Page 45 of The Enemy Plot
“Alice,” he says, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this, start a relationship with you. Lola has to be my priority now. You know how important she is to me. We’re just starting to bond, and I don’t want to take time away from her. I can’t be with you and only do this halfway.”
I swallow the bitter pill and decide to take the high road. Getting off his lap, I suck in a breath. “I get it.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, placing his hands on mine. “I just—”
“Don’t worry about it,” I say with a forced smile. “It’s fine. And anyway, it was just a kiss.” I cough out a chuckle, trying to defuse the tension and hoping the message will get through to my brain.
It’s fine.I’m fine.We can stay friends.
“I think I’ll go upstairs and finish packing,” I say, not waiting for his answer.
Well, that was a letdown, a monumental one. I guess I read him all wrong. As usual, Alice the Romantic, the Optimist, took over, and I didn’t approach this with caution. I’ve never been good at safeguarding my heart, and I’m starting to think it’s a skill I really should develop. My body feels too heavy to move, so I just sit down on the edge of the bed. Couldn’t he have waited for us to get back before dumping me, or whatever that was? Because now, I have to sit for six hours in a car next to him. And it’s going to be excruciating.
As predicted, the drive back wasn’t exactly a blast. At least we had the rest of the audiobook to keep us distracted. That also prevented my mind from wandering to Deacon at least half the time. Not even his snide remarks about the book could put a smile on my face. Not a real one at least. Luckily, I’m getting pretty good at the fake-smiling thing.
Deacon drops us off at the end of the street again, and Lola and I haul some of the stuff back to our building. I wait with Lola for Deacon’s return, but as soon as he’s insight, I hug her and rush into the store. The last thing I need is an awkward goodbye with Deacon.
Hayley is talking with a customer at the cash register. When she spots me, she gives me a friendly wave.
Mr. Darcy saunters in my direction as soon as he sees me, and I pick him up, enjoying his on-command purring. There’s no better cure for a wounded heart. Except maybe a book.
“Hey!” Emma says, coming from the back room. “How was your trip? Glad to see you weren’t eaten alive in the woods.”
I roll my eyes. Emma’s reads are way too dark, if you ask me. Though being eaten alive by some animal might have been preferable to that painful dumping this morning, followed by a very awkward six-hour drive. Can I even call that a dumping? We weren’t even dating. Gosh, I’m tired.
“Nice to see you too,” I mumble.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, lowering her voice. I hate how she always sees right through me. Emma is unusually perceptive, probably because of those sharp glacier eyes of hers.
“Nothing,” I say, putting my bag down. “I’m good. Everything’s good. I’m going to go unpack.”
She frowns. “Wait, don’t you have some news to share? I thought you’d come back all lovey-dovey with our grumpy neighbor.”
I swallow hard, my throat constricting as I stare at the wall.
“Oh, gotcha. Well, his loss. You’re a catch.” She swats my butt as I trudge toward the staircase, and I’m trying really hard to channel that confidence she has in me as I drag my things upstairs.
Deacon
“What’s wrong between you and Alice?” Lola asks, arms crossed as we’re approaching our building.
I grab the keys from my jean pocket. “Nothing’s wrong. Do you have any homework to finish for tomorrow?”
She gives me a pointed look, placing her school bag on a chair. “You guys have been acting weird since we came back from the lake, avoiding each other and being all awkward. What happened?
“Nothing,” I say firmly, pushing the door open, but she keeps badgering me all the way to the apartment.
“I thought you liked her. And Iknowshe likes you.”
“How can you be sosure?”
She rolls her eyes. “Because I’m not blind, and we all went on a trip together.”
I pause, trying to find something to counter her assumption, but all I can think about is that trip with Lola and Alice and how perfect it was. And how I ruined it afterwards.
“I knew it.” She turns toward the corridor and walks to her room. But before she steps inside, she spins on her heel. “For what it’s worth, I like you two together. You seem happier when she’s around.”
She’s not wrong about that. But I can only grunt in response.