Brett looked over his shoulder into his office. “I guess. It’s kind of a mess.”
“Kind of?” Teresa muttered.
“Come on,” Brett said, and ushered Lorna into the office.
He moved some papers off a red leather chair and gestured for her to sit. Lorna didn’t want to sit on that chair, but she also didn’t want to be rude. She perched on the edge of it. Brett leaned against a desk that was stacked with even more papers, a small tire, some framed photos that faced away from Lorna, several used coffee cups, and some tubing. The room smelled of sweat, coffee, and rubber.
“What’s going on?” Brett asked. “I feel like I’m about to be punked.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I came to apologize for the way I treated you.”
Brett said nothing, but he frowned uncertainly. “Okay.” He rubbed his chin. It looked like the gesture of a man who was trying to recall.
“Do you remember?”
“Oh, I remember all of it,” he said. “You really hurt my feelings.”
Lorna swallowed. She knew she had, but to hear him say it made her feel queasy. “I’m really sorry, Brett.”
“Are you?”
“Yes. That’s why I’m here—I’m trying to understand things about myself, about why I did things.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“I know,” she said. “But you didn’t deserve that. I used you.”
He snorted derisively. “Yeah, I got that,” he said impatiently. “But why? I really liked you.”
Lorna’s queasiness turned to acid. “The why was my sister. She and Luke Brown betrayed me in the worst way, and I waslashing out. At least that’s what I think I was doing. I’m so, so sorry, Brett. I was awful to you.”
He looked at her a moment, then shifted his gaze to his feet, crossed before him. “I hope you’re sorry, because you ruined my life. You’re the reason I’m selling tires instead of doing something like accounting.”
Lorna’s heart skipped a beat. “What?”
“You broke my heart, Lorna. I couldn’t get it together to apply for college. Hell, I couldn’t even make myself get a job after high school. I had no confidence.”
“Oh my God.” She felt sick. “Brett, I—”
He suddenly laughed. “Just kidding.”
Lorna’s anger gauge began to flicker. She had come here with a sincere apology. Maybe it wasn’t fair of her to expect him to take it, but he didn’t have to make her feel worse than she did.
Brett’s smile faded as he studied her. “Come on, it was a joke. Don’t you remember how I used to tease you back then? You used to be so much fun.”
And just like that, the anger left her. She’d been fun? “No one has ever told me that.”
“Seriously? You were a lot of fun. We laughed all the time. Why do you think I had such a crush on you?”
She smiled sheepishly. “I’ve been trying to figure that out.”
“So, whatever happened to Kristen, anyway? I saw her once, you know. I got popped for a DUI in Georgetown, and there she was in court with the female inmates. She kind of waved at me. I mean, as much as she could, because she was shackled. But she acknowledged me. I was surprised she remembered me.” He seemed pleased that she had.
“She’s in Florida now.”
“Awesome. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m kind of surprised she’s not dead. She was one risky chick.”
“I’m surprised too,” Lorna said. “So listen, Brett. I’d love to make it up to you somehow.”
