Page 15 of The Wrong One

She groaned. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“I wasn’t talking about him,” I said. “I just meant in general. I’ve thought about living in California with all the sun and beaches.”

“And scantily-clad women,” she teased.

“Yes, something like that,” I said with a grin.

“California is very pretty. I did enjoy living there.”

“Are you glad to be back?”

She took a deep breath. “I think I’m glad to be home, but I can’t say I’m glad for the way it happened.”

“Never look back,” I said. “Boston might not be the sunniest place in the country, but it’s got it’s nice parts.”

“I know,” she agreed. “I did miss home. I’m happy to be here. I get to see Lily all the time. It was hard not being able to see her. Videocalls are not the same as getting to see her in person. I get to hug her, and I can’t wait to take her shopping and seeing her dance recitals.”

“I know Lily will be happy to have a woman in her life,” I said. “A father and an uncle are not quite the same.”

“I am excited to have the job.” She smiled.

“This job or the job of guiding the impressionable young Lily?”

“Both,” she answered. “How many days a week would you say you work?”

I laughed. “Five. Ten. It depends on what I’m working on. Some weeks I only work a couple of days. Some days we’re stuck waiting for results and there’s nothing I can do until I get the results.”

She nodded. “That sounds familiar. If you don’t mind, I’m going to gather the research material and give myself a crash course. I’m of no use to you if I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t officially start until tomorrow. Are you okay with me going home and doing my own research?”

“Sure,” I said. “Of course. There’s not much happening in the lab right now.”

“Thank you,” she said. “For everything. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me.”

“I haven’t done anything.” I shrugged.

“You have. You’ve given me a job. You’ve given me a chance when I really needed it.”

“I didn’t give you a chance.” I stared into her eyes. “We hired you. We needed another researcher.”

“Keep saying that.” She chuckled. “Thank you for letting me save my dignity. I need every shred I can salvage.”

I nodded with understanding. I watched her leave and felt bad for her. I never did understand how she ended up with Patrick. The guy was a complete asshole. An egomaniac. He was obnoxious and acted like he was better than everyone else. Izzy was a sweet woman. She used to laugh a lot. The last time I saw her at Lily’s birthday party, she looked uncomfortable. Patrick had kept his arm around her, but I always got the feeling he was pretending. He was putting on a good show, but it wasn’t real. I sensed he was playing a role. When he looked at Izzy, he didn’t look at her with love. He looked at her like a man looked at his brand-new cherry-red Ferrari.

Izzy seemed to be in love with him, but there was also a sadness in her eyes. The whole time at the party, she rarely laughed. When she did, it was strained. It wasn’t natural. The laughter didn’t meet her eyes.

I knew Izzy’s laugh. I had grown up listening to it. Her laughter was infectious if not a little goofy. Sometimes, when she got really fired up or a little tipsy, she snorted. Ramsey and I used to give her such a hard time about it. It only made her laugh more and more snorting ensued. I missed those days. I missed the innocence of their friendship.

I knew Ramsey was not a fan of Patrick. He never came right out and said it, but I knew it. In the beginning, Ramsey did his best to convince Izzy that she could do better. But when Izzy wanted something, she went after it. Patrick had been trying to get her home, but she was convinced Patrick was the one for her. She believed he was the man for her.

The guy was an asshole. Izzy deserved so much better. I would never understand why she loved him. Why she thought he was so amazing. The guy was a prick. I finished my drink and got to my feet.

“Where’s Izzy?” Ramsey asked.

“She went home.”

“What the hell?” he asked. “Why?”

“She said she wanted to go home and study the material,” I explained. “She wants to hit the ground running. It’s a good idea.”

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