Page 43 of Enemies with Benefits

“If you hear anything, I would appreciate it if you gave me a call. I’m getting worried.”

“Yeah, sure. When my friend gets back, I’ll ask if she knows anything.” She hands me a piece of paper with her phone number written on it, then nods her goodbye and walks down my driveway to her car.

I close my front door. When I turn back around, Jenny’s returned. “Where’d you go? The neighbors—”

“Oh, I know who she is. She keeps harassing me. It’s getting ridiculous. I’m about to call the police. Whatever is going on with her and her sister isnotmy problem. I’m just housesitting. Clearly, she didn’t want her to know she was leaving. I didn’t want her to see me here and start to harass you too.”

“Huh. I never remembered them having any problems. Then again, I was young, so maybe I just didn’t—”

“Honestly, people have a way of hiding their skeletons. Trust me. Everyone has secrets.”

Isn’t that the truth. I think about the secrets I’m harboring. The pit in my stomach returns as my mind goes to Christopher. All the lies. Deception.

“You okay?”

I blink. “Yeah. Just thinking about something—or someone.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“It’s just. . .” I return to the couch and plop down. “You mentioned secrets. Well, I guess I have one. I was married. It’s not something I like talking about.”

Jenny sits down next to me and rests her palm on my shoulder. “I’m sorry. Did something happen? Did he leave you?”

“No, actually. I left him. He was cheating on me.” She offers me the one thing I didn’t want: a sympathetic gaze.

“Oh, Makayla, I’m so sorry. How anyone can do that to someone is terrible. I hope you’re done with him.”

“Oh, trust me, I am. He’s the one who won’t let it go.”

Her brow raises, and I lean forward, reaching for my coffee. “The first time I found out was over a year ago. He was cheating and got caught. It was like hewantedto get caught. Of course, he denied it at first, but when I said ‘done’ and ‘divorce,’ he came clean, telling me what a mistake he’d made. The other woman meant nothing to him. I didn’t care what she meant to him; the damage had already been done. He swore he would do everything to make things right. Cut it off with her. And for a while, I believed him. That trust had been broken, but I was willing to try for the sake of our marriage.”

“And what happened?”

“He was still lying. Again, with the clues, like he thought I was dumb. Photos left in my mailbox. Anonymously, of course. Notes on my windshield while I was at work.”

“Oh, Mak.”

“It just all became too much. He couldn’t stay faithful, and I didn’t want to be with someone I couldn’t trust. So, I filed for divorce.”

“It sounds like it was for the best.”

“It was. Until strange things started happening to me. He wouldn’t let it go. He told me he was going to do everything in his power to win me back. There were calls late at night from unknown numbers. That eerie feeling that someone was always watching me. I swore he was stalking me. He denied it, but I knew. He couldn’t let it go—couldn’t let me go. Then he broke into my laptop, which was the final straw for me. Stole all my personal files. Swore he didn’t do it, but all signs pointed to him. What better way to stall me from leaving him for good and moving back home than to steal all the files I needed to get settled at my father’s house, ya know? Not to mention, he smashed my windshield while I was at work. Anyway. I almost didn’t make it back home in time for Hannah’s wedding because I had to get that replaced, along with all the stupid documents he stole.”

“Crazy. Glad you got out of there.”

“Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t mean to unleash all that. I haven’t told anyone about it. Not even Hannah.”

Jenny reaches for my hand. “It’s good to talk about it. Bottling it all up inside just allows your fears to fester. I’m glad you shared this with me.”

“You don’t think I’m a moron for letting a guy fool me twice?”

“Not at all. I think you’re brave for leaving and knowing when enough is enough.”

I return her comfort, squeezing her hand back. “Thank you. I needed that.”

“Any time. So, what happened to the slutty sidepiece?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Who knows? I didn’t ask who she was. Not that it would have made a difference. What if I knew her? Worked with her? God, what if she was a close friend? Chris said she was no one. Not worth even mentioning. Just a mistake he wished had never happened.”

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