Page 66 of Verses Of Us

“It was.”

“You aren’t going to say anything else?”

“Nope.”

Shaking her head, Alexis kept her focus on the mashed potato mush on her plate. She wasn’t hungry, and just as she did when she was a kid, she moved the food around, making smaller piles, creating the illusion she was eating.

“Nope?” Louise pushed, lifting an eyebrow.

“Why do I feel there’s something else going on here?” Simon asked.

The women looked at him as if they’d forgotten he was there.

During her parents’ separation, Alexis and her father hadn’t been as close as they had been before the split. Though elated to have her father back home after reuniting with her mother, Alexis struggled to mend her relationship with him. After everything that had taken place—graduating, starting college, even the stuff with Ciarán—it was as if Simon had missed far too much. Far more than he should have. And now, seeing him at the table with his arms crossed over his wide chest, Alexis wasn’t sure she could tell him what went on with Ciarán. She knew he didn’t know about it—she’d made her mom promise not to say a thing. But as she gulped her Shiraz, she knew she didn’t have a choice but to tell him.

“When I was eighteen, me and Ciarán…” She darted her eyes away. “We hung out.”

His brow dipped as he considered her. “Hung out?”

Her stomach cramped, and she saw him swallow hard. “I won this brunch with him and we became close.”

His green eyes wandered from hers to Louise’s, then back. “Didn’t you adore that guy?”

Her head dropped, and she nodded. “Yeah, I did.”

“So why are you acting like…” Understanding spread across his face as his eyes widened, and he leaned back in his chair with a long exhale. “Oh.”

Her cheeks burned. She looked down, wishing the ground would swallow her whole. There were no lies between her and her mother. She could tell her anything. But there was no way she could look her father in the eye when she imagined what he was thinking.

“He broke her heart, is what happened,” Louise added, refilling her glass with red wine.

“Mom…”

“He led her on, then left.” Louise spoke to Simon, as if her daughter wasn’t there.

“It wasn’t that simple.” Alexis met her mother’s concerned eyes.

“I think you’re giving him more credit than he deserves.” Louise pushed her chair back and took the apple pie out of the oven. “Did he say anything? During your interview? Did he at least apologize?”

Alexis pressed her lips together, but knew her mother would never drop it. “Yes, sort of. I mean, we… spent some time together—”

“How much time?” Louise asked, handing her a plate of pie.

Normally, Alexis would dive into the delicious dessert without hesitation, but tonight, her taste for sweets had vanished.

She shrugged. “A few days.”

“A fewdays?”

“Lou, take it easy,” Simon interrupted, trying to diffuse the building tension.

“And you’re just telling me this now? Why would you even give him the light of day after what—”

“Because it’scomplicated,” Alexis snapped. “We have this amazing connection, OK? And I’m weak and he keeps reeling me in, I guess.”

“You are the furthest thing from weak.” Louise sat down and took her daughter’s hand.

“Anyway, he’s gone, and it’s over. So, seriously, can we drop this, please?”

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