Page 108 of You've Got Male

“Exactly! And I was fine. Now I’m in the same spot, just miserable.”

Julie’s expression softened. “You dumped Jonah?”

“How do you know I broke it off? Who’s to say he didn’t do the dumping?”

“The fact that he’s looking for solutions and you’re sticking tothe whole martyr complex.”

“I might have a superhero complex but I’m not a martyr.” Evie had never complained to her family about the sacrifices she’d made. Ever. She just kept her head down and pushed forward. In fact, the only person she’d been completely honest with about being stretched thin was Jonah.

“Nah, superheroes are brave in the face of fear. When it comes to yourself, you’re fearful of anything remotely brave.”

“Are you saying I’m a coward?”

Julie pulled a brush out of the glove box, which meant she had to lean across Evie, elbowing her in the boob. “I’m saying that you’ve gone through some rough experiences that would make any sane person afraid to dip their toes into the love lagoon. But love doesn’t have to end badly.”

“He made me miss my placement exam, Jules,” Evie whispered. “He made an irresponsible choice and, mistake or not, it derailed my life. And I’m tired of other people skidding into my lane and then saying, ‘Whoops, sorry about totaling your car, but I was on the phone.’”

“What if he had the blinker on the whole time and was trying to merge, but you were so busy keeping your eyes forward that you missed the signals?”

Oh, she’d missed them all right. Maybe that’s why they had collided instead of merging, because she was in the carpool lane with a family who refused to put on their safety belts. And Jonah’s car wasn’t any safer. In fact, even with his third row they couldn’t fit both their families into a single vehicle.

“Do you want it to work?” Julie asked quietly.

“Yes, but I can’t see it happening right now. I just don’t have enough to give and I’m not willing to let my life slip through the cracks for a man again.”

“Too bad,” Julie said.

Evie blinked. “That’s it? Too bad? That’s your advice?”

“If he made you choose between your own needs and his, then you did the right thing.”

“Then why does it hurt so bad?” Evie whispered.

“Because you love him,” Julie said, pulling her into a hug. “I saw it at the bar.”

“Do you think everyone saw it?” And by “everyone” she wondered if that included Jonah. Yes, she’d told him she loved him, then she’d walked away as if her heart wasn’t breaking. But did he see it, feel it like she did?

“I think the people who mattered saw it.”

Julie ran the brush through Evie’s hair and began styling it.

“What are you doing?”

“You’ve got a hundred or so people who are waiting to see the famous You’ve Got Male girl, who are here to cast their final vote for Denver’s Best. There’s already a crowd of people who have gathered inside. And there are even people waiting outside, since the fire marshal threatened to come out if we allowed more than our maximum capacity in today.”

“Seriously?” Evie squinted and peered through the side window of Grinder and looked through the shop. She caught a glimpse of a herd of brightly colored umbrellas huddled near the front door, which was around the corner on Main Street.

“They’ve been there since six. Asking for you.”

Evie craned her neck farther. “But it’s raining.”

“Not even Zeus could take on Cupid at this point.”

“Until everyone finds out that we broke up. Then the Greek Goddess Pheme will have her way and people will be talking about the poor broken-hearted sap who gave love a try only to have her life hijacked.”

“Well, then let’s reclaim it. And when people talk, and they will, you just keep your chin up and say it wasn’t meant to be but you’re still open to finding love.”

“Even if I’m not?”

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