Page 131 of A Lesson for Laurel

“Let me go change and we can get some dinner by the water and take our time and enjoy the night.”

They went upstairs together and were looking for clothes when his phone rang.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“What?” she asked, coming out of her closet. “Is it work? You can take it.” He turned his phone and showed her it was Rachelle. “Answer it.”

“I’m not sure I want to. I have no idea why she is calling. It’s like all the shit in our lives is happening this week.”

“Seems that way,” she said. “It’s your choice to talk to her or not. I don’t care either way.”

“If I don’t answer she might call again,” he said. Before she could say another thing, he answered but put it on speaker. She hadn’t expected that. “Hello,” he said.

“Easton. I wasn’t sure if you were going to accept my call.”

Laurel kept the cringe from her face over the soft voice on the other end. She wasn’t so sure there was much soft about her.

“I almost didn’t. I can’t imagine why you would be calling me.”

“I heard you were dating someone pretty seriously.”

He frowned. “What business is that of yours? You’re engaged.”

There was a pause. “It was hard to hear about it. I saw the pictures of her on Facebook.”

“What?” he asked. “Where?”

“Livi posted some pictures of your get-together. There were a few of you and this woman. I asked around about her.”

Laurel grinned over that and crossed her eyes, then brushed her knuckles across her chest.

He held back the laugh...barely, she could see.

“Not sure why you care,” he said. “You moved on.”

“You never looked at me like you did her.”

Laurel had to see these pictures, but she wasn’t on any social media. She’d have to check with Nicole and see if she could see them.

“What’s this about, Rachelle? You got what you wanted.”

“I wanted you,” Rachelle said.

Her jaw dropped and she looked at Easton to see that reaction. “You had a good way of showing the opposite.”

“I’m sorry,” Rachelle said. “I made a mistake. I just wanted to feel special with you. I wanted to be your world. You couldn’t give me that. I tried to tell you and you never listened.”

“No,” he said firmly. “You always said you weren’t happy. I’d ask why. You never had an answer as to why.”

“I know now. I wanted that. I loved you and I don’t think you ever looked at me the same as her. We just settled into life. We were too young for that.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “This has to do with moving out of the City?”

“No,” Rachelle said. “I don’t know.”

“I’m not sure what to tell you,” he said. “Other than I’m in love with Laurel and you’ve got Connor.”

“I don’t think he’s the one,” Rachelle said, starting to cry.

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