Page 24 of My Ex's Best Friend

“Can we not talk about that, please?” I know he’s trying to make things normal between us, or at least as normal as he thinks it can be. But I can’t.

What happened back then nearly broke me. I can’t afford to let him that close again. Close enough to shatter my heart again.

He nods and walks over to the door. “Come with me.”

I do as he says and as I go, I text Ellie and Tammy.

You won’t believe who my boss is!!!

His secretary rises from her desk right in front of his office.

“Sir, shall I show Ms. Crofton to her new desk?”

“That’s okay, Bea. I’ve got this.”

She looks puzzled, and that’s the last I see of her before following Jake down the hallway and as we go, we catch a few more curious glances from the other employees.

“Are you supposed to be doing this?”

“What?” He looks at me, frowning.

“I don’t know, showing a new employee around?” I say. “Isn’t that preferential treatment?”

He frowns. “No, of course not. You would know if I was giving you preferential treatment.”

For some reason, his words make goosebumps rise up my shoulder. And I hate myself for it. This means nothing.

I decide to remain silent. I still don’t know what he is thinking.

I notice small quotes, more like questions, are interspersed with paintings on the walls.

“Why did the artist bring a pencil to the party?" I read under my breath.

“That’s a good one,” Jake says.

“What?”

“Do you know the answer?”

Jake was always about corny jokes. It’s the way he has always been. I remember teasing him about how he had become a Dad when he didn’t even have any children.

"I don't know, Jake. Why?" brace myself

"Because he wanted to draw attention." He chuckles at his own joke.

Despite trying not to, I crack a small smile. I can’t help myself. Jake always had that effect on me. But I can’t let him see that, so I cover it with a cough.

I can tell he saw that, though.

“Too corny?” He grins.

I shake my head. Of course, it is corny, but this is also Jake. The same Jake that was my best friend all those years, that would stand up for me. My Jake.

Until he broke my heart. Funny how his betrayal hurt more than Chris’s.

As Jake walks me over to my desk, I start leafing through the folder he handed me to take my head off the past. It doesn’t matter anymore. I should have been over it years ago.

As we go, he's talking, but I don’t catch most of it. Just a sentence here and there. There is one that catches my attention, though.

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