Page 120 of The Breaking Point

That had been our relationship. We’d loved each other, but we’d fought, too.

Now I wished that I’d told him how much I’d looked up to him, how proud I’d been of his hockey career that was advancing at breakneck speed.

I also wished I could tell him how mad I was at him for driving that night. One stupid choice, and he’d ruined so many lives.

It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t.

The night of my dinner with Elodie and Kelly, I arrived at the restaurant after Elodie but before Kelly. Elodie waved from a booth, a big smile on her face.

“I’m so glad you came,” she said as she hugged me. “How are you?”

I shrugged. “Not great, to be honest.”

Elodie’s forehead creased. “I’m sorry. Hopefully, we can get your mind off everything tonight. Oh, there’s Kelly.” Elodie waved again.

Kelly was dressed to the nines and was somehow more cheerful than ever. I had a feeling she was trying extra hard for my sake.

I wanted to tell her there was no point. It didn’t matter how many jokes she told or ridiculous stories she recounted.

My mind and heart were still far, far away.

“Soooooooo,” Kelly said after we’d ordered drinks, “how’s the internship, Grace?”

“It’s fine.”

Elodie glanced at Kelly. “I thought you were enjoying it?” Elodie questioned me.

“I am. It’s just awkward right now.” I didn’t feel like I needed to clarify.

Kelly sighed. “Okay, well, let’s change the subject. What have you guys been watching lately? I just binge-watched this Turkish drama, and now I’m on to this Korean one where she’s secretly dating her grumpy boss, but his evil mother can never, ever find out. The heroine just got hit by a car, too.”

Kelly chattered away, Elodie asking questions, with me mostly just listening. I stirred my drink and stared out the window at the traffic.

I knew I was terrible company right now. I felt guilty about it. When I’d told Kelly I wouldn’t be much fun to be around, she’d told me that that was fine.

“Do you think I only care about my friends when they’re happy?” she questioned. She’d sounded a little hurt.

When Elodie asked me a question, I realized with chagrin that I’d stopped listening a while back.

“Grace,” Kelly said with a sigh and a shake of her head, “you can’t keep going on like this. You’ve broken up with Brady. That sucks. But are you really trying to move on?”

Hearing Brady’s name was like a punch in the gut, which was silly because I heard his name all the time at work. I’d even seen him at least twice, although we hadn’t said a word to each other.

And although my parents tried not to bring him up, it was nearly impossible that his name was never mentioned around me.

“I do want to move on. I just ... don’t know how.”

Elodie took my hand and squeezed it. “If it’s any consolation, Mac says that Brady is a hot-ass mess. He hasn’t even been to the club to get his mind off you. As far as Mac knows, he just goes home to his apartment alone every night.”

I swallowed. I hated hearing that Brady was hurting, but it also made me feel strangely good. I wanted him to be in as much pain as I was.

It was petty and selfish, but I didn’t care.

“Okay, well, you’re going to have to show us that you want to move on,” Kelly said. She pulled out her phone. “Let’s get your dating profile up. Getting some new dick is your best course of action.”

I was about to protest but stopped myself. Maybe Kelly was right. Maybe I just needed to purge Brady Carmichael from my system.

Kelly began typing and then put her phone down so we could all see the screen. “Put in your deets, and then we’ll get started. What photos do you have? We should look through those to pick some good ones.”

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