Page 40 of Rush of Jealousy

“Hmm?”

“Hi.”

“You’re just in time for breakfast.”

Lucky me.

I am going to vomit on sight. I watch with disgust as Claire plates up the “meat” and carries it over to the table, pushing her dream board to the side to give us more room. The fact she is here for breakfast and not at the gym tells me this is something major. I would even go as far as sayingmonumental. Shit!

“Thank you,” I mumble and walk over to where she is setting down my plate. I stare at the nasty inedible strips of fake-bacon. They are not even the correct color, which is just disturbing. Ew. “I’m surprised to see you this morning.”

“Why? I live here.”

I swallow and try to keep my tone lighthearted. “I know, but you are usually off saving the world.”

“Sometimes I just want to have a low-key day and not have anyone expect anything from me.”

I sigh and relax my shoulders. “I hear you, sister.”

I sit back and watch as she eats her food. When her fakin’ bacon is done, she shreds off the outer layer of carrot using the peeler and chomps at the freshly cleaned skinny end—like you would expect a cartoon bunny to do. It is so hideous and bizarre to watch. Almost painful.

“Want one?”

“No, thanks. When are you going to be ready to talk about it?”

“Never.”

“Claire? C’mon, let’s just get it over with. Then we don’t have to talk about it anymore.”

She shakes her head adamantly.

“Can you at least tell me if I am going to have to eat carrots for most of my meals that I enjoy at home?” I soften my tone. “So I can mentally prepare myself.”

She breaks off another piece with her molars, looks down at her teeth marks, and then bursts into tears.

I scoot my chair over and embrace her in a hug.

Her sobs shake through her body, and she can barely get the words out. “He…is…an ass.”

I rub her back and fix her hair to stop sticking to her face. “I know.” Whatever she shares, I know it is his fault. I will forever be on Team Claire. “Tell me what happened.”

“Things might not be over with him and his ex-wife, Deena. I should’ve seen this coming. For starters, he has baggage. What would I expect from a guy who pays for dates? I think he used me to make her jealous.”

“You don’t know that, Claire.”

“Deena wants to go on a family weekend trip with him and their son. She says that it is for Finn’s sake, but I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling.”

“Have you tried talking with him?”

“No. What’s the point? I don’t want to just delay the inevitable.”

“So, what do you plan to do?” I ask cautiously.

This is the point in the conversation that may involve something on my part. Are we eating just carrots? Are we limiting how much trash we put into landfills? Perhaps we are going to consume all meals through straws. Or are we just going vegan? I can pretty much fake any of those options—except the carrot one. That one by far is the worst. I am pretty sure my hands still have the calluses to prove that I peeled way too many carrots in this lifetime.

“I just need to clear my head,” she says sadly. “Think about my own goals and execute a plan for my vision board.”

I nod my head over her suggestion.

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