Page 46 of Pelvic Flaws

“Dex.” A woman’s voice said softly.

I looked up to see Debbie standing in front of me.

“Hey,” I said. “I didn’t know you were in today.”

I looked down at the appointment book, knowing full well I wouldn’t see her name there. I needed not to make a deal of her turning up, because I had an idea why she had. She’d taken it okay when I’d called things off, but I’d still heard the disappointment in her voice when we’d said goodbye.

“I’m not, I called to see you.” She placed a flat palm over the list of names and times, forcing me to look up at her.

“Well, it’s great to see you, darlin’.” I gave her a tight smile, having a sneaking suspicion that a serious conversation was on the way. “You’re lucky to catch me, I have a client coming in and they’re running late.”

Why I lied, I had no fucking clue. Maybe I thought she’d say ‘okay, I’ll go then,’ but I should have known better.

Debbie nodded. “Okay, I’ll say what I’ve got to say quickly.”

“Right,” I replied, having no idea what else to say.

“I know you said on the phone that it wasn’t fair to me, for us, to be FB’s when you like someone else, but I just wanted you to know, I don’t mind.” She let out a long exhale, as though she’d been practicing the words and had to get them out before she forgot them.

“But I care, Debbie,” I replied, pushing the reception desk chair back. “And so should you.”

“Okay,” she nodded her head and looked at me thoughtfully. “So, how about we make a proper go of it. Be a proper couple.”

“But I thought you were happy with the way things were.”

She always had been. There’d never been any pressure on either of us to call the other. We could go months without seeing each other and neither of us worry about it, so I wasn’t sure what had changed.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’ve changed. Maybe I want something more now.”

“When we first started this, you were the one who said it had to be casual. You didn’t have the need or time for anything more.”

“I know, but like I said, I’ve changed my mind.”

“You were also the one who said, if either of us met someone else that we wanted more with, we called it quits. So, that’s what I did.”

Debbie played with the edge of the appointment book, before taking the business cards out of their display holder, tapping them into a neat pile and putting them back again. She didn’t say a word, or even glance at me.

“Debbie,” I urged.

Her head shot up. “I’ve told you how I feel. I want to do things differently. I want us to be a couple.”

As she stared at me expectantly, I scrubbed a hand over my face.

“Like I said on the phone, I’ve met someone I think I want to make a go of things with.”

I hadn’t told her that someone was Katie, the woman who we’d rescued in the car on the night we should have gone to dinner, as that might have stung a little. Debbie did ask who it was, but I told her it wasn’t anyone she knew. She even asked if I’d been going to tell her, that night because she knew something was off – we never went out to dinner, just screwed usually. l lied and said it was, because I really didn’t want her to know it was Katie.

“That was your rule, Deb,” I said trying to placate her. “Which is why I ended things.”

“I’ll change the rule,” she retorted. “Just see us both.”

She was starting to sound desperate and it wasn’t like her. She’d always been so cool and independent.

“Why the sudden change?” I asked.

“Because you hadn’t met anyone before.” She hitched her bag higher up her shoulder and it killed me to see tears in her eyes.

“Fuck,” I muttered, moving around the desk and placing my arm around her shoulder. “Don’t get upset. You know me and you were never going to go anywhere. It was what it was, darlin’.”

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