Chapter 23

Ally

“You didn’t have to come over,” I said as I enveloped Kelly in a bear hug. I called her fifteen minutes ago and in the midst of an ugly cry and between heaving sobs, I stammered out the news about Gabe and the heavily pregnant Faith.

“Of course I did,” Kelly replied as she bustled into my tiny kitchen carrying a homemade apple pie and two steaming Styrofoam cups which smelled of coffee. Perfect winter comfort food.

I wrinkled my nose and sighed. I didn’t feel all that festive today, but there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d let that pie out of sight without putting a dent in it. I was great at cupcakes and Kelly was the master of the apple pie. Or the cherry pie. Or anything with a crust, recipe or no recipe. She just had a knack for it.

“I’m really glad you did come, though,” I admitted, shifting on a chair in front of the counter. I’d been going over the bakery finances and dreaming of a way to pay my small business loans. The police hadn’t come back in a while and I was too stubborn to phone Matthew and find out the results of the pending investigation.

Kelly placed the pie on the counter beside me, then handed me a cup of coffee. “One sugar with plenty of cream, just how you like it.”

“You’re the best,” I cooed and popped the plastic lid on the coffee. I took in one hot sip and bathed in the glory of the homemade hazelnut cappuccino.

Kelly rooted around in the cupboards in search of plates and a chef’s knife. She brought them out, dished a piece of pie and chewed her bottom lip. “I forgot the whipped cream. Should we warm these up first?”

“I’m too desperate for sugar to wait,” I replied.

Kelly laughed and dished out a second piece, then handed it over with a fork. She followed suit and lowered herself onto the stool beside mine.

“Okay, spill,” Kelly said.

If it’d been anyone else, I would’ve told them to go away and leave me in peace. Not with Kelly. She wasn’t after the juicy gossip, she was there to talk it out, just like she’d been there after the shit storm with Matthew. Kelly cared about me and my life and some days it felt like she was a party of one.

I forked off a piece of apple pie and chewed, savoring the tang and sweetness which married on my tongue. I stared down at the ledgers and then shifted my gaze to the open doorway and the small window. The snow had stopped, but the streets were still coated in white.

The clock ticking on the wall said night was about to fall. An entire day of misery. I hadn’t had the nerve to call my best friend until I’d used up the majority of my tears. I wanted most of the emotion out of the way so we could talk about the facts and rationalize that Gabe was a loser and I never had to see him again.

Him or any other man ever again.

I cleared my throat. “I can’t believe this happened again. I’m a douche magnet.” The tears came again — maybe an afternoon of crying wasn’t enough to get rid of this kind of pain — and I swiped at them. I couldn’t hide them from Kelly anyway.

“Tell me about it. Is it Gabe?”

“It’s over between us,” I said.

“Why? What happened?” Kelly asked, then put her plate on the counter. She held the fork poised to break off another piece.

“He got another woman pregnant.”

“What?” She dropped the fork with a clatter, and it bounced from the surface of the plate to the floor below. “He cheated on you?”

“Well, no. Yes. I don’t know. I’m really not sure if he’s together with her now, but the fact of the matter is, he got her pregnant.”

“Who is this woman?” Kelly frowned, and bent over to pick up the fork. She brushed it off, shrugged and tucked into more of the apple pie. “Three second rule.”

I smiled through my tears, grateful for Kelly’s ability to lighten the somber mood. “Her name is Faith,” I could barely spit the name out between my clenched teeth. I had to control this jealousy. God, it wasn’t like he was my fiancé. He was just a guy. A super sexy fireman who’d broken my heart because I was in a vulnerable place right now. Other women had flings all the time and moved right on. Why couldn’t I?

Because this hurt worse than when Matthew dumped me. It hurt worse than anything I’d ever felt before. The death of hope and the possibility that I could ever be with a man like Gabe.

“Faith,” Kelly murmured, “that’s kind of ironic.”

“Tell me about it. Anyway, she’s probably eight months pregnant. Not that I’d know, right? It’s not like I’ll be popping out any babies any time soon.”

Kelly looked into my eyes and I shied away from the concern in her gaze.

“Ally, you can’t make this about your own inability to conceive. It’s got nothing to do with what happened in the past.”

“How can you say that? It feels like it has everything to do with what happened in the past. He wanted a woman who could give him a child. A son.”

“Ally, get real, he doesn’t know about what happened between you and Matthew. Not the real story anyway. This sounds like a bizarre and painful coincidence.”

“She’s still a part of his life,” I said as I firmed my jaw. I wouldn’t yield the point.

“What should he do, disown her? Throw his baby and its mother out in the street? At least he’s taking responsibility for the mistakes he’s made. That’s more than I can say for a lot of men I know. Think of how many single mothers we know that aren’t that fortunate.”

I tilted my head to one side and avoided her gaze. “Yeah, well, Faith and Gabe are perfect for each other.”

“It’s not about them being a couple,” Kelly said, then huffed out a breath of air, ignoring my surly tone. “Look, this is a big shock, but it’s not insurmountable. Maybe you shouldn’t give up just yet.”

I forced the chair back and stood, then slammed my plate down on the counter and turned away from her. “That’s your solution? Not to give up?” I shook my head and wiped more tears from beneath my lower lids. “Then you don’t get it, Kelly. He lied to me. And this wasn’t the first time. He had the choice to tell me about this woman and he made the wrong one.”

“I understand you’re upset and you feel betrayed.” Kelly replied, reaching out to grab my hand. She turned and rose to stand in front of me. “Maybe he was afraid of losing you if he confessed. He probably thought you’d see it as a complication and leave him.”

“Exactly. It isn’t something you can hide, so why prolong the pain? Even with the baby in the picture, he still lied again. The first time about his job and now this one is even worse. If that’s even possible.” I chewed my bottom lip. Kelly’s logical replies had planted a tiny seed of doubt. Kelly was rational, and she was married. What if she was right?

“Did you give him a chance to explain his motives?”

“Kelly,” I said, deepening my tone.

“Fine,” she replied, then threw her hands up in the air. “I’ll butt out. For now. I’ll just listen instead of bringing the solutions.” She tittered a laugh, then grabbed me by the shoulders. “As long as you know that I’m here for you. Always.”

“I do.” I nodded and gave her a weak smile. “I just wish I could forget. All I do is sit and ruminate, even when I’m going over the accounting for the bakery.” I nodded towards the charts and rows of numbers beside my apple pie.

“Then let’s go out. Let’s get you really distracted.”

“I think you mean shitfaced,” I replied, and flashed her a smile. “But I’m not up for it.”

“I insist. Come on, what are friends for? I’ll look after you. Sober driver and all.” Kelly winked at me, then turned me on the spot and directed me towards the stairs in the corner. “Go get dressed. I’ll meet you outside in five minutes.”

I paused and looked back at her over my shoulder. “Fine, but I’d better not regret this in the morning. I have serious work to do in order to get the bakery back on its feet.”