I’ve sent her the occasional text, assuring her I’m okay and have been really busy with the kids. But I can’t put this off forever.
So instead of sending her to voicemail, I answer.
“It’s about damn time you picked up,” she says immediately. “When you first left, we talked daily. I was practically your emotional support human. Or therapist. Or life coach.”
“All of the above,” I reply with a smile. “And I’msorry. I’ll do better. But in my defense, I wasn’t responsible for keeping two kids alive back then.”
“Speaking of which… How’s that going?”
“Good,” I say automatically. “Great, really.”
There’s a brief pause on the line. The kind only your best friend can weaponize.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
I part my lips, unsure how to begin updating her on everything. If I even want to. But I’ve been keeping the truth locked inside for too long now. At first, I didn’t think it mattered. Convinced myself I could just pretend I never saw that letter.
But last night changed everything, even if I tried to convince myself it didn’t. We still crossed a line.
And I’m still keeping a huge secret from Hayden.
One that’s getting heavier and heavier with every day.
“Things have gotten…interesting.”
“Oh, my god. You banged your boss.”
“Emily!” I spin in a slow circle, scanning for witnesses. Just a jogger in the distance and a squirrel whose sole focus is on stuffing acorns into its mouth.
“You did, didn’t you? I can hear it in your voice.”
I try to suppress the smile stretching across my face, but fail miserably. “You’re right. I did.”
“It’s about damn time!” she shrieks so loudly I have to hold the phone away from my ear. “This is what you wanted when you left. Find your joy, remember?”
“I found more than joy with him,” I admit, my cheeks warming despite the cold. “It was… incredible. I didn’t know sex could be like that.”
“Because you weren’t with the right person. Now you are.”
“We’re just having fun. Living in the?—”
“In the present. Yes, yes. I’ve heard the speech.” She sighs. “But you’ve been there two months, Ro. The longest you’ve stayed anywhere else was, what? Eight days?”
“Ten,” I correct.
“There’s a reason you’re still there. Maybehe’sthe reason, but you’re too scared to admit it.”
“He’s not… It’s not…” I trail off, my body physically fighting against saying the words.
“What were you saying?” she taunts.
It’s a good thing she didn’t do a video call. Lord knows what she’d see on my expression if she did. She would have probably already figured out the truth.
I blow out a long breath as I bend to retrieve the tennis ball Groucho just dropped at my feet. Then I throw it once more before returning my attention to Emily, bracing myself for this conversation.
“He might bepartof the reason I stayed.”
“I knew it!”
