“Oh, so you’re still doing that.” They nod, without any idea of how much it hurts. “You’re all getting together, just without me.” I busted my ass the last five summers to make the cookouts special. They went on as if I never existed.
“It would have been a little weird. Don’t you think?” Jenna asks, hinting I might be daft.
“I think it’s weirder you accepted two cheaters and excluded me.”
Amy rolls her eyes dismissively. “Hey, now. Don’t be dramatic.”
They’re not real friends. They’re the type to tell you to stop embarrassing yourself if you have fun or call you dramatic if you show a backbone.
“Yeah, besides, we can get together again now that everybody knows you managed to land that moneybag. Jared and Caroline would love to see you.”
“The baby shower is coming soon,” Jenna chirps.
“Can you imagine the presents he’d buy?” They look eagerly at one another. “Maybe they can do the baby shower at her cabin.”
They chat excitedly, making plans, ignoring me.
I should trust my gut more. Watching these two act like they didn’t lie to me for two years and constantly belittle me, I wonder what’s wrong with me. I’m so desperate to go back to my pre-Carter life I convinced myself I could still be friends with Jenna and Amy.
“So.” My tone alerts them and they finally pay attention. “You imagine I might bag the wealthy hottie and you want to be friends so you can benefit from it.”
“We want to be friends, and spend time together, and of course he’s gonna take care of the expenses. He’s rich, right?”
“I’m sorry, I—” It comes out reflexively and I pull myself together. “Wait. No.”
They look puzzled, like I’ve grown a second head. It’s hard being a recovering people pleaser, but I’m done with apologizing for not agreeing with them, for being myself.
“I’m not sorry. You’re vile human beings.” They both gasp and I stand too fast, sending the chair scraping back. I fishout some bills and throw them on the table. “We’re done. You only care about yourselves and taking advantage of people.”
“Eliza, how dare—”
“I’m not finished. Never call or message me again. If you see me on the street, cross to the other side. I don’t want to know if your grandma turns one hundred or your cat dies. If you get dumped again by one of your truck drivers or if your horoscope tells you that you’re going to break your leg.”
The bell above the door chimes behind me when I leave the two of them with their mouths hanging open.
Jackie texts and calls even after Carter left and I don’t know what to make of it. She never brings him up, although she has an inkling something happened between us. We chat about my classes and her ideas for the office.
She’s lovely and I adore talking her ear off, but I don’t want Jackie to do it out of pity or obligation.
“You don’t have to keep tabs on me. I’m sure you have more important things to do and I promise I won’t spill your family’s secrets,” I tell her.
“Do you think I’m doing damage control with you? Because my brother can’t get his head out of his ass?”
“Jackie,” I chuckle. “You’re a high-profile business baddie. Really, I don’t mind if—”
“I’m going to stop you right there. I have a meeting in two minutes and can’t dissect this right now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
And that was that. I knew it. Once I gave her permission not to feel guilty, she’d disappear.
But on Saturday I almost spill hot tea on my lap when loud bangs rattle my front door. My heart is in my throat while I tiptoe to the front windows, hands shaking on the rolling pin I grabbed on my way to the door.
“I know you’re in there,” Jackie’s voice booms from the porch.
Rattled to the bone, I swing the door open and gape wordlessly at Jackie, who’s very proud of herself and breezes past me into the house.
“Come on. Let’s get some coffee and continue our conversation. I have the weekend off.”
She’s so casual for somebody who dropped in unannounced. Jackie pirouettes through the small living room and nods, touching the kitchen cabinets while I follow her moves like a marionette on a string.
