Page 77 of Tough Love

Jess chuckles, hurling the pillow back at me. It glances off my wine glass, sending liquid spilling over the side and onto my jeans.

“Hey!”

“Build a bridge, babe.”

I scowl, dabbing the wet patch.

“Anyway, who said you have to go in there and tell them the truth?”

“You’re telling me to lie to police,” I deadpan.

“I’m telling you to bend the truth.” She narrows her gaze. “What other reason would you have to talk with him?”

My face falls, and I groan. “No way. I’m not taking advantage of Kath like that. I’ve done enough morally questionable things as it is.”

“Just a thought.” She sips her wine cockily, damn well knowing she’s started the thought process.

Damn her.

I could come up with something. It’s feasible. But it’s also wrong.

So wrong.

And so likely to get me at least two minutes with the man I’m helplessly in love with to explain that I don’t blame him. For any of it.

And even if he tells me he has moved on, at least he wouldn’t be another person to whom I’ve left things unsaid until it’s too late.

At least I would have learnt something from my past.

As bittersweet as it is.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Four days I’ve stood strong in my resolve not to go along with Jess’s crazy damn plan and stalk Evan at work. But as the nights wear on, I find myself lying awake wondering “What if?”

What if all I need to do is make the first move?

What if he has really moved on though?

What if I end up making a fool of myself?

What if Kath had never crashed that damn car?

“Five minutes, Briar,” I call, pouring myself a mug of strong coffee to take on the journey to work.

He dashes around the living area, checking under the side table, behind the armchair, and even around the TV.

“What are you looking for?”

“My other shoe.”

I point to the discarded sneaker balanced precariously on top of my surround sound speaker. “That one?”

He giggles, jumping a little to get it off. “Yeah.”

I’ve fast learnt that finding things in crazy places is the norm with children. “You got your things to take for show-and-tell?” It’s his day to give the other kids in the class a glimpse of who he is at home.

“Yeah!” He dashes into his room, emerging a short time later with the blue pillowcase that’s been stitched up and decorated into a “goodie” sack.

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