Page 107 of Perfect Distraction
Chapter Twenty
The past two weeks had sucked.
Bad.
After he and Lauren had ended things, Andrew threw himself into work, spending endless hours at the DA’s office, helping with Isla’s case and anything else they’d let him do. He also went to Children’s Hospital last Sunday, when he knew Lauren wouldn’t be there. He asked Jasmine to teach him how to paint, and brushing the colors onto the page had been surprisingly therapeutic.
He went out with Logan and Dan once, but drinking only made him feel worse, and he wasn’t good company. Jeni came over twice and made him dinner, which he barely touched. Valerie threatened to drive down to stay with him, and as of last night, he and Rhonda weren’t on speaking terms. He’d noticed she’d never been particularly friendly toward Lauren, but then again, she wasn’t particularly friendly toward anyone. He hadn’t thought much of it until the night before when she had called him.
“You never call me,” had been his greeting.
“Jeni told Mom you and Lauren broke up, and that you’re in some kind of mix between mania and depression.”
He didn’t quite know what to say to that.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Not really,” he said honestly. She was the sister he spoke to the least, but strangely, he felt like he could be honest with her.
“It’s better this way, you know.”
“Is it? Doesn’t feel that way. It feels like nothing could be worse than not being with her.”
“She should never have allowed something to start in the first place.”
The hell?
Andrew’s hackles had raised immediately at the disapproving tone in her voice. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I thought it was a bad idea from the beginning. I saw the way you looked at her that first day in Dr. Patel’s office. You were more focused on her than on what needed to be done for you to get better. At first, I really hoped she’d do the right thing and keep it strictly professional. But when she showed up for Thanksgiving, I knew it was going downhill. It was wrong of her to do that to you, Andrew. You’re in a vulnerable position, and it wasn’t fair that she took things beyond a working relationship.”
Andrew had been so stunned that he’d sat in silence for a few seconds. It hadn’t taken long, though, for anger to flood him, hot and fierce. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he growled. “We fell in love, and it’s no one’s fault. She’s the most honest, kind, and compassionate person I’ve ever met, and she’s every inch the professional.”
“You’re not in love. You’re in lust, and she took advantage of you, and now you’re left with the consequences.”
“What is wrong with you?” he’d yelled. “You don’t know a thing about her, or us. What’s your problem?”
“My problem is with someone putting your health at risk to get some—”
“Stop. Talking.” His voice had been hard like ice. “We’re done here.”
He’d hung up on her, so pissed off he was shaking. And now, more than twelve hours later, he didn’t feel any better.
Jeni noticed. They were sitting in the waiting room for his chemo appointment when she elbowed him in the ribs.
“Snap out of it,” she said.
“Shut up.”
“What are you, twelve?”
He scowled at her. “You told Mom about Lauren and me.”
“I had to. You hadn’t been answering her calls or texts, which is unlike you, and she was freaking out.”
He sighed. He wasn’t really angry about that. “Did you know Rhonda didn’t like Lauren?”
Jeni shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal. “Rhonda doesn’t like anybody.”
