Page 76 of Stuck with Mr. Grump

“At least you chose a bar in town this time,” she states, pulling the stool back to settle down at my side.

“I was trying to escape prying eyes back then,” I say on a shrug.

Even now, I can feel the meager number of patrons in the bar looking at us. I’m a Harrington; I’m used to being watched. But in a town like Edenton, the scrutiny feels even more intense because everyone’s always in each other’s business.

“And now?”

“I just don’t give a fuck anymore,” I say, throwing a shot back. “Want some?”

She hesitates. When I look at her, something flashes in her eyes, too quick for me to discern.

“No thanks,” she replies. “I’m not a fan of drinking. Not all of us have god-level tolerance. I’ll have a Coke instead.”

She calls for the bartender by name, asking him politely for a Coke. The middle-aged man hands her a glass with a smile before moving back to the edge of the bar to continue his conversation with two women there. I’m glad for the privacy.Because I know things are about to get heavy, and I’d rather no one heard us talking.

“So what’s wrong? You look awful,” Emilia states.

I sigh. “I have no fucking clue where to even start.”

“You can start at the beginning,” she replies. “I actually have something to tell you, too. But you look like you have a lot on your mind. Is this about your ex-wife? Marissa, right? She seemed nice.”

“Marissa’s the furthest thing from nice,” I say, huffing out a laugh.

“What’s she like?” Emilia asks curiously.

I pause, staring at her. I guess if I can’t figure out where to start, I might as well start at the beginning.

“She’s feisty. A lot like you, actually. But while you have a lot of kindness in you, Marissa’s not like that. You have a bleeding heart, she’s a spoiled princess. In an endearing sort of way.”

“How did you two meet?”

“At college,” I reply. “Before that, we ran in the same social circles so I knew of her. Her father owns a huge tech company, and she’s his only child, hence the spoiled princess bit. I couldn’t stand her when we first met, but then I got to know her a little and realized she wasn’t so bad. She and I became friends first. There wasn’t any initial attraction. We sort of just grew into our relationship. I think the only reason we started dating was because everyone around us kept telling us that we’d be perfect for each other.”

“Sounds like a recipe for disaster,” Emilia drawls.

“Yeah, it was. But not at first. At first, it was easy. We got married about a year after college. She had her thing and I had my thing and we were fine together. And then she got pregnant.” I blow out a breath, remembering how I felt when I heard that for the first time. “It was an accident. Marissa and I, neither of us wanted kids. We were terrified by the prospect.”

Emilia inhales sharply at that. But when I glance at her, her expression is blank, her eyes attentive. So I continue.

“Sean’s the most important thing in the world to me now, but I think having him was what led to the breakdown in my marriage with Marissa. We suddenly had someone else other than ourselves to think about, and I think we realized that we deserved more than just settling for each other. Or at least she realized that and she made sure I did, too. She’s pushy like that.”

Emilia smiles. “She sounds cool.”

“She is. Even after realizing we weren’t meant for each other, we tried to make it work. Eventually, we just called it quits. Our divorce was pretty amicable. She and I have always been better as friends. I care about her a lot.”

“Why did you call me here, Sterling?” Emilia asks softly.

I look her at then, wishing more than anything not to have to say the next sentence.

“Because I’m leaving.”

CHAPTER 21

Emilia

My head swims.

I was so glad when I got Sterling’s text. Because since yesterday, I’ve been shuffling between feeling sick and feeling complete and absolute dread.

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