Page 80 of The Boyfriend Swap

I took two steps away and hesitated before turning back to Anne Marie. “So Robyn isn’t upset about Perry, huh?”

Anne Marie shook her head. “You might have even done her a favor. Now maybe she can be with Will.” Her face drained of color and she clamped her mouth shut.

“What?” I grabbed onto Anne Marie’s desk. “Robyn and Will?”

Grimacing, Anne Marie said, “Nothing’s happened.”

I pictured Robyn and Will together, fully prepared for my blood to boil and my nostrils to flare in anger, but it didn’t happen. Then I waited for my chest to burn in jealousy and a desire for revenge to bubble out of me. Nothing. I nodded at Anne Marie. “At least something good should come out of this.” If Will fell for Robyn, it would explain why he acted so strangely at my apartment even before my confession.

Anne Marie shrugged before returning her attention to her keyboard, and I made my way to the pantry.

“Sidney?”

I pivoted so I was facing Anne Marie again. “Yes?”

“As much as I appreciate your apology, I’m not the one you wronged. Even if Robyn ends up with Will, Perry was Robyn’s boyfriend, and you shouldn’t have gone there.”

She resumed typing before I could comment, but her point had been made and taken. Instead of going to the pantry, I went back to my office and closed the door behind me.

Apologizing to Robyn wasn’t only a way to put my new life lessons to the test, it was the right thing to do. I was certain Robyn and Will hadn’t given into their attraction while they were still involved with someone else. I was in the wrong no matter what happened now.

I stared at my phone for a few beats before pressing the call button. I tried to predict Robyn’s reaction. Anne Marie had said she wasn’t too broken up over splitting with Perry and suggested she might be halfway to dating Will. But I had my doubts she’d welcome my call.

“Hi, Sidney.” Her usual singsong voice was flat of emotion.

No pretense was necessary. I got straight to my point. “I’m calling to apologize for what happened with Perry. I should have done it sooner, but I was figuring some things out.” Robyn didn’t respond, and the only evidence she was still on the line was the sound of her breathing. “Robyn?”

“I’m here. I just don’t know what you want me to say. Are you expecting me to tell you what you did was okay or offer my forgiveness?” Once again, her tone didn’t register as angry as much as matter-of-fact.

“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know I take responsibility for my actions and am sincerely remorseful.” I nervously tapped my fingers along the surface of my desk. “For what it’s worth, I’m actively making changes in my life and the way I treat others.” I winced. I was certain the poor girl had no interest in my self-improvement plans.

“That’s good,” Robyn said, this time with a tiny bit more heart. “I wish you the best of luck.” She sounded sincere.

Prompted to keep going, I said, “I can be a bit bossy and selfish sometimes, and, well, I’m a work in progress.”

Robyn let out the smallest of laughs. “None of us have our crap all together. I applaud you for recognizing your issues and working on them. Good luck.”

“Thank you, Robyn. By the way, I don’t want to pry about what may or may not be happening between you and Will, but if you’re together, I do hope you’ll be happy.” My throat closed up and I thought I might cry. I took a deep breath—apologies were hard.

There was a pause before Robyn said, “Um, thanks. Goodbye, Sidney.”

“Bye.” I hung up the phone, lowered my head to my desk, and wept. When all my tears had been shed, I wiped my eyes, grabbed my coat and purse, and headed out.

At Lord & Taylor, I lifted a crème-colored knitted beret from the shelf, placed it on my head, and gazed at myself in the mirror. I liked how the color contrasted with my red hair and brought out the pink in my cheeks. Most women would probably try on several more hats before making a decision, but I didn’t want to waste time when my mind was already made up. My mission accomplished, I paid for the hat and a matching scarf and contemplated my next move. I could either leave the store and take myself for a drink before going home or continue to shop as long as I was already here.

While I was checking out Yelp for wine bars in the area, an announcement sounded over the loudspeaker. I must have heard it wrong because there was no way it said what I thought it said. I put my phone in my purse and waited for them to repeat it.

“Excuse the interruption, but will Cherry Bomb please make her way to the Ray-Ban counter on the first floor? Your party is waiting for you. Cherry Bomb, please head to the Ray-Ban counter on the first floor. Thank you.”

I froze in place with my mouth open. Then I closed my eyes for a second and laughed. There was only one person in the world who would call me Cherry Bomb. Actually, my folks found the nickname quite amusing, but not comical enough to draw attention to themselves or their daughter in a crowded department store. Perry, on the other hand, would think nothing of disrupting a store full of shoppers to get my attention. Simply walking up to me and saying “hi” would be too boring. Perry didn’t do boring. As I made my way toward the sunglasses section of the store, I wondered if Perry thought I’d be angry. Considering the turbulent nature of our relationship over the holidays, I’d bet he hoped so.

When I arrived at my destination, Perry was leaning against a column to the side of the Ray-Ban counter with one hand tangled in his thick dirty-blond hair, grinning at me like the devil himself—if the devil could also win sexiest, if not most infuriating, man alive. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was witnessing a photoshoot. His black jeans and royal blue sweater fit his skin like the designer created the items with Perry in mind. His brown leather jacket was draped across his arm like a supermodel. “Hey. It’s Cherry Bomb. I thought it was you,” he said.

I adopted my most put-upon expression to contrast his sly smile, but as soon as I got within two inches of him, I lost it and burst out laughing. “I can’t believe you had them call for Cherry Bomb over the loudspeaker.” I shook my head. “On second thought, I’m not at all surprised.”

He shrugged. “I was buying a pair of gloves when I spotted you French kissing your reflection in the mirror. I was going to say hi but came up with a less conservative approach instead. I figured you probably had a rough day at work and could use the laugh.”

“I did, and I could. Thank you.”

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