Page 3 of The Affair
Always.
But since we had said good-bye days earlier, I’d felt kind of weightless. Since my father’s will and burial plans had been finalized way back when that first cancer cell was detected in his lungs, there was little to do beyond picking a date for this whole thing to take place.
“No, dear,” Mrs. Baker answered, using the same sweet voice I remembered from my childhood days on the playground. “We’ve got it all taken care of.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
I walked away, unsure of what to do with myself, but then quickly realized I’d left my mom alone with our extended family for longer than I should have. My Aunt Sally had probably been talking her ears off about her at-home makeup business by now. An intervention was definitely overdue. I also wasn’t sure when she had last eaten, so it might be time for a few of those casseroles to be put to use.
As I sped down the hallway of the old church, I caught a sideways glimpse of myself in one of the framed pictures on the wall. Seeing my reflection was not a pretty sight at all. I needed to make a pit stop at the restroom for a hot second. This face needed a tune-up. Badly. I had mascara under my eyes from holding back tears, and I was pretty sure my long-wearing foundation had worn out ages ago.
As I rounded the corner though, I heard voices, which, at first, wasn’t unheard of. The church was packed with nearly half the town.
But it was the tone of the voices that made me stop in my tracks.
Hushed whispers in a place like this could only mean one thing …
Gossip.
“It’s just so sad,” the first female voice uttered.
“I know,” said the second woman in a tone that suggested she was feigning empathy more than feeling it. “To first lose your husband and then your father, all in the same year. It’s a wonder she can even get up in the morning.”
Oh, good. Itwasgossip.About me.
The first female took back the reins. “We all thought she and Reed were like the golden couple too. But I guess it’s true what they say—”
I couldn’t take any more.
The mascara that had barely been clinging to my eyelashes was now wet as I bit my bottom lip, trying to will away the tears. With my arms wrapped around my chest like a protective blanket, I tried to speed past them, hoping that I’d somehow develop special powers and zap them away with my death stare.
But I was never that lucky.
Instead, all I managed to do was summon my evil foe—or as others liked to call him, my ex, Reed Gallagher.
“Elle?” he called out, seeing the distress written all over my face. He always was good at the knight-in-shining-armor bit.
And I had always been his favorite damsel, growing up.
“You okay?” he asked, his gaze moving over my shoulder to the flock of gossiping women I was desperately trying to flee.
I didn’t need to stick around to see who they were. I’d recognized them the minute I blazed past. Just two rivals from high school I couldn’t ever seem to get rid of, even now, fifteen years later.
One of the many benefits of never leaving your hometown.
“Um,” Macy blurted out, hoping to save face in front of Reed. She’d had a thing for him since he moved here in middle school.
“I’m really sorry,” Sarah finally added. “We didn’t mean for you to hear that.”
“Yeah,” Macy agreed. “We’re really sorry about your dad.”
I thought about attempting some witty comeback, but it wasn’t worth it. They weren’t worth it.
And I wouldn’t ruin the memory of my dad for it.
Reed seemed satisfied with their halfhearted apology as they both made a quick exit. At least one of us was. I just wanted to get away, but unfortunately, the big beast of a man was still standing in my way.
“What do you want, Reed?” I asked, trying not to make eye contact with those dark blue eyes or the subtle curve of his jaw.
