“He stops in for coffee.” Every morning, when he walked Hailey to work. It was kind of sweet, although when I’d said so to Hailey, she’d muttered something about jailors escorting prisoners to the execution chamber.
“I’d climb that man like a tree if I weren’t married,” Daanis said.
“And pregnant.”
“My doctor says sex is good for the baby.” Daanis’s lips curved in a slow, satisfied smile. “Also, I have all these hormones.”
I covered my ears with my hands. “I don’t want to talk about it. Since I am currently sad and alone.”
“You don’t want to talk about me and sex? Or Joe and sex?”
“Can we change the subject?”
“Are you still mad at him about prom night?”
“So about that book…” I said desperately.
Daanis laughed. “Fine. It’s possible it’s around somewhere. There are boxes in Rose’s closet I haven’t opened since we moved.”
My head recognized that not everyone treasured books the way I did. But my heart felt as if she’d misplaced something precious, a piece of our personal history, a part of our friendship, that I was desperate to hold on to.
“Great,” I said brightly. “Do you mind if I look for it?”
She waved a spoon, dripping tomato sauce. “Be my guest.”
“Thanks.” I dropped to my knees to wipe the spot clean before she was forced to bend over.
“Why are you sad and alone?” Daanis asked.
Me and my big mouth. I gave the floor a final swipe and dropped the paper towel into the trash.
“Anne?”
“Chris and I are sort of…taking a break.” My voice cracked.
Once, I’d thought we would be together forever—Lizzy and Darcy, Westley and Buttercup, Gilbert and Anne. He was the hero of the hospital who bought two-ply toilet paper for his bathroom because I liked it, who ordered groceries for me when I was sick. Who held me when my father died. On my twenty-first birthday, we’d gone walking on the lakefront at midnight, our future stretching before us, calm and brightas the lake under the moonlight. Suspended in the glow between the streetlights and the stars, everything had seemed possible.
Daanis’s soft eyes flooded with sympathy. “Oh, sweetie, what happened?”
“He’s moving. To Atlanta.”
“Hedumpedyou? What an asshole.”
Her loyalty enveloped me like a quick, warm hug. But her anger wasn’t fair to Chris. “He didn’t dump me. He got a fellowship to Emory. He wants me to go with him.”
“And you said no.”
I fidgeted with the animals, marching one by one to nowhere. The urge to unburden myself to her was strong. But what if this was just a blip in Chris’s and my relationship? I didn’t want my best friend to hate my boyfriend because I said too much. On the other hand, if I moved with Chris to Atlanta, Daanis would never see him again anyway. Or me. Except maybe at Christmas. My heart clenched.
“The thing is…Chris didn’t ask me what I wanted. He made his decision without even talking to me.”
I could feel Daanis’s gaze on the top of my head. “You do know you can teach anywhere,” she said.
“That’s what Chris said.” The echo stung.
“Well, he’s right.”
I blew out my breath. “You’re right.”He was right.So why did it feel so wrong? “It’s not about my job. Not really. I mean, obviously, if I moved to Atlanta, I’d have to look for another job. But I might have to do that anyway.”
