“If you’re sure.”
“Oh, I’m sure. Where are you?”
I look up and give her the cross streets, and she assures me she’ll be here in less than ten minutes.
It takes her seven to pull up to the curb, and I climb in the passenger seat.
“Ava’s on her way.”
“Does she have today off, too?”
“She doesn’t usually go in to work until later because she likes to do Pilates in the morning.” Harper shudders. “That sounds horrible to me.”
I smirk because it doesn’t sound fun to me, either.
Not that I’ve everdonePilates.
Harper pulls into her garage just as Ava pulls in behind us, and we all climb out of the cars. Harper gestures for us to follow her inside through the garage door.
She has a nice mudroom area where we kick off our shoes, and when we walk into the kitchen, Blake is there, leaning against the counter, drinking his coffee. He’s in scrubs, so it looks like he’s about to go to work.
And he looks so much like Brooks, it almost breaks my heart all over again.
“Good morning, ladies,” he says, but he only has eyes for his girl.
“They’re about to get disgusting,” Ava says, taking my hand and pulling me through the kitchen and to a nearby living room. “Hi and goodbye, Blake.”
“Hey, Blake,” I say with a little wave as Ava pulls me past them.
Blake smirks, sets his coffee down, and I catch a glimpse of him pulling Harper into his arms just as we turn the corner and they’re out of sight.
“It’s good that they’re in love,” I tell Ava as I sit on the sofa and pull my feet up under me. “They’re having a baby. They’re getting married. These are all beautiful things.”
“I agree, but I don’t want to watch themmakethe baby.”
I snort and set my bag at my feet. Harper joins us, her lips shiny and a little swollen, and the bun that her hair was in is gone.
Looks like Blake had his hands in her hair.
That’s adorable.
“Okay, I have breakfast burritos that I premade in my air fryer. Don’t worry, Jules, they’re gluten-free. I haven’t had gluten in this house in a long time.”
“Thank you.” I don’t know what I did to find these friends, but I’m grateful. I haven’t had girlfriends in … I don’t even remember.
Justin did a good job of isolating me from just about everyone.
“Jules gave me the short version: that you took the day off, you’re not sick, but you’re not great either.” Ava’s eyes soften as she smiles at me. “We’re in the cone of silence here. You can tell us anything.”
I eye Harper, and she nods with encouragement. “Blake isn’t here. So if this is about Brooks, I’m not his soon-to-be sister-in-law, I’myourfriend.”
I blow out a breath and stand to pace.
“I really love your house. It’s so spacious and nice.”
There’s no reaction, and when I turn to look at my friends, they’re both just staring at me.
“I fucked Brooks. Or he fuckedme, and then it was weird, and I ran out and told him never again, but he still has my car, and I hate that he hates me, and I miss him, and I just want to pull the covers over my head and die.”
