Her eyes bulge. “When did this happen?”
“He was on a date with Larissa last spring, and Ezra was hounding me to go with him to some NFL open tryouts. I was upset and gunned it in reverse.” I cringe when I think back to that night. “Nick and Larissa were obviously trying to find some alone time in a dark parking lot, and I clipped his car with mine.”
Paige busts out laughing. “Oh my God. I mean, I can laugh since no one was hurt.”
“I want to crawl under a rock whenever I think about it. And me being me, I shouted something like, ‘Sorry I messed up your sexy times!’”
The look on my roommate’s face is so funny, I start laughing with her. She grabs her stomach and bends over hooting. “Abigail, that’s the best story I’ve heard all year.” She pauses. “Is that why his bumper is all jacked up?”
I nod, and we both break out into hysterics again. Once I catch my breath, I tell her the rest of the story and move my hands to show her how I nearly t-boned Nick. “At the end of the day, I guess I’m lucky all I did was clip his bumper and dent the side of his SUV a little.” I make a face. “But Larissa was sitting in his lap, and they were obviously hooking up.” I cover my mouth as I admit the rest. “I think I interrupted some dry-humping.”
Paige folds in her lips, but her face is red from laughing.
“The worst part is I had just interviewed to be his daughter’s nanny. Obviously, I didn’t get the job, and now I’m waiting tables instead of taking care of Hazel, which I was really hoping to do because I love kids.”
If Nick hired someone like Miss Trunchbull, like his buddy mentioned, then I never had a chance anyway. I’m definitely more like Miss Honey.
“Bummer. That sucks.”
“But it gets worse because when I crashed into him, Ezra kept shouting stuff at Nick, calling him names. I kind of hate myself for dating him for so long. But in my defense, he never behaved that way in front of me. It wasn’t until I transferred here last year that I got to see Ezra for the asshole he is. And if I have to look on the bright side, that moment in the parking lot flipped a switch in me. Whatever residual affection I had for that man instantly shriveled up and died.”
“I can’t get over you being engaged to Ezra Thomas.”
Sighing, I shrug. “I know. I’m not really his type.”
She touches my arm. “That’s not what I mean. It’s just that he’s an arrogant ass, and you’re such a sweetheart.”
“Thanks. It sucked to find out he slept around behind my back.”
“He didn’t get drafted, did he?”
“No, but he got a walk-on position with some team in Florida.” I guzzle down my wine. “I’m just glad I won’t have to run into him anymore.”
“Nope. Now you just have to live next door to Nick.”
She gives me a look, and we both crack up. “Talk about an icebreaker. Now you know one of my most embarrassing stories, and I have some doozies.”
Paige shakes her head. “I can beat that.”
“No way.”
“When I was fourteen, I tried to warn my brother’s best friend Rhett that his fiancée was cheating on him. Danny and Rhett are older than me, but I’ve always had a huge crush on Rhett, literally since I laid eyes on him when I was like five.”
“Oh, gosh, that long?”
“Yup. But I was a kid, and that’s how he’d always seen me, as Danny’s little sister. Not that it made any difference to how I felt about him. So he got engaged to his long-time girlfriend, a woman I never liked. Then a few weeks before their wedding, I saw her talking to some guy, and based on the way they jumped apart when they saw me, I knew something was going on. So I finally worked up the nerve to tell Rhett…”
I clutch my stomach. “Did he believe you?”
“He said he was sure it was just a misunderstanding.” Brows furrowed, she shakes her head again. “It was the one and only time my brother didn’t take my side. Danny said I was just a kid and didn’t understand what I saw. That I was letting my feelings for his best friend cloud my perception. And of course, he said it right in front of Rhett. I wanted to crawl under the couch and die.”
My eyes get wider and wider as she tells me her story. “So what happened? Did he marry her?”
“Yes, and I was so distraught on the day of the wedding, I faked a stomach bug and stayed home to cry.”
I reach over to hug her. “I’m sorry. Heartbreak is heartbreak. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, it hurts regardless. Are things weird whenever you see Rhett?”
“To this day, I try to avoid him at all costs.”
