Page 78 of Lucky in Love
“They are great for unconditional love,” Juliet said.
“All right.” Alex stood. “Well, thanks for this. I needed some furry, four-legged therapy.”
“Maddie left this morning, but Tess, Faith, and I can bring dinner tonight if you want.”
“And wine,” Alex said with a wink.
“What about Brody?”
“If he shows up, he shows up. Either way, I’m not gonna say no to dinner delivery.”
On the drive back, she checked her phone, thinking Brody would have called or texted. Nothing. When she returned to Whispering Pines and took a quick detour down Brody’s road, both the town car and Brody’s truck were gone. She didn’t know what to make of that, but it seemed like if he’d sent her on her way, he’d have reached out by now. The longer she didn’t hear from him, the more unsure she became.
Was she wrong to give him the benefit of the doubt? Maybe Chloe had talked him into getting back together, and he’d left right then and there without even saying goodbye. What if she was expecting a “reasonable explanation” that wasn’t coming?
Two hours later, when he still hadn’t called, she caved and texted him.
Everything okay?
It took him several minutes to reply. And when he finally did, it was with a meager,yes. Which told her nothing, so she tried again.
You coming over for dinner?
Another long delay before,No. Chloe and I are back together. Don’t call me, I’ll call you.
Alex blanched as she reread it. She set the phone down, emotions at war. One part of her found it impossible to believe what was happening—that he could be so rude. But another deep-down part knew this was unavoidable. Why would he choose a country bumpkin from Hicksville over a big-city Barbie doll? No, it actually made perfect sense. There was no misunderstanding to be explained away. His supposed feelings for her had been a sham.
He’d said not to call, so she wouldn’t. It hurt, she couldn’t deny that, but she’d be damned if she’d give him the satisfaction of hearing it in her voice.
Ten minutes later, her friends poured in, boxes of pizza and bottles of wine in hand. They read her mood instantly.
“What’s wrong?” Faith asked.
In a daze, Alex told them what had happened. Sleek black car, tall, sleek woman, and Brody AWOL. When she got to the contents of the text, she fought valiantly to keep the tears at bay and was mostly successful. Only a few escaped, and they were immediately batted away.
“He reunited with the bimbo who cheated on him?” Juliet asked. “She must be a real smooth talker.”
“Or have some other skill set that would cause a man to blithely abandon his pride,” Tess muttered.
“Probably weird bedroom stuff I wouldn’t have a clue about,” Alex said, cracking a smile.
“And he left without saying anything?” Juliet was incredulous. “I just can’t believe it.”
Alex pulled out her phone, opened the text chain, and handed it over. Her friends huddled around it.
“I’ll kill him,” Tess said. “With my bare hands.”
“I know where we could bury the body,” Juliet said. “No one will ever find him.”
“Okay, I’m in,” Faith said. “But don’t tell Nick. He’s kind of a goody-goody when it comes to felonious behavior.”
Alex chuckled and shook her head. They were joking, but it felt good to have friends in her corner. “It was only a matter of time before the whole thing blew up anyway.”
“Has it really blown up though?” Faith asked. “You don’t know for sure his side of the story.”
“What could his side possibly be?” Alex said. “He literally texted he was back with his ex. A blow-off doesn’t get much clearer than that.”
“I don’t know.” Faith tapped a fingernail on her teeth. “Now that I’m thinking about it, this makes no sense. Why would he go back to some floozy who betrayed himrightafter telling you he loves you?”
