Jules
Les finds me sitting near the front door, feet cut up, laminate flooring smeared with my blood. I’ve been too shaken to do much else but sit here and stare at the wall since the sliver of memory from that night bled through the cracks in my armor, reminiscent of the broken mirror at my feet.
“I came as soon as I got your text. What the hell happened?”
I’m still trembling, weak with shock as my heart thunders behind my breastbone. “Chris was here.”
Her expression is pure murder as she crouches in front me. “Did that motherfucker hurt you?”
I shake my head.
“Then why are you bleeding, Jules?”
“He was drunk. He cornered me, and I-I…I shoved him. The mirror broke.” I blink, then blink again, trying to get my mind to slow down long enough to make sense of everything that just happened. I meet her dark gaze. “He got Brit pregnant.”
“Holy shit.” She lowers to her haunches next to me, back against the wall. “Seriously?”
I nod. “He says he just found out last week. I don’t understand why he came back and proposed.” I glance at Les. “Why would he do that knowing he did something so…so…?”
“Unforgivable?”
“Yeah. Even if I wanted him back, I’m not sure I could forgive something like this.” I pause with a hard swallow. “But I also feel like I shouldn’t be so hurt over it either.”
“Of course you should be! Forget the fact that Chris betrayed you, but your own sister? That’s low, even for Brit.”
“He was so angry when he found out about Perry, and yet this whole time he was screwing my sister.” I close my eyes, but every time I do, I can’t help but see Perry’s face. Swallowing a sob, I let out a shudder. I’m not ready to tell Les what I suspect my former boss of doing.
Part of me is still processing—not just the bombshell Chris dropped on me, but the one he triggered as well. I’m still trying to find a way to cope and focusing on Chris’ confession is easier than examining the glimpse I had of that night.
It’s less painful, which I guess says a lot about the state of my relationship with Chris before my supposed one-night stand with Perry tore it to pieces. The confession hurts, but it’s not threatening to destroy me the way the realization that Perry might have violated me is.
“Jules?”
I startle at the sound of Les’ voice. She’s sitting next to me, but for a few seconds, caught up in the memory of Perry’s labored breaths, of the horror swimming in that slice of memory, I’d forgotten I wasn’t alone.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?”
Her brows furrow. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m just tired.” Needing a distraction, I rise to my feet, ignoring the pain in my heels, and begin picking up the bigger pieces of glass. Les grabs my arm, and I jump so violently that the pieces from the mirror drop to the floor again.
“Let me help.” She ushers me through my bedroom and into the bathroom, and I’m thankful for the lack of carpet in the apartment, as I’m tracking blood with each step.
“You don’t have to do this,” I tell her as she urges me to sit on the lid of the toilet.
“It’s no big deal. Sit tight while I clean up.” She opens my medicine cabinet in search of antiseptic and gauze before setting them on the counter next to the toilet. As she cleans up the blood and glass in the other room, I pick out the small pieces that made their way into my feet. The antiseptic stings, but it’s nothing compared to the deep ache in my gut.
It’s been at least forty minutes since Chris left my apartment, but I’m still reeling from the encounter. My head is in a fog. Tears threaten my eyes but refuse to fall. I need to talk to someone about what I remembered, and Les is my best friend. She’ll listen and cry with me and offer to hunt Perry down to tear him limb from limb. But I can’t seem to find the words. The memory of that night is stuck in my throat.
She returns several minutes later. “Did you eat dinner yet?”
I shake my head, remembering the frozen meal that’s still in the microwave, untouched.
“I’m starving,” she says, pulling me off of the toilet. “How about we get out of here for a while and grab something to eat?”
“Okay.” I head into my bedroom and change out of my work skirt and into a pair of yoga pants. Wedging my feet into a pair of casual slip-ons, I glance at Les. “I need to text Cash and let him know I’ll be gone for a while. He said he’d come back tonight.”
I expect her to say something—some remark or comment showing her disapproval—but she doesn’t. That surprises me, and I’m speechless as we leave my apartment and take off down the road toward our favorite restaurant, hurrying through the misty rain. It’s our “spot,” the place we always go to for one-on-one girl time.
“Kaden has us playing at Club Shadow every weekend now,” she says after we’ve spanned three blocks in silence.
“That’s awesome. I’m sure the guys are excited.”
“Oh, they are. Still fighting like bulls though. Garen’s been drinking a lot lately. Zan isn’t happy about it.”
“Anything happen with Zan yet?” I ask.
“No.” The firm line of her mouth hints it’s not the answer she wishes to give. “Nothing can happen. Too much is at stake.”
“Sometimes you have to take a risk for love.”
“Like you did with your boss?” She gives me the side eye. “Aren’t you worried he’ll break your heart now that his wife has been found?”
“I was at first. But he loves me, Les. He wants to move in together as soon as possible once the divorce papers are filed.” We arrive at the restaurant and end up in our favorite booth. For a Wednesday, it’s packed, yet the din of conversation flows through the room, making it difficult to decipher any one thread. It makes me feel better about discussing my personal life with Les in such a public setting.
“I think it’s time I meet this guy,” she says, ignoring her menu since she usually opts for the same thing whenever we come here.
“Maybe we can get together for lunch one of these days.”
Les arches a dark brow. “Or you could invite him to your birthday party.”
I snap my menu shut. “What are you talking about?”
She feigns confusion. “Didn’t I tell you about the private party the band is throwing you at Club Shadow?”
“You know how I feel about parties.”
“Suck it up, Jules. The band wants to thank you for helping us with this gig. Besides, it’ll give you a chance to meet some new people, and you can introduce us to your new man.” She takes a sip of her water. “I’m assuming he’ll be familiar with the location, since his brother owns the place.”
My mind goes back to Chris with my sister, and I’m struck by the similarities between Cash and me. We’ve both been betrayed by our siblings. I can only hope that Cash will feel comfortable at his brother’s club, but I’m not about to go into their family issues with Les.
“I can’t talk you out of this, can I?”
“Not even a little.”
I let out a sigh of resignation though part of me is warmed to my core that Les cares enough to want to celebrate my birthday. “Name the time. I’ll let Cash know.”
A huge grin spreads across her face. “I’ll text you the details.” She signals for the waitress. “Now that it’s settled, let’s get some food coming.”