Page 107 of By the Letter

“Are you humming ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’?” I asked.

“Mmmhmm. I find it more soothing than ‘Twinkle, Twinkle.’ And look, you stopped crying. My girl is a Queen fan.”

Laughing, I sat up and wiped my cheeks with the backs of my hands. Bea raked her eyes over me, concern crinkling her brow.

“I came over to ask if you wanted to grab dinner before I remembered Roman was coming back today.” She glanced around. “Is his flight delayed? Is that what’s got you down?”

“No, he’s back.”

Her eyes rounded. “Then why aren’t you with him? You’ve been fiending for him all week.”

I sucked in a breath, and it hurt. My throat felt like it was filled with broken glass while my chest was being squeezed in a vise. But I had to talk this out, and Bea would give it to me straight. She didn’t know any other way.

“I went over to his house, but he was with another woman.”

Bea went from zero to a hundred in two seconds flat. Her face flushed cherry-bomb red, and she sprung from the couch, her arms flinging outward.

“Hewhat? Are you kidding me? Oh, that guy—that fucking guy. Where is he?” She marched toward my door then spun around. “I can’t believe him. I fully trusted him—”

“Wait—why are you so mad?”

Her eyes looked close to falling out of her head. “Uh…are you kidding me, Shira? That handsome bastard is cheating on you when you’re growing his giant son! How could I not be mad?”

I scooted forward. “Do you think Roman and I are together?”

She slapped her forehead. “Well, I hope not now. God, I’m going to throttle him.”

“We were together?” I whispered.

Hands on her hips, Bea stared at me for a long time. “Okay, what is going on? Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?”

“The woman was a family friend. Nothing was happening, but I thought it was, and I told them I would leave to give them privacy. Roman wasnothappy with me.”

Her jaw dropped, leaving her mouth hanging open. “Why in the world would you do that?”

“Because we never talked about any of this. We’re together all the time, but I never thought we were a couple. The only thing we ever said was we would be friends—which we are.”

“Shira,” Bea breathed, her fingers flying to her mouth.

“I told him he’s only with me because of Beanie.”

“Oh, Shira.” She shook her head like I’d said something tragic.

“He’s Roman Wells.” Bea just stared at me, waiting for me to elaborate. So, I did. “You’ve seen him. He’s tall and so handsome, he takes my breath away, a former pro athlete with insanely thick thighs and glorious veins in his forearms, outrageously successful, and kind. Really, truly kind. That kindness is why he’s with me. If not for Beanie, he’d have nothing to do with me.”

“Wow. I’ve never heard one person be so incredibly wrong.”

“Which part?”

She waved her hands in a wide circle. “All of it, babe. You named a lot of that man's good qualities as if they’re reasons forthe two of you not to be together, but to me, you just made a list of why he’s approaching good enough for you.”

Is it not good enough? Is that why you can’t feel it?

“That isn’t it at all.”

She puffed her cheeks and blew out a powerful breath. “Let’s get real. The bean was the catalyst, forcing you and Roman to get to know each other on a very raw, gritty level. From what I’ve seen, you more than liked what you found in him, and he obviously liked the hell out of what he found in you. After all, the man isn’t dim.”

“We like each other. We’re friends.”

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