Page 56 of I’d Never Date my Best Friend…Again

Did they forget that I’m still in the room? My head bounces back and forth between the three of them as they discuss my life like I wasn’t the one to actually experience it.

“Is that why she left Andrew at the altar? Because of Liam?” Jess whispers, and her mouth drops open as she connects the dots.

I fidget in my chair as the room becomes so quiet you can hear a pin drop. I struggle to keep my expression blank and look everywhere but directly at either of them.

Sean breaks the silence. “Will you stop talking in code and tell me what happened?”

Evie takes one look at me, sees my discomfort, and quickly replies. “Do you know Maxwell? There’s something I want to tell you about him.”

Just like that, Evie steers the conversation away from Penny and me, allowing me a moment of reprieve. I’m thankful for her sensitivity and how she always knows when I’m at my limit. As they talk, I think of Penny.

It’s been a few weeks since our date, and I haven’t seen her. We’ve been texting here and there, but after our first date, I put some distance between us because I wanted to start working with my therapist.

Not seeing her has been one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, but it’s the best decision I could have made. The progress my therapist and I have made has been amazing. I feel so much more in control of my emotions. Even better is my ability to process the emotions that the dark thoughts bring up.

My therapist believes that I only need a few more one-on-one sessions with him and then ongoing group therapy for a bit, but overall, he’s thrilled with the progress I’ve made. To be honest, so am I. I feel so much better.

I’ve only touched on this a little bit with Penny. She knows what I’ve been doing, but I haven’t really gone into depth about it. She deserves a man at his best, and I’m determined to be that for her.

Penny asked me a question that threw me for a loop. She asked if I had plans on reenlisting. The question came out of nowhere, and honestly surprised me. When I told her no, she seemed more than relieved.

“You can ask Liam.” I hear Sean say my name and bring myself back to the three people having a conversation that I wasn’t paying attention to.

“Ask me what?”

“Jess was asking what dog is the best breed for her,” he says. “We’re looking to get one when we’re married.”

“Really? A dog?” I fold my arms over my chest. “Let me think on that. I see a lot of dogs at work, and the one that seems the easiest is the Golden Retriever.”

“Golden Retriever, okay.” Jess nods. “I’ll research them. Jamie suggested a cat, but I think I’m leaning more toward a dog.”

“I may be biased, but I think dogs are more fun than cats.” My focus drifts to Jamie, who’s been absent for a while now. The last time I saw him was almost a month ago when I was leaving the bakery. He looked tense.

“How is Jamie?” I ask Jess. “I haven’t seen him around for a minute.”

“Jamie started a new job in Virginia,” Sean says.

“It’s a super secret project where he’s using his ninja hacking skills for the government,” Jess adds. She’s starting to sound more like Sean every day. “He hasn’t been able to tell us much, but it’s a great opportunity for him.”

“I don’t know why he hesitated so long before deciding to accept the position,” Sean jumps in. “The pay is outrageous, and the opportunities are endless. I was pretty sure he would jump at the offer.”

“Oh? That is a bit surprising.” I arch my brow and glance in Evie’s direction. She’s a bit quiet for this conversation, which is very un-Evie-like.

“I know! He kept saying his heart was in Willow Falls, and he wasn’t sure how he felt moving across the country without knowing if the job was permanent. I thought he was crazy.” Sean laughs. “It’s a miracle the offer was still available when he made up his mind, but then again, he is really good at what he does.”

“Cybersecurity, hmm.” I nod.

I turn away from the screen and notice that Evie’s usual smile is missing from her face. My lips pull downwards, and as if on cue, she looks up and catches me staring. The sadness is immediately replaced, and she winks at me, making me laugh. Something seems off, but I can’t help but wonder if I’m imagining it because now she’s smiling and joining in on the conversation.

“Sean, when are you coming home?” I ask, switching over to their wedding. “How many months are left before the wedding?”

“We are having a December wedding. And good question.” Jess’ eyes take on a mischievous gleam as she nods at me. “Because it seems your brother already has a new girlfriend and doesn’t want to come home anymore.”

“Oh my goodness,” Evie groans and rolls her eyes.

“Come on!” Sean laughs. “You know there’s been a delay because we had to reshoot some scenes. We’re starting today, and I should wrap up in the next few weeks. Then I’m all yours to help with the wedding plans.”

A glint enters his eyes, and I can see that he’s getting ready to tease his fiancé. “You know that I asked you to come visit me multiple times, but you were busy.”

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