“No,” I said simply. “We aren’t together anymore.”
Amanda went to the garbage to toss out the remaining glass from the broken bottles. “Oh, so that’s true?” She gasped, her eyes becoming wide. “I thought the guys were just jealous of you.”
I shook my head and went to the register. “No jokes.”
I didn’t go into details on how I was the fool.
“CJ, why don’t you call her?” Jena huffed, bagging up my pastries. Noelle loved the cinnamon twist special, so I was planning to surprise her with one when I picked her up from school.
I shook my head. “Jena,” I warned. We had been having this same argument for the past month that Grace and I had been separated.
“It’s not that easy and you know it,” I added, grabbing the bag from her, inhaling the sweet smell of baked goods. Glancing behind me, I stepped to the side so Jena could start to help the other customers.
“It could be.” She shrugged before giving me a pointed look. “I liked her, and shelovedyou.” Jena turned and started working at the espresso machine.
I shouted a goodbye and exited the coffee shop, the bell ringing behind me.
Of course, I wanted to believe it was as easy as a phone call to fix Grace and me, but she slept with someone else. Someone she supposedly hated. Someone who represented everything I hated, everything I wasn’t and would never be.
I wasn’t about to air out my dirty laundry, and even though Grace cheated on me, I still didn’t want to tarnish her name. She already had her name disgraced once. I wasn’t about to do that again in a place she once considered a safe haven.
I opened the brown bag and dug out the croissant. Just as I started munching on it, my phone rang. It was Noelle’s school. My stomach dropped and I instantly knew something was wrong. Ever since the bullying started with Noelle, I was a ball ofnerves. I hated those catty girls who were torturing my kid. I felt helpless because in this situation I was at a loss of control.
Every time I picked her up from school, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I wasn’t ignorant to the fact that Noelle wasn’t herself lately. I practically lived at the school, trying to come up with plans with the principal and teachers. But there was truly only so much I could do. Especially since the parents were assholes, like their kids. I had Noelle scheduled to meet a child psychologist next week to come up with coping mechanisms and help her deal with the bullying.
Overwhelmed didn’t even cover how I’d felt lately. Being a single parent was hard. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. I really thought I’d found a partner, somebody who “got it.”
I answered the phone, not knowing my life would change forever.
CHAPTER 39
Grace
“Grace,you need to come back. You’re miserable,” Lucy muttered one day over the phone.
“I can’t now. It’s too far into the lie,” I said, unwrapping another chocolate from the heart-shaped box I picked up at the store earlier today. I was clearly torturing myself with Valentine’s Day approaching next week.
“You love them. Why not fight for them?” she reasoned.
I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “You’re an optimist all of a sudden,” I ground out.
She stuttered, “I’m just trying to help.”
“Is there another reason?” I questioned, chuckling before shoving another chocolate in my mouth.
“Maybe,” Lucy teased then added, “It’s also getting that new job. It’s a fresh start.”
“I’m happy for you, babe. You deserve the best.” I tossed the chocolate I was holding back into the box, over the sugar craze already.
“What’s the next step?”
“They already hate me. There’s no point in going back now. I messed up…” I trailed off and heard a beeping sound coming from the phone. “Anne is calling me. Can I call you back?”
“Sure. Talk later.” Lucy hung up.
Why would Caleb’s mother be calling me? I was pretty sure she hated me after everything. “Hello,” I breathed into the phone, confused.
“Oh, Grace, hi,” Anne said breathlessly, sounding out of sorts. “I’m sorry to bother you, but have you heard from Noelle by any chance?”
