Page 89 of Those Heartbreak Scars

“I don’t know.” I shrug and bite my thumb. “He told me it was over, and I haven’t seen or heard from him since. I have his watch, and I don’t know where I’m supposed to send it.”

“Oh, babes.” She sits up, letting the covers bunch around her waist. She’s pale like she hasn’t seen the sun in weeks. Her hair is teased and knotted from being in bed. She opens her arms wide.

I hurry across the room and hug her.

She hugs me back. “Tell me all about it.”

“There’s nothing to tell. We had an argument, and he told me that I should go home to Chicago. He was clear that he doesn’t want us.”

“Could it be a matter of bad communication? Maybe you just need to talk again.”

“I’ve tried.” I flop onto my back, let the tears dribble down my cheeks. “He hasn’t responded at all. I don’t know what else to do.”

“Nothing, I guess.” She sighs and drops down beside me.

“I have to repack.” I brush the wetness away. I’ll cry more later when I’m all alone in my bed. I don’t have time to break down when I need to pack for the Dells. “I have the flight home tomorrow. Indy’s convinced herself I’m bringing my boyfriend, though I never told her I would. I just couldn’t bring myself totell her about what happened with Everett or with Gray. And now I think I need to tell her that we broke up.”

I’ll save the part about who the boyfriend was until I see her. It just doesn’t feel like something I should tell her over the phone. He’s not just someone. He was her someone for a long time. And I stomped all over girl code.

“What did happen with Everett?” Dove asks. “He sent, like, an insane number of flowers for two weeks after you took off with Gray. My antihistamines could barely keep up.”

“What happened with Nathan that night he left you in the middle of nowhere?” I counter, knowing she won’t answer.

She shakes her head. “The whole fucking apocalypse.”

“What does that mean?” I roll onto my side, rest on my elbow.

“He worked out I was pregnant.”

“You’re pregnant?” I gape at her.

“No.” She looks incredibly sad. “I thought I was for a hot minute after Positano. It was probably only a false positive on the test. Either way, it didn’t stick.”

“Did you want it to?”

“Having a baby with a stranger? That sounds like a terrible idea.” Her shoulders shake. “Could you imagine that pretentious, arrogant man as my baby daddy?”

If anyone would have handled it, it would have been EJ. “What does this have to do with Nathan?”

“It’s in the contract. I can’t have a relationship or children until our agreement has run its course.”

“Who the hell is he? The devil? Did you sign this contract in blood?” Not for the first time I consider whether I could figureout how to hire a hitman. “That’s such bullshit. Why don’t you fight it?”

“It’s complicated,” she says. “And that’s as much as I want to talk about that. Your turn.”

I fill her in on the details of what happened with Everett. Including the fact that I’m still having nightmares about that night and how much worse it could have been.

“I think we need to go see your friends at the kebab shop. They’ll know someone that will ruin his ball game and we can get some of those garlic potatoes for dinner.” Dove gets up. “But first we definitely need some of that ice cream you keep stashed in the freezer.”

We stuff ourselves with mouthfuls of salted caramel and pretzel ice cream while we stand around the counter.

“Gray will come around.” Dove offers the container to me when I make a face at my phone. My only messages are from Indy, commenting on my expected arrival in Chicago. “You’re totally hot and fun and amazing. I could go on and on about your intelligence. And it’s clear to anyone with a pulse that you adore him. The man would be a moron not to realize how lucky he was to be with you.”

I scoop another chunk onto my spoon as my cheeks heat. I don’t know what to do with the compliment, but I appreciate it. “You’re the best friend a girl could ask for, but don’t tell Indy I said that.”

“I won’t. And I really believe he’ll come around.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not so sure it matters.” I would have kept my distance from Indy and Theo and my family for Gray. I would have missed them like crazy, but I would have done it. In a way I was already doing it before we got together.

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