Page 101 of Breaking the Sinner

“You talk like it’s never gonna happen again.”

“Well, do you think it will?” Gen scoffed. “You weren’t there to hear what he said to me. It was serious.”

Sophie cut into her pile of pancakes, stacked three deep. “He seems to always come around.”

“It’s the end of our agreement, Sophie. The agreement you helped me decide on. Remember?” Gen lobbed a sigh. “You were right.”

“About what?”

“About falling down that long, dark tunnel of love.” Gen frowned, picking at the zipper on her Holt zip-up. “It happened. And it’s the best and worst thing that ever happened to me.”

Sophie nodded, chewing a big mouthful of pancakes, as she reached over to pat Gen on the back.

“Yep. That’s about the long and short of it.”

Emotion tightened Gen’s throat. It was easy to get lost in the planning for the Europe trip and not think about Cobra. But it had to come back and be dealt with at some point.

“Your trip to Europe will help,” Sophie said. “If you’re still thinking about him, missing him, not over him after your three months abroad…well, then…you’ll know it might be real.”

“But I can’t imagine not seeing him for three months,” Gen whispered. “I want this trip so bad. I’m going no matter what. I just wonder…”

“What?”

“Maybe it would be better if he came with. He might want to come with. We had talked about traveling before.”

Sophie sighed, forking out another slice of pancakes. “Honey, if he wants to come around, he’ll do it. And maybe that’s part of what this trip is for you. Realizing that a person’s journey is their own. You can’t force him to see the light. He has to do it on his own.”

A few pensive moments slid by as Sophie chewed her food. With a loud swallow, she added, “The best thing you can do is continue with your life. Go to Europe because it’s for you. Don’t add him to the mix.”

“Even though he left me at my parents’ house—”

“Which was a dick thing to do,” Sophie interjected.

“I still want to make sure he’s okay,” Gen finished.

“Of course.” Sophie sent her a wicked smile. “Because you love him.”

Gen gave it until Monday. To allow herself to cool off about the whole thing…to figure out what she wanted to say to Travis…to imagine how the conversation with Cobra might go. So when she showed up to work, got settled in, and Cobra wasn’t there? Part of her wasn’t surprised. Not even a little bit.

More calls to his phone ended in straight to voicemail. By the end of the workday on Monday, the verdict was in.

Cobra had not only broken up with her and abandoned her, he also planned on never coming back to work.

Gen rapped on Travis’s office door before she left. He called for her to come in, and she shut the door behind her quietly.

“Hi, Travis,” she said, sitting with her hands under her thighs. “Have you had a good day?”

“Yeah, pretty good.” He pushed back a pair of glasses he’d started using when on the computer. Thick black frames that he’d called “the most hipster.”

“What brings you into my office, Gen?”

She drew a fortifying breath. All of the monologues she’d practiced over the weekend completely dissipated. She had no idea anymore.

“I, uh…” She scratched her nose, then her forehead. “I know we started this arrangement as sort of an internship. I came to Los Angeles not really knowing where I was going or what I’d end up doing. And, uh…well…I made a decision.”

A brow shot up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m planning a backpacking trip to Europe.” The words prompted a smile from Travis, which made her feel bolder. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. And after a recent sort of…I don’t know…clarification process,I think it’s better if I go now. Or, I mean, soon. As soon as you don’t need me anymore, I mean.”

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