Page 56 of Expiry Dating

Her eyes went back to the pie counter and her heart sank. Flashbacks of Brady kissing her haunted her vision. This is where she found her strength, where he helped her find it.

Goddamn you, Brady Mitchell. Damn you to hell.

She let out a heavy groan and cut herself another slug of pie. This is all she needed. Pie won’t hurt her. Pie wouldn’t cheat on her or lie to her. She can trust pie. Pie will make her happy. Won’t it? Her pie-pondering was swiftly interrupted by a familiar figure bouncing into the booth seat opposite her.

“Hi.” The blonde was bright, happy, and altogether pretty damn offensive. “We met the other night. I’m Laura.”

Oh, how could I forget?

“Sure,” Alice replied, purposefully not rising to her level of cheer.

“Listen, I just wanted to say sorry about the misunderstanding. Brady’s a good guy, and I hate the idea of messing things up for him, especially since he was helping me and Drake out.”

“It’s fine, really.” This time there was no hiding the impatience in her voice. Alice did not need to be discussing Brady right now. And as petty as it was, this beautiful creature in front of her had triggered a tsunami of crap that she was now living with the consequences of.

“Okay, well ... I guess I should leave you to it.”

Finally, she’s getting the message.

Laura stood and hesitated for a moment. “Drake and I would love to have you and Brady over for dinner one night. Just let me know, and we can set something up.”

Alice, for the life of her, couldn’t understand where this friendliness was coming from. She wasn’t exactly giving off the warmest vibes. And yet, pretty, smiley Laura was being nice to her. It kind of made Alice hate Laura a little bit more. The woman was fricking perfect.

Alice tried her best to smile but wasn’t optimistic about what her face was actually portraying. Going by the sympathetic look the woman gave her, she hadn’t successfully managed one.

Her eyes returned to her half-eaten slice, and she wished for a moment that she could be like Laura. So sweet and nice, not at all broken or bitter. Not like her. Brady’s words echoed in her head again.

I love you. You’re it for me.

She didn’t deserve his love. She didn’t deserve him. Why did she have to be so screwed up?

***

“You’ve been avoiding me.” Lily looked Alice up and down as she opened the door for her. Not waiting for a reply, Lily pushed past Alice and headed straight to the tiny sofa where she made herself comfortable.

Alice followed her over and settled down next to her, smiling at her sister’s baby bump as she did. She still couldn’t believe she was going to be an aunt. “A person who was avoiding you wouldn’t have asked you over, Lilypad.”

“Yes, now you ask me over. After a week of you ignoring my calls and making up imaginary errands when I come by.”

Alice had had no choice but to avoid Lily. When Alice wasn’t at work, she wasn’t fit for human company. In between ice cream and serial killer documentaries, she was crying her eyes out, and that was the last thing she wanted her sister to witness. But now she was ready. Ready to talk and ready for Lily to listen.

“I assume this is about Brady and why he went on that last-minute vacation?”

Alice drew her legs up onto the cushions and tucked her knees to the side. “He told me he loved me,” she blurted. “And I ... I broke it off.”

“Oh, Ali.” Lily quickly pulled Alice into her arms, and like the baby she was, she succumbed to her tears once again. “You love him, don’t you?”

She nodded against her sister’s chest. It was the truth. She did love Brady. She’d known for a while, even before he’d said it. But she didn’t trust it. How could she?

Managing to gain control of her tears, she straightened and immediately saw the sadness in Lily’s emerald eyes. She hoped at least some of it was hormones, otherwise she was the worst sister ever. It was bad enough she was sad. Lily didn’t need to be as well.

“I’m afraid to trust it. Trust him. How can I when all the men I’ve ever known have lied and cheated? If I give him my heart, Lily, he’ll break it. I know he will.”

Her sister soothingly stroked back Alice’s hair. “All the men you’ve ever known?”

It was now or never. This is why she’d asked her sister over.

“Dad,” she whispered. “Just after you moved out. I ... I caught him with someone else. I told Mum but nothing happened.”

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