I haven’t seen him in the days since then.
I watch Paige enter from my seat in the back corner because I’m a creep who loves people watching, and I hate having my back face crowds. I see she’s wearing her current charge, Cassian, an adorable three month old baby.
“How is everything with the Brights?”
Paige gives me a look in response, and does a quick check around the shop. “Let me tell you about it in a minute. I need caffeine immediately.”
Intrigued, I nod and watch her go up to the counter. Little Cass is staring into my soul with his giant brown eyes. A part of me—very small, distant part—is shoutingI want one,but the events of the last week shut it up rather quickly.
When Paige comes over, she looks at me and spills all the damn tea. Metaphorically. She’s literally drinking coffee. “She’s gone.” She whisper yells, eyes wide.
“Who?” I whisper-yell back.
She looks meaningfully at the happy bundle in her arms.
“Wait, Carri? Noooooo! Where the fuck is gone?” I’m still whisper-yelling. At this point it feels more awkward to stop.
“That’s the thing, we have no idea. Josh messaged me to meet up with him a few weeks ago and asked if I might have any idea where she might be. Word has stayed quiet because she’s been supposedly on maternity leave and then she works out of town anyway.”
Holy shit. This is way better than dwelling on my own drama.Alright, that was a horrible thing to think. Bad Becky—horrible, but true.
“So he’s just what? Still paying for you and continuing life as normal?”
“Sorta. I’m working more hours than before, but he’s cool with Jacob tagging along since he’s such a good kid.” She pauses, as ifthinking about it for a second. “Trev is—was being a bear about it, though.”
This is good shit…Bad. Bad shit.“Is he? How so?”
She looks back at me, but switches gears. “It’s nothing. I need to talk to you about you.”Damn.
“I’m fine.” The words fall flat between us. Her open, friendly, concerned face falls for a moment at my blatant lie, and I decide,what the hell, and tell her what’s actually on my mind.
I lean forward in my seat, my hands cradling my coffee for a little bit of comfort. “Fine, it’s awful. I’m almost thirty, my fiancé—dammit, ex—is an idiot and a cheat. My sink is leaking, and the ‘plink plink’ sound it makes will actually eventually drive me crazy.”Deep breath,“My house smells like spilled wine and old pizza. I have a tiny yard full of poop and dogs that are in the kennels all day now that I’m back at work. My car is old and will likely need something done soon, and I found out I’m about to get a new coworker who I’m pretty sure already sneered at me.”
“Sneered—”
“Carter showed up on Saturday night.”
At this, she looks sheepish. “Yeah, I did that. I’m so sorry, your messages were all over the place, and he was at my house when I got there and I didn’t know where you two stood.”
“It’s alright, Paige. You didn’t know. I told him to ‘hippity hoppity get off my property,’ after handing him a plastic bag to go pick up the dog poop in the yard.”
Paige snorts into her coffee and nearly spills it. “I can see the whole thing clearly.” She says with a laugh. Then she looks serious again. “Becky, I need to tell you something, and I am so sorry I didn’t say anything sooner.”
A sick premonition comes over me, but I nod at her to continue.
“I…saw them. Carter and that woman. I didn’t say anything to you because I wouldn’t have guessed ina million years?—”
“No, it’s fine. I wouldn’t…” I pick up my cup and investigate the design for a moment. I already finished drinking it in record time. “I wouldn’t have guessed either.”
Her small hand covers mine over the cup. “Well, I can’t help with much, but I can with at least one of those things.”
She pulls out her phone and scrolls through it for a second. “Trev said that Carter has been doing almost weekly routine care for your Range Rover over the last two and a half years. He told me to let you know that he would be happy to take over so you don’t need to take it into Billy’s or some other garage in the area.”
I feel a mixture of relief and trepidation. “Weekly? Will I need to bring it by that often?”
Paige laughs again. She has a warm laugh. “No, not at all.” She looks at me real closely. “Carter was a little neurotic about the health of your car. According to Trev, your car will likely survive an apocalypse with the kind of care and attention Carter has always given it. He was over the top. Trev said it’s because…” she trails off, looking past me for a moment as her eyes lose focus.
I, rudely, snap my fingers. She looks back at me, looking torn. “Trevor says it’s because you were his firstrealgirlfriend.”
