I bit my lip. "I don't want to say."
"Why not?"
"Because you'll laugh at me."
Sure enough, his lips twitched like they wanted to smile.
I took another slurp of the eggnog before saying, "See? That's exactly what I'm talking about." I sat up straighter on the couch. "And you neverdidtell me. That description – does it match Natalia?"
"It matches well enough." His lips gave another twitch. "Except for the shiny thing."
He was definitely making fun of me. Ignoring this, I asked, "And what about the ring? Did you ever give her one?"
"Yeah, but not one likethat."
I gripped my glass just a little tighter. "So you gave her an engagement ring?"
"No. I gave her a ruby ring." He shrugged. "It's her birthstone."
I tried to smile. "Trust me, that wasnoruby on her finger. And what about the suitcase?"
"What about it?"
"Well, she obviously expected to stay with you. Does she not realize that you're broken up?"Assuming you really are. But I didn’t say this last bit out loud because it would make me sound like a jealous harpy.
Bryce said, "Trust me. She knows."
Ididtrust him – or at least I was trying to. Already, he'd made some excellent points. Before we'd even sat down, he'd reminded me that if he'd been expecting another girl, the last thing he would have done was havemewaiting inside the house.
And yet, the visit still rankled.
I asked, "So, why'd she come here?"
"My guess? To cause trouble."
"Well, obviously," I said. "But do you think she wants you back?"
"She wantssomething." He was frowning now. "And she told you we were engaged? Are you sure?"
"Well…yeah." But then I paused. "Or at least she strongly implied it."
"But you're not certain."
"I can't recall her exact words if that's what you mean."
"And you can't tell me how it ended?"
I sighed. "Alright, fine. I slammed the door in her face."
"And…?"
I cleared my throat. "And, well…I might've called her a shiny-haired hoochie."
With the barest trace of a smile, Bryce said, "That would explain the yelling."
I just had to ask, "So, were youeverengaged?"
"No."
