It wasn’t until they’d headed to the back of the room that I remembered Evelyn was there. She stood near the door, eyeing her daughter and granddaughter warily. “Hello, Mrs. Taylor,” I said softly, approaching her.
“Oh, hello dear.” She tore her eyes away from the pair and I could see how conflicted her expression was. “I’m sorry to put this on you at the end of a long day. You probably do have things you’d like to get home to.”
I waved away the apology. “I’m always happy for parents to stop by.” Maybe not this particular parent, but it was true in theory. “And I love to see that Josie is so enthusiastic about her classroom.”
Evelyn let out a long sigh. “I just hope she’s still as enthusiastic in a week.”
“Mrs. Taylor?” I asked hesitantly, confused by the note of foreboding in her voice.
She shook her head, as if ridding herself of whatever she’d been thinking, and managed to smile at me. “Sorry, dear. It’s just been a rather long few days.”
“Yeah,” I murmured, eyes drifting back to Chloe and her daughter. “You can say that again.”
CHAPTER 25
Ihad pretty much stopped expecting to hear from him, so I was surprised when a text showed up from Liam that evening.
Liam:Sorry for radio silence. Everything is still crazy here. Want to talk to you in person. Can I come see you?
My blood seemed to chill. He wanted to come see me. After a week of silence, could it be a coincidence that he finally wanted to talk only a few hours after his ex-wife had stood two feet away and told me that they were working on their relationship?
Want to talk to you in person.Why in person? Was he hoping it’d be a gentler rejection if he dumped me to my face? I stood there rooted to the spot, staring at my phone, every doubt and sting of pain I’d ever felt over Liam O’Conner rushing through me all at once.
I should have known this was going to happen. Hadn’t I always been just a way of passing time for him?
My phone beeped and I stared down at the screen, numbness setting over me.
Liam:Gracie?
Liam:Can I come over? We need to talk.
I felt like I was going to throw up. I also knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if Liam showed up here to break up with me, I was absolutely going to cry. The thought of him seeing me hurt like that turned my stomach sour.
I wasn’t ready for this. Not yet.
Me:Sorry. I have plans with the girls.
When his next response came through, I could practically feel his frustration.
Liam:This is really important.
Anger swelled, finally, and it was almost a relief. Anything would feel better than the terrible, ice-cold pain I’d felt since Chloe showed up in my room.
Me:My friends are important too, Liam. You don’t get to disappear with your wife for a week and expect me to sit around waiting for you to spare five minutes for a conversation.
Almost as soon as I hit send, the phone rang in my hands. Of course it was him. There was no way I was answering it. Maybe that made me a coward, I really didn’t care.
I ran up the stairs to my room, leaving the phone on the kitchen table. I should text Peyton and let her know I was coming over, but I was too afraid of seeing more of his texts. It was a school night, she was probably home with Elliot. And if she wasn’t, I would go to Rosa’s.
I quickly washed my face, trying not to notice how sickly pale I looked in the bathroom mirror, and pulled my hair up into a messy ponytail. Then I went to stand in the closet, where I stared at my clothes for several long minutes. I had changed into fleece pajamas almost as soon as I walked in the door, and while I felt more comfortable with my girlfriends than anyone, I probably shouldn’t actually leave the house like this.
I was hoping Peyton would find something mindless on Netflix and pour tequila down my throat until I felt better. Thatkind of night called for leggings and a hoodie. But what if she didn’t have liquor in the house? What if we had to go out? Maybe I should put on a pair of jeans or something.
The urge to cry hit me all over again. Why was I making such a big deal out of my clothes? Why did everything feel impossible to deal with? I just needed to put on some freaking pants so I could get out of this house and?—
“Gracie?” Liam’s booming voice carried up the stairs, followed by the sound of the front door slamming behind him. My stomach sank to my knees. “Where are you?”
I leaned my head against the closet doorjamb, trying not to freak out. I could handle this. It wasn’t like I had never been dumped before.
