Page 49 of Run for the Money

“Weeks you spent seducing your coach,” Olivia points out. “You’ve barely answered anyone’s texts. I had to tell Kennedy you weren’t mad at her, and the reason you’ve only sent one-word answers to all her messages is because you’re too exhausted from all the sex you’ve been having to write out a full sentence. You’re welcome for that.”

“I’m also training for some pretty major competitions,” I point out sullenly.

“Which we found out about fromHorse & Hound, not from you, by the way,” she says sourly. “You’re clearly going through some shit, so I’m not going to get on your case about shutting us out. Because I’m such a good friend, I’m going to talk you off this ledge, and then once you’ve finished with all the make-up sex you’re going to have, you can answer a fucking text and maybe invite your friends to come watch you compete this weekend, since it’s a fifteen minute drive away.”

My shoulders slump. “Wow, don’t hold back.”

“Do I ever? Now what is this shit about pit stops? What are you talking about?”

“I’m the pit stop—you know, the place men hang out for a bit to refuel while they’re on the road to their real partners,” I explain weepily.

Olivia wrinkles her nose in disgust. “Oh, gross. I didn’t know your mom had figured out how to fully take possession of your body and use your mouth to say dumb shit. Hi, Sheryl! How’s it going? Get out of your daughter’s head before you ruin her eyebrows, too!”

“Ha, ha, very funny,” I deadpan.

“It’s not funny, though, and it’s not true,” she says. “You’re projecting all of your insecurities from your relationship with Paul onto your new relationship because you’re uncomfortable being happy. Cut it out before you fuck up something that’s been really good for you.”

I gape at her, not sure where to start.

“Shut your mouth. I’m serious,” she says. “You were constantly on edge when you were with Paul. Every little thing felt like the end of the world! You texted me, like, eight times a week convinced he was going to dump you.”

“Which he very much did,” I remind her.

“Yeah, because neither of you were happy. So, thank you, Paul, for finally having the balls to pull the plug on that dead love affair!”

“There were some happy times,” I argue. “Probably.”

She snorts. “Remember what happened when he asked you to move in?”

“Yeah, I moved in,” I say.

“Incorrect. You moved half of your clothes into his closet a month later, and you didn’t even pretend you were going to sell your house, because you were convinced he was going to change his mind.”

“I was being cautious,” I mumble, not meeting her eyes.

“You’d been together for two years!” she says. “Now, if we contrast that with your current situation, it’s obvious how different your feelings are. You moved in with Nick, like, immediately.”

“I did not,” I argue. “I still have my house.”

“I’ve had your location turned on for the past six years, Melanie. I know you’re at Nick’s house right now, and that you haven’t gone to your house for more than an hour or so in nearly a month.”

“Don’t you have stuff to do other than cyberstalking me?” I ask.

“No, work’s super slow this time of year, so I’ve been watching you like a Sim character,” she says with a shrug. “But we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about the fact that you’re on Nick’s couch, freaking out about Paul’s engagement, while Nick is nowhere to be found. What’s going on there?”

My cheeks flush. “I don’t know. We, uh, yelled some stuff at each other and he drove off.”

“What kind of stuff?” she prompts, brows raised.

“Uh, he said it wasn’t a big deal that Paul’s engaged, so I tried to explain that I’m not upset because I want Paul, I’m upset because I realized Nick’s going to stop loving me someday, too, and then he said that wouldn’t happen, I said I’m not that naive, and he said we should go to Vegas and get married, and I told him to stop yelling at me, and then he left. That kind of stuff.”

Olivia’s jaw drops. “Well, he can match your energy. I’ll give him that.”

I’m lightheaded and my lungs feel too small. “I may have overreacted to the engagement news.”

“Yeah, just a scootch,” she says dryly. “You put Nick in an impossible situation. How the hell is he supposed to prove he’ll never leave you? You can’t know he’ll stay forever until forever is over. Insisting otherwise just sets him up for failure and leaves you both miserable. Think of it like show jumping.”

“Putting a giant animal through a series of increasingly difficult speed and agility tasks?”

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