As always, her house is all tidied up and nicely decorated. Kate has a whole Scandinavian aesthetic going on, with soft and elegant pastel tones. Although it isn’t for me, I always found it cozy and girly, and it suits her very well.
“I’m so sorry I ruined your weekend,” she says with a shameful pout.
“It’s okay. Lex was fine with it. He practically wanted to drive me here,” I reassure her. Upon remembering the pile of rust that is my car, he offered that option. Several times.
“I didn’t know who else to turn to. Nobody can know about this.”
“It’s okay. I’ll always be here for you, blondie,” I insist.
I’m just settling on her light teal sofa when Mr. Fluffybutt comes from his hiding spot to greet me. The old, overweight, and lazy Persian has been with Kate for over eighteen years. He’s her loyal companion, the one male in her life who would never leave her. He and I have a love-hate relationship since he never forgave me for waking him up from a nap with a garden hose when I was eleven. But over the years, his old rancor slowly shifted into indifferent acceptance.
So when the white fur ball jumps directly on my lap, I’m genuinely shocked. Unsure of what to do about this unusual display of affection, I turn to Kate, stunned.
“Yeah, I told you he wasn’t doing great lately,” she says with a mirthless smile.
“No, it just took him fifteen years to forgive me,” I counter, petting his soft fur. Mr. Fluffybutt lies down on my thighs and starts purring. “What does Stefano want exactly?”
“He wants to get back together. That woman apparently meant nothing to him, and I’m overreacting.”
“Yeah, you can’t do that.”
“Oh, trust me, I know. I’m so done with his bullshit.”
“I swear, babe, I don’t know how you keep picking the worst possible guys.”
“They aren’t like that at first. They’re perfect, kind, considerate, and charming. But then it shifts so slowly that you barely realize it. And when you do, it’s too late. You’re dating a possessive jerk. Stefano was great until he wasn’t. He was so good with me at first, treating me like a princess, and I still can’t believe it’s the same man doing this to me now.”
“You need to find a decent guy.”
“I’m trying, you bitch,” she retorts, a faint trace of humor in her voice. “We can’t all be as lucky as you and end up working for Mr. Perfect.”
I blush slightly. “He isn’t Mr. Perfect. He’s just perfect for me. And we were talking about you. That’s more important right now.”
“Please, I just need a distraction for a few minutes. I’ve been thinking about Stefano all day and need to clear my mind a little. We’ll get back to it after you’re done telling me about Alexander.”
“Your advice to sleep with him to get him out of my system backfired monumentally.”
“Of course it did, you moron.”
Her smug expression tells me she always knewthings would spiral out of control with Lex. “But—you-you said it would work,” I stutter, half-amused and half-scandalized.
“First of all, I said itmightwork. Second, I said whatever you needed to hear to take that leap. I saw you two together and knew there had to be more to this.”
“You manipulated me?”
“I know how blind and stubborn you can be, you cretin.”
“So you made me sleep with him?”
She snorts, unimpressed. “I didn’t make you do anything. I suggested it, and you very much went for it on your own. And why are you even arguing about this? Are you pissed that I pushed you to try, you ungrateful brat?”
I shake my head, struggling to hide my contented grin.
“Now, thanks to me, you finally have a good boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Oh, did you two elope already?” she teases.
