Page 114 of Mr. Flirt

“I wish my marriage had stayed together.” She let out a sigh as tears ran down her cheeks. “I just don’t know why I wasn’t enough. Why was Lucy not enough?” Danni’s eyes met mine, and a new wave of fury ripped through me.

“Cheaters are selfish in nature. They think about their own gratification by taking the easy way out.” I shook my head. “I’ve seen it time and again. Rather than work on the marriage and try to build those connections, they fall for the guy at the copy machine or the woman at the bar who winks at him. It’s never about the person who’s been cheated on. Ever. It’s not that you weren’t enough. It’s that they weren’t enough. They don’t like themselves. They seek that approval from everyone else in the world rather than sit down and focus on what is making them search for something they’ll never find.”

I squeezed Danni’s hand. “It’s not you, sweetie. You are a catch, and your baby is the sweetest Lucy I’ve ever met.”

Danni chuckled. “That’s because you’re the meanest. I mean that in a totally good way.”

“I prefer ruthless,” I teased, feeling like my old self again.

But that was the problem. I kind of enjoyed my new self. Getting to have fun and laugh was like a new freedom, and there was no legal win that made me feel that way. Even this one for Danni. I was delighted and felt victorious and knew I’d kept my promise to make her ex pay, but I didn’t feel personally uplifted.

I just felt tired.

And if I truly admitted things to myself, I might admit that I missed Shep. I longed to feel the way he made me feel again. There was a reason he was where he was at in life, being chosen as Seattle’s Most Eligible Bachelor and living up life without much worry.

He had that carefree spirit that I craved so much, but I knew it wasn’t in me. I liked stability. I knew what was expected of me at this firm. I understood what I had to do to keep it going. I couldn’t just take off for weekends or early evenings. I had clients waiting for me to help alter the course of their lives.

“Do you, though, Lucy?” Danni’s eyes met mine, and she smiled. “I know you’re an amazing lawyer. And yes, I do want to take the deal, but you seemed so much lighter when you were with Shep. Like you could still do great legal work while not being miserable personally.”

I frowned. “Who says I’m miserable? I’m like on a high skewering that bastard who cheated on you.”

Danni laughed. “And I thank you for that, but I just don’t know what ten or twenty more years of this life will do to you. At least when you had Shep in the background, he made you smile and chuckle at his shenanigans.”

My brows rose, and I felt the familiar tightness in my chest. “Until I was the focus of his shenanigans, Danni. I totally fell for his lines. I thought he was falling in love with me. We shared secrets and dreams and insecurities, and then—Bam! It was all so he could win a bet.” I shook my head. “Unfortunately, I just let hormones and lust get in the way of what I knew I was getting myself into from the beginning. The man was one giant red flag. I even called him Mr. Flirt.”

“Maybe it’s not exactly like that.”

I stared at Danni and wished I could say what I wanted to say, which was that I wasn’t the one sitting on the opposite side of the desk, and I never would be because I decided to stick to my original plan and never marry. Maybe someday, I’d try the fling thing, but after the devastation from falling for Shep, I truly knew my heart couldn’t handle doing it twice.

The mere thought of Shep made my body want to crumble. If I focused too long on thoughts of us, my arms turned heavy, my breaths turned shallow, and all I wanted to do was hide from the world.

So, I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to be in a relationship for years with someone I loved, and then they ripped the rug out from under me.

Me.

That was who I needed to worry about.

And it was a lot easier since I blocked Shep’s number.

“What did he do that was so bad, Lucy? Really, what?” she asked softly as I slid a pen over for her to sign the first set of documents.

“He teased vulnerability out of me. He stretched me out of my comfort zone.” I cleared my throat, vowing not to start crying. “And then he handed me back a mess of emotions that were anything but real when I found out it was all pretend. It was all for a bet.”

“Shep totally forgot about the bet because all he wanted to use it for was an excuse to talk to you again.”

I focused on my best friend. “How do you know?”

“He called me. We spoke for hours. I feel bad for the guy.”

“You feel bad for the guy? I’m the one who got played.” I shook my head. “That’s how these players work it. They become the victims.”

“Oh, no. He doesn’t think he’s the victim. He thinks he’s the biggest douche out there.”

“That’s something, at least.” A bitter laugh rolled off my lips.

“It’s not like he even collected on the bet.” Danni’s eyes widened, and she dropped her gaze to the document and quickly signed.

I waited until she dated the page.

---