I opened her driver’s side door, leaned in, and grabbed the bag, then I gently took the keys from her and locked the car. “Come on. I’ll drive.”
“But my car…”
“We can come back for it tomorrow.” No way in hell was I letting her drive in the state she was in. I escorted her to my Jeep, circled to the passenger side, and helped her in. Her chin trembled as I closed the door, but she didn’t break down again.
Neither of us spoke as I drove us to her apartment. We walked to her door, and I let us inside. Warm air wafted out. Tally tolerated enough cold at Coco Luxe that she liked to have the heat pump set to turn on automatically at home, so she never had to worry about returning to an icy apartment.
The lights were off, so I flicked the switch beside the door and lit up the entranceway. Tally didn’t protest as I guided her to the cozy living room, with its large, cream-colored couch and matching beanbags. She dropped onto the couch and I turned on the fairy lights hanging from the curtain rail. They provided enough illumination for me to light the candle in the center of the coffee table, which smelled a little like sugar cookies.
Finally, I made my way to the kitchen, pulled a large bottle of white wine out of the minibar, which she always kept well-stocked, and poured a generous portion into a glass. I brought it to her, set it on the coffee table, and sat. She snuggled closer, and I pulled her against my side, my hand resting on the curve of her waist.
“Are you ready to tell me?” I asked quietly.
She looked down at her hands, studying them as though they were the most fascinating things she’d ever seen. “I finished work a little early and went over to surprise Thad. He was surprised all right. He was fucking Coral when I walked in.”
Rage burned through my veins like lava. “He was what?”
Fury rose in the back of my throat, and my hands twitched. I shouldn’t have held back. I should have gone up to Thad’s apartment and crushed the smarmy shit.
She shrugged, as if it was nothing, but I knew her and could tell it was all an act. This had hurt her. Deeply. “He cheated on me.”
“With your cousin.” How goddamned despicable.
I’d never liked Thad. He wasn’t right for Tally. I mean, come on, the guy disliked chocolate. There was something fundamentally wrong with him. But I’d never thought he’d cheat on her. Who the hell would? Tally was beautiful, talented, and successful. Any man would have to be an idiot to throw her away.
“Then he’s the dumbest fuck I’ve ever met,” I said bluntly.
As for Coral, she definitely wasn’t the person I’d thought she was either. I’d always known that Tally’s cousin was a bit self-centered—Coral’s sister and mother were too—but this went beyond selfishness. It was downright cruel.
“Stay here.” I disentangled myself from her, went to her bedroom, and collected her favorite pair of cozy pajamas from her bed, along with a fluffy blanket. I grabbed the softest pair of socks from her drawer and carried the bundle out, presenting it to her. “Change into this. You’ll feel better.”
It was one of the things I’d learned about her during our years of friendship. Nothing soothed her like warm, comfortable clothes, food, and wine. Throw in a romantic period drama and her tears would be gone in no time.
Hopefully.
Thad-the-asshole certainly wasn’t worth them.
I backed out of the room and lingered in the hall, giving her plenty of time to change. When I reentered, she was tucked up on the sofa with the blanket wrapped around her and her fluffy feet poking out from beneath her.
The doorbell rang. Her eyes widened.
“That will be the food,” I explained, so she wouldn’t worry about having to face anyone while she was in this state.
I answered the door and accepted the delivery, making sure to keep my chin down in case the delivery guy happened to be an ice hockey fan. As soon as he was gone, I took the take-out to the kitchen and served the pad thai on one plate and emptied the other container–what looked to be khao man gai chicken rice–onto the other.
Carrying both plates to the coffee table, along with two sets of cutlery, I noticed her watching me, her eyes hooded in the dimly lit space. The light from the candle danced across the silverware as I placed it before her and sat.
She bit her lower lip. “I don’t feel like eating.”
“Just give it a try,” I urged.
Tally was the kind of person who needed regular meals or she got hangry, which wouldn’t help our current situation.
Reluctantly, she straightened, her feet dropping to the floor as she leaned forward and grabbed the cutlery. She pierced a piece of mushroom and popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly, then twirled noodles around her fork. Relieved to see she was eating, I dug into my own meal. I’d probably need something else later, but this would tide me over for now.
“He’s going to regret losing you,” I promised when I’d made it halfway through the khao man gai. “You’re way too good for him, and he knows it.”
At least, if he had more than two brain cells, he would.
