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Two hours later, things are a bit more comfortable. Mostly because Lisa and Natalie have been avoiding our side of the room like the plague. I’ve met most of Evan’s co-workers and I’m fairly certain they all love me. I’m holding court with five of them when a glass is clinked and all eyes turn towards Natalie.
“Clap once if you can hear me!” She laughs and the crowd guffaws.
“Fucking hell,” I murmur into my drink. Ev gives me a teasingstop itglance and I take a long, thoughtful sip.Minding my business.
“I just wanted to say thank you all for coming. It’s such a pleasure to be co-workers with you all, and we hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Keep drinking, eating, having fun.” She waves around the room. “In a little while we’re going to play white elephant so I hope everyone remembered to bring a gift?” She nods, getting thumbs up from several guests. “Great!”
“Oh!” Lisa pipes up, moving to stand next to Natalie “Also, if anyone wants to join me for a quick,” Lisa mimes smoking a joint, “I’ll be on the back porch shortly.” Lisa winks.
Nat looks at her with disgust. “Seriously?” She half-laughs, voice strained.
Oh my god.I grin into my glass—trying my best to hide it.
“We’re all adults here, right?” Lisa smiles around at the room for reassurance but is met with blank stares.
Ishouldfeel sorry for them, but I love it. Call me messy, but I wish they’d start a screaming match right now.
“Wuh-oh! Trouble in paradise!” Jim, the other history teacher, calls out from the couch. A few people laugh, me being the loudest.
“Anyways,weare just so glad…” Natalie’s voice fades from my focus when Evan leans in, her breath on my cheek.
“Crow,” Ev whispers.
“Now?” I mouth.
“Russell Persimmons.” She takes my hand and pulls me towards the hallway in the opposite direction of the front door.
Chapter Eighteen
Evan
Clara’s struggling to keep up with my pace in her heels, but I can’t slow down. I’m looking for a bathroom when I fling open a door in the hallway. I find a hall closet and decide that’ll do.
It’s a broom cupboard, totally dark, and not much room for Clara and I to stand without touching.
“Ev, what is happening? Are you okay? Why are we in the closet?” Clara snickers. “Ironic.”
“It’s the way she saidwe.Like… like…” My breath starts coming in uneven, and I struggle to force the words out. Natalie was sayingwe,meaningmeandher,just four months ago. It somehow went fromwe are engagedtowe don’t workand something in her tone is leaning a lot more towards the first than the second regarding her and Lisa.
She seems happy.
Which is okay, right? Because so am I.
So why does it feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest?
“She’s happy, ” I say, voice dejected.
“Natalie?”
“Yeah.”
“She didn’t seem all that happy to me. You heard Jim, trouble in paradise and whatnot.”
“I don’t know why that pisses me off.”
“Because she fucked you over, Ev. She left you after nine years out of the blue and cheated on you. That hurts.”
