Page 79 of F*ck Marriage

“That’s who Woods is to Billie. And who Billie is to Woods.”

Everything in me goes cold and stiff. I feel like I’ve just turned to wood, and not in the good way.

“If you’ll excuse me,” I say to Denise. “I’m going to head home for a few hours if you’ll be with her.”

She waves me away, her eyes already on Billie. I can’t get out of there fast enough.

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Satcher…” Billie’s arm is frozen midair, her fingers still clutching her phone when she looks at me. She’s just hung up with Jules and I’m assuming Jules has told her.

“Satcher,” she says again, and this time her tone edges on impatience, “you broke up with Jules five days before Christmas ... over thephone?”

“Yes.”

She slams her phone down on the table and hobbles over. The bruises on her face have mostly faded; the color painting the underside of her eyes is a dull yellow. I watch the anger dance in her eyes as she glares up at me like a defiant child.

“What the hell were you thinking, you insensitive prick? You can’t just treat people like that!” She’s tossing things around, lifting jackets and the stack of paper bags I set aside for recycling. I want to ask her what she’s looking for, but I’m too amused watching her. Finally, she finds it, a box wrapped with candy cane paper. The smile drops from my face as I watch Billie frown down at it. Jules had left the present before I set up the tree and made me promise to wait until she got back to open it. She said it was our present together. I’d meant to put it under the tree, but then I got preoccupied with Billie staying with me and forgot about it.

“What are you doing?”

Billie is rolling the package around in her hands thoughtfully.

“Nothing. Jules just wanted me to retrieve this for her.”

“Retrieve? Did Jules say the wordretrieve?”

“Yes,” Billie says without looking up.

So I am a transaction now. Jules has reverted to business speak, her way of being cold. The knife slices through the lemon skin, spraying a mist of vinegar. I can feel Billie’s eyes on me again, hot and angry.

“What, Billie? Spit it out.”

“I don’t know if I want to,” she says. “This is awkward and I’m in the middle of two friends...”

“Drink.”

“What?” Her eyes are glazed over as she stares at me in confusion.

“I made you a drink.”

Her face contorts like she’s not sure she wants to take my drink. In the end, she reaches out to grasp the stem looking disgusted with herself. Billie can’t say no to alcohol. It’s her vice.

“Only because it’s a lemon drop,” she says.

She takes a sip and I can tell she’s half expecting it to be disappointing because her face is surprised after her first swallow. I raise my eyebrows in question and she blinks in annoyance.

“What? It’s good, okay?”

“You’re so angry about it,” I say, turning away to hide my smile.

“Because I’m annoyed with you, Satcher ... because you’re ... annoying.”

“Have you ever thought there’s a reason you find me so annoying?” I lean my forearms on the counter in front of her and she does good work avoiding eye contact. I watch as she toys with some stray granules of sugar on the counter, picking them up with the pad of her finger and then rolling them around.

“All of a sudden?” She rolls her eyes. “And no. Some people justareannoying.”

“Is that right?” I straighten up, propping my hands on my hips as I stare at her. “You’ve never complained before…”

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