lift his arm a second before I felt him brush a stray strand of hair off my cheek. “You look so fucking hot tonight.”

“Do not touch me.” I stepped farther away from him.

“Come on, Whit, you’re not still mad at me, are you?”

“No. I’m not,” I answered honestly. There was not even a single part of me that cared that he’d slept with Talia. I felt…nothing about the situation. Maybe a little embarrassed about the company I’d kept and what that said about me as a person, but other than that, absolutely nothing.

“So what’s up?” His hand rested on the handrail behind us as he leaned toward me. “Do you want to come back to my place?”

---