Page 61 of Thanks for the Friendship
I give a nonchalant shrug.
“Come on, Lila.”
I laugh. “It was fine. I fed him, we talked, and he told me that he and Sara broke up.”
Her eyes grow wide. “Wow. How was he taking it? He seemed fine when he got to Theo’s. If anything, he was more concerned about running out on dinner.”
I nod. “He was embarrassed about that.”
She chews on her bottom lip. “I think this was a long time coming. When Theo and I first got together, he would tell me how happy Cal and Sara were together. But something always seemed off to me.”
“Cal said they had been growing apart for some time. I think the AJ thing was the final nail in the coffin.”
“So they did—”
“He didn’t give me details, and I didn’t want to ask. I tried really hard to just listen and not ask too many questions.”
She nods. “That was good.”
We’re both quiet for a few seconds.
“Anyway, so that’s it. I hope he’s doing okay today. Maybe Theo can check on him?”
The corner of her mouth turns up. “Or you could.”
“Yeah, but I’m not going to.”
“Why?”
I don’t have an answer for that.
“I’m sure he’s dealing with a lot today,” I say, pulling my knees into my chest.
“Which is why you should reach out to him.”
“Maybe later.”
While Gabby goes inside to make herself a cup of coffee, I think about what she said. Cal and I are friends, so why shouldn’t I check in on him? He’s the one who came here last night.
I’m about to reach for my phone when it rings. My heart does a flip. Maybe Cal will reach out to me first.
Except it’s not him—it’s Diane Hillard. Crap. That didn’t take long. I consider letting it go to voice mail, but she’ll continue calling until she gets me on the phone.
I take a deep breath and answer.
“Hello,” I say cheerfully.
“Oh, Lila, I’m so glad you answered. Can you talk?” she asks, her voice in a panic. I guess this means she’s heard the news of her precious Sara’s breakup, or she’s run out of Mountain Dew.
“Um, sure. Are you okay?”
I’m certainly not going to tell her that I talked to Cal just a few hours ago.
“David is giving me a hard time about calling you, but I knew you wouldn’t care.”
David Hillard is such a smart guy.
“First of all, I heard that something awful happened at your home last night. I’m so disappointed in Calvin’s behavior, and I want to apologize for that.”
