Page 3 of Without Regret

I put my hand up in a defensive measure, not wanting her to hug me or anything crazy like that. What was with Americans and hugging? No touchy, please. “That’s not necessary. Look, we all have bad days.”

Damn. I had to go and open my mouth because she instantly welled up with tears again. “Did you ever have someone betray you?”

It was tempting to say no and move the hell on, but looking at her big blue eyes swimming with tears, I nodded. “Once upon a time when I was younger. Yes.”

She lit up like she’d just found her best friend for life. Oh, bugger.

“And what did you do? I mean how did you get past it? Are you married now with kids, so you can say it was all worth it?”

Since when did a happy ending have to include those things to qualify? But rather than get into a life-choices debate, I told her the facts bluntly. “No, but when he begged me to be with him again, I was able to tell him to fuck off, and nothing, absolutely nothing, feels better than that. So, you keep that in mind if you ever entertain the idea of forgiving him. Because I guarantee being the one who got away feels a hell of a lot better than being the girl who gives him a second chance.”

She perked up and then sighed. “I wish I was like you.”

I swallowed hard. If she knew the darkness inside of me, that would be the very last thing she’d wish for. “No, you don’t,” I murmured, ready for this conversation to be over. “Now, go out there and talk to your brother. Give yourself some time to get over your fiancé, but not too much.”

“What’s the best way? To get over him.”

“You truly want to know?” Because I had a feeling I was about to shock the princess.

“Yes, please.”

“Get over him by getting under someone else.”

But instead of being shocked, she burst out laughing. “We so need to be friends.”

No. No. No. I backed away slowly, silently willing this situation and Miss Beauty Pageant to stay away. “No offense, but I don’t really do that.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Friends? You don’t have friends?”

Sure, I did. I had two. Simon, my boss, and his girlfriend, Peyton. And that was plenty of people to care about in my life. The less people who got in, the less likely I’d have to deal with being disappointed when they let me down.

Her face fell. “It’s okay. I realize my first impression was horrible, and I don’t blame you for not wanting to be my friend. I wouldn’t want to be, either. I mean what do you get out of the deal except a blubbering girl who takes out her frustrations on a poor front desk clerk.”

Bollocks, she’d already twisted it into self-deprecation. I knew she was in a fragile state and sympathized despite my better judgement. Rejecting her would be like kicking a puppy. Even I wasn’t that cold.

I went to my locker, pulled out my duffle bag, and took a card out of the side, which I handed over. “Here. This is my business card with my email address. Notice I said email as opposed to phone number because I can’t have you ringing me on my job. However, if ever you want to vent or need advice, you email me. Normally, I’ll respond within a day, as long as I’m not traveling.”

Not that I’d been doing much travel over the last couple of months. I missed the excitement of a new place every few weeks. My life was meant to be spent in a busy metropolis with late nights, where fashion didn’t include boots unless they were up to the knee and paired with skinny jeans.

She took my card, clutching it to her chest as though it was a golden ticket for Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. “Thank you so much. I’ll email you. I’m so glad I met you, Emma. My other friends would simply tell me to eat a pint of ice cream or to forgive Edward because I’ve got so much time already invested in him, but you’ll keep me strong.”

Yay me.

I smiled, telling her I needed to go. Especially before we did any more inadvertent girl bonding. But as I stepped out of the locker room door, I realized I’d forgotten about her brother. Her very handsome—if I was into guys who were pretty—brother.

“Is she okay?” he inquired, his concern looking genuine.

“Yep. Just ducky. She’ll be out in a moment. Gotta go.”

But like his sister, he wasn’t so easily swayed. “At least let me treat you to dinner as a token of appreciation.”

“Thanks, but no, thanks.” I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

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