Page 67 of Claimed By my Frenemy

“Well, have a good evening then.” Mia continues to scrub at the counter.

I hesitate beside my chair, still trying to decide if I should make a move. But everything in my gut is screaming that this is the wrong moment. I need to keep waiting. I need to figure out my life, my investments, first.

Mia can’t come first right now, and even though it’s true, I realize how wrong it is.

33

MIA

My friends are chattingaround me, but I’m having trouble paying attention to the conversation. Last time I tuned in, Madison was talking about how Samson is such a troublemaker. In two days, he’s chewed up three shoes.

“I’m going to be barefoot by the end of the summer, because I refuse to buy more. The worst part is that he doesn’t just chew up two shoes in a pair, he only chews the left shoe.”

Everyone laughs as Madison explains how fashionable her right foot is going to be. I force a smile onto my face, but I’m thinking about Theo.

The last few interactions we’ve had can only be described one way—awkward.

“So, anyway, I do not recommend getting a puppy, but if you do, at least I have a great dog walker to recommend.”

Zoey nudges me with her elbow. She’s always been the first to notice that things are off, and she isn’t any different now. “Mia, you’ve been awfully quiet today. Everything okay?”

I glance around the table at my friends, all of whom have turned their attention to me. Madison, Zoey, Stella, and Aurora—all eyes are on me, filled with concern.

“Yeah, what’s going on with you and Mr. Sexy?” Aurora asks.

“Theo,” I supply.

Aurora laughs. “Ah, you knew immediately who I meant when I called him Mr. Sexy. That shows us your brain is in the gutter.”

“Shh!” Stella tells Aurora. No one ever shushes Aurora. Her eyes grow wide, and she looks like she’s about to complain, but everyone is staring at me, waiting for some sort of answer.

I take a deep breath, knowing I can’t keep this to myself any longer. “I got this letter,” I start, reaching into my bag and pulling out the folded piece of paper. “It’s anonymous, and it suggests that Theo is planning to double-cross me and the community. I don’t know who wrote it, and I even checked my doorbell camera, but…nothing.”

Madison’s eyes widen. “Double-cross you? How?”

“I don’t know. It’s very vague. It’s…impossible to tell. But it basically makes it seem like I can’t trust anyone.”

I start passing the piece of paper again, and each woman looks at it for a moment before turning it over to make sure nothing is on the back. “See? It doesn’t give me any details. It just makes me feel kind of sick.”

The table falls silent as everyone processes what I’ve just said. Finally, Stella speaks up. “Do you believe it? Do you think Theo would do that? Double-cross you like this note suggests?”

I shrug. I can’t control my uncertainty. I’d like to say that Theo would never do anything to hurt me, but how sure of that can I really be? Can I actually ignore the noteandthe strange way he was acting around me yesterday?

“Can I get you ladies a refill?” Addison, our waitress, asks. She’s holding a steaming metal pot of coffee, and I have a moment to gather myself as she refills my friends’ cups.

Once she’s gone, they’re back to looking at me, waiting for answers again. “I don’t know. Things have been weird betweenus lately. He seems distracted and secretive. And now, with this letter... I just don’t know what to think. I had dinner with him last night… Well, I offered him the leftovers from my dinner, and he seemed so falsely cheerful.”

“Do you think it could be because the note is affecting your view of him and not because he’s changed? If he doesn’tknowsomeone has left a note causing you to doubt him, then his cheerfulnesscouldseem false.” Zoey has a good point.

I shrug, then shrug again. It’s the only thing I can do. “It’s so hard to know. I want to trust Theo, but if I do, and I get hurt…”

Stella reaches across the table and squeezes my arm. “If you do, then we’re right here. We’ll always be right here.”

“But he probably won’t. You just have to trust him,” Madison adds.

I wish I could be as flippant and easy-going as Madison is about the whole thing. “Aurora?” I ask. “What’s your opinion about the whole thing?”

“I think that you need to figure out who left the note. Then, you’ll know if it has any merit.”

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