Page 83 of Valentine Nook
“Nothing, darling,” my mother coos. “We were all here separately. It’s a coincidence, that’s all.”
James sits down behind his desk. I’ve known the man twenty years, and as stoic as he might seem, he has a terrible poker face.
Alex and Hendricks are staring at the floor, and my irritation begins to take hold.
“If one of you doesn’t tell me right now why the fuck you’re all in here, then I’m really going to lose my shit.”
“Tell him,” Miles presses, staring at Alex, who’s pinching the bridge of his nose. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Caroline’s getting married.”
“Who the fuck’s Caroline?” I snap a second before it hits. “Caroline?MyCaroline, Caroline Montague?”
Hendricks gives one deep nod.
Well, fuck me. That didn’t take long.
“Who to?” Though I don’t need any guesses to figure it out.
This time, Alex speaks. “Jeremy.”
Wow. Okay.
I guess that’s why he’s been messaging me.
I lean back against the wall and let out a long breath. One of the louder thoughts I’ve had spinning around my brain since last December is how long had Jeremy and Caroline been screwing behind my back.
Whether it was worth throwing away our decades of friendship and a future.
It clearly was, and I don’t know how I should feel.
For so long, my presiding emotion was humiliation, and guilt that somehow it was all my fault. But now, all I can find in me is relief.
Five sets of eyes watch me process the news.
“When did you find out?”
“This morning,” Miles replies.
I don’t want to know how. I don’t want to find out it’s thelatest idle gossip on the London to Oxfordshire network. I don’t want to think where the gossip will lead.
Because I know it’ll be to me. My reaction.
I dig deep. I try to find something,anythingthat tells me how I feel.
But there’s nothing.
And maybe that’s my answer. I don’t give a shit.
“Fine. Well, good for them. I couldn’t care less. Caroline and I should never have been together in the first place.”
My mother purses her lips. I’d imagine she doesn’t hold the same opinion, just like I know I’m going to hear why.
“It’s so tacky. How dare they announce this so soon after everything they put you through?” she fumes, her nostrils flaring. “You should have been the one to announce any marriage first. And you’ve seemed so happy recently, darling.”
Over by the window, Miles bites down a smile.
“I’m still happy, Mum.”
“Well . . . I don’t know. I think perhaps you need to start dating again.”
