That was all it could be.
Right?
“Okay, then,” I said, a little disappointed. I put the framed picture in my bedside drawer.
“I’ll come by in the morning to see you before heading into work. You can give me my surprise then,” Maxx suggested.
“Okay, sounds good. Have fun tonight.”
“I love you, Aubrey. Everything I do is for you. You know that, right?” Why was he asking me this? His question bothered me.
“Yeah, I know that. But I hope you’re doing it for you too,” I couldn’t help but say.
“I love you,” he repeated.
“I love you, too.”
I hung up the phone strangely disquieted. I pushed the feeling aside and walked out into the living room, an evening of nothing spread out before me.
I saw that Renee was also on the phone, a smile on her face. “I’ll see you in a little bit, then,” she was saying, and I tried not to eavesdrop, but I was nosy.
She hung up the phone, and I scurried to the kitchen.
“I see you, Aubrey,” Renee called out, following me.
I grabbed a glass and filled it with water, trying to act nonchalant. Renee entered the kitchen and gave me a pointed look, arching an eyebrow. “You want to know who I was talking to just now. Admit it.”
“I’ll admit no such thing,” I said, lifting my chin.
“I was talking to Iain,” Renee said, grabbing her own glass and filling it with orange juice.
Her answer surprised me. “Iain? I thought you had nixed that.”
“Yeah, well, everyone has a change of heart now and then,” she said blandly.
I emptied the rest of my water into the sink and turned to my blasé roommate. “What brought this on?” I asked.
“Don’t act like you don’t have your own ideas,” Renee said.
“Devon?” I asked, and Renee nodded.
“Let’s just say I realized the error of my ways and smartened up before I made an even bigger mess of things.” She looked sadly resigned.
“Does this have to do with what happened at the coffee shop?” I asked. Renee had never talked about the day her ex had stood outside the window and the ensuing argument.
Renee leaned back against the cabinets, closing her eyes briefly before looking at me with a ferocity that shocked me. “I was a stupid, stupid girl. I thought love could fix a man like that. I was wrong. So fucking wrong. I let myself slip, Aubrey. And do you know what happened?”
“What?” I asked.
“He proved that he was the same asshole he always was. He won’t change. I’m not sure he can. But I’m not going to be the girl to wait around and find out.” She seemed so sure, so firm. I was happy to see it, but something bothered me.
“What exactly happened, Renee?”
Renee rubbed at a spot in the middle of her forehead. “His anger is an issue, Aubrey. It always has been. His jealousy is out of control. I thought he was different. He promised me that he was. But I found out very quickly that it was a lie.Wewere the lie.”
“But what about Iain?”
Renee shrugged. “I like Iain. He’s sweet, considerate, gentle. The complete opposite of Devon in every single way. And most importantly, he doesn’t make my heart hurt for loving him. Because that will never happen again.”
