Page 35 of The Trouble with Love and Ink
“Don’t do that,” I said, waiting until he looked back into my eyes so he could see how serious I was. “She got caught and was justifying her actions, probably as much to herself as she was to you.”
I realized, too late, that my tone held the bitter bite of someone who’d been a victim of cheating.
He looked at me, head cocked slightly to one side. “Were you cheated on too?”
“Yeah,” I conceded.
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Found my boyfriend fucking his, ‘I swear, there-is-nothing-going-on-between-us,’ friend on his couch.”
“What an idiot.”
The response came so quickly, it made me blush. Like he couldn’t believe anyone would cheat on me.
“Well, the same goes for your Reagan,” I said. “Anyway, at least I wasn’t in love with Chad. Things must have been serious between you and Reagan if you planned on moving to California with her.”
Beck avoided my gaze. “In any case, please don’t mention any of this to Victoria. I never told her the full story, only that it had been a mutual decision to end things.”
“You don’t think your sister should know?”
“No. Victoria asked us not to go out with each other. We ignored her request. So, it’s up to both Reagan and me to keep things civil.”
I considered that. “Why don’t you bring a date?” Beck’s eyes flicked to me as I continued. “She has her Tom. If you bring your own date, it will show you’ve both moved on. That your breakup was no big deal.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” he said but then gave me a level look. “Except for the fact that I don’t have a date on standby.”
If the man walked shirtless down the waterway for only a couple of minutes, he could have a collection of phone numbers from women ready to jump at the chance to hang on his arm, but I decided to keep that little nugget to myself.
I shrugged. “Sorry, Beck. Guess it’s all aboard the awkward train.”
A smile spread lazily across Beck’s face, and I realized my critical error—calling him his preferred name. “So, it’s Beck now?”
“Don’t get excited,” I said, zipping my duffle. “It’s going to be a case-by-case basis.”
I was tempted to work through my lunch to try and keep up with the towering load. But I needed a break. And if I were trying on Hailey’s life, she would work hard but play harder. Besides, of all the times I’d worked through lunch, had I ever felt caught up?
Absolutely not.
So, I closed out Excel and opened Pinterest as I enjoyed my Caesar salad. I found that even just looking at ideas for a vacation lifted my mood. I had a lot of pins on my board from a lot of different vacations. As I scrolled down, bright colors filled the screen with turquoise waters, white-sanded beaches, and fruity cocktails. I’d finally decided on Maui. Mainly because it was so green and beachy and not Florida. I had no interest in visiting the state Hailey had picked over me. Besides, if I was going to escape work by planning a dream vacation, it was go big or go home.
I clicked on a pin titled Budgeting for Maui. My gaze landed on the Budget side of the column. I frowned, already calculating how many weeks’ worth of groceries and months of rent one trip would eat. I couldn’t even let myself daydream about this trip without my credit card shriveling.
My mouse hovered over the X of the browser as Beck entered my cubicle.
“I’ll get you the meeting notes by the end of the day,” I said, waving him off.
“Did you get the text from Anna?” he asked, ignoring my attempt to get rid of him.
I flipped my phone over. I’d had it on silent so I could enjoy my lunch in peace. But, sure enough, she’d texted me.
Went in for my weekly exam and my doctor is making me go to the hospital. Apparently I’m 4 cm dilated.
“She’s having the baby?” I stupidly asked Beck.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Looks that way.”
“But she’s not due yet. She’s still got a few weeks.”
