Page 79 of Breaking
Jenna recovered, cheeks flushed. "I'd bemildlyirritated."
Grace gave her a knowing look. "Mildly."
Jenna pointed a stern finger. "Drop it, or I'll start talking about that time you tried to impress a bartender by pretending to be fluent in French."
Grace gasped. "That was one time andhe had a French name! What was I supposed to do-notpretend I studied abroad in Paris?"
"You studied abroad inEdinburgh," Jenna deadpanned.
"A small, entirely insignificant detail," Grace said breezily.
Before Jenna could launch into a counterargument about why sleeping with one's estranged husband wasnota viable therapy method, a tall woman approached their table, looking like she had half a mind to keep walking but was too polite to commit to it.
Grace lit up. "Well, well, well! Jenna, you remember Hayley... fromThe Incident."
Jenna blinked. "Whatincident?"
"TheTroy's DoorstepIncident," Grace clarified with an exaggerated wink, too drunk to engage filters.
Hayley, to her credit, looked like she wanted to spontaneously combust. "Oh God.Thatincident." She turned to Jenna, cheeks flaming. "I'm so sorry. Igenuinelydidn't know he was married. I wouldnever-"
Jenna, whose brain had just short-circuited from Grace's spectacular lack of discretion, could only manage, "Oh...uh..."
Hayley winced. "I mean, not that I wasintohim like that. I just-I thought-he wasn't-" She took a breath. "I should stop talking."
"That would be for the best," Grace said cheerfully.
Hayley shot her a look before turning back to Jenna. "For what it's worth, I feel terrible."
Jenna, who had indeed been mortified once upon a time, but now mainly just tired, managed a small, gracious smile. "It's... fine."
Hayley looked relieved. "Okay. Thanks. I'll just... leave before I say anything else embarrassing."
And she sped away, mumbling something about seeing them around before scuttling away like she had escaped mortal peril.
The moment she was out of earshot, Grace whistled low. "Interestingthat you didn't mention you and Troy are separated."
Jenna swirled her wine. "I don't want to broadcast it yet."
Grace shot her an incredulous look. "Jenna, we're Not in Brighton. You realize this, right? It's not like you're hiding state secrets. No one knows your life here."
Jenna sighed, suddenly feelingverytired. "I just... I don't know. I don't want him, but the idea of him being with someone else still makes me want to fling something expensive off a cliff. And I hate that."
Grace grinned. "Classic dog in the manger."
Jenna glared at her. "Iwillpour this wine in your lap."
Grace shrugged. "Totally worth it."
Jenna groaned, but despite herself, she laughed too. Because if she didn't, she might actually startthinkingabout it all. And that was a dangerous road to go down.
Grace raised her glass. "To questionable emotions and even worse decisions."
Jenna clinked hers against it. "Totherapy."
And with that, they drank.
Chapter 61
