I stagger back.
This is just like Ezra.
I fell for another man who doesn’t love me and likely never will.
37
ABIGAIL
Paige holds a box of tissues in front of me.
“Thanks.” I sniffle.
“What happened after Jinxy word-vomited all of that stuff?” she asks.
“I ran to the bathroom and cried. Asked another waitress to cover my section, then told Moe I had a stomach virus. He had enough help. It’s not like the nights I covered the entire diner by myself.”
We’re hanging out in her boyfriend’s apartment. Marcus is out of town for a few days, so Paige is letting me crash here while he’s gone. We’re curled up on his couch as I regurgitate everything that happened today.
Baylee returns from the kitchen where she’s been whipping up some snack called Puppy Chow. It’s basically cereal, powdered sugar, peanut butter, and chocolate. I grab a handful and jam it in my mouth.
“This is amazing. I’m going to eat the whole bowl,” I say as I crunch away.
“I used to make it for Maverick all the time in high school. It’s his favorite. Now I make it for everyone but him.”
I chuckle and wipe the tears that spill down my cheeks. “Savage.”
“But necessary.” Baylee sits on the floor in front of us and looks me over. “Maybe it’s best that you found out the truth before you uprooted your life for this guy.”
Paige shakes her head. “Is it possible Jinxy misremembered what Nick said? Or twisted it around somehow? You said he was drunk, and Jinxy talks shit when he’s sober. I think he’s taken too many hits to his head.”
“You’re right,” I say slowly. “It’s possible.” But then I remember the look in Dax’s eyes when Jinxy was going off. “Except I feel like Dax was trying to cover for Nick. Like he was trying to defuse the situation. And he had this look on his face like he felt sorry for me.”
“Maybe he felt bad this was going down in front of that bitch Tiffany.”
“Maybe.” I bite the inside of my cheek. “It just makes me question everything, like how we almost always have sex the night before a game. Nick even said it helps him relax.”
Paige squeezes my arm. “But don’t most guys think that? You need to talk to Nick. Put your cards on the table. Ask him if he said all that. Ask him if he’s serious about you.”
I flop back on the couch. “He told Gemma’s parents I’m his nanny. He couldn’t have sounded more impersonal if he was introducing his grocer.”
Baylee taps her phone on the coffee table with a long, manicured nail. “Have you ever checked out his old girlfriend’s social media?”
I lift my head. “No. Should I have?” I figured if Nick wanted me to know something, he would’ve told me, but maybe that was naive.
She shrugs. “If it’s not set to private, why not?” She flips over her phone and punches in the code. “What’s her name again?”
“Gemma Kendrick. I think that’s her last name.”
Paige shakes her head. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
Baylee shushes her. “It’s a fucking awesome idea, and I’m glad I thought of it. Our girl needs to know what she’s dealing with. If I was in her shoes, this is the first thing I would’ve done after I banged him.” She scrolls around for a minute. “Found it.” A minute later, she hisses. “You’re right. This is probably a bad idea.”
“You can’t say that now.” I hold my hand out. “Gimme the phone. Please. Whatever it is, I want to see it with my own eyes.”
Wincing, she holds it to her chest. “This is going to make everything worse.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I’m tired of burying my head in the sand. I’d rather face this head on.”
