Page 23 of The Lookback

I groan. Once Abigail has even gotten a whiff of something, you may as well just surrender.

It takes us almost an hour to catch her up on Thomas Collins, his impending visit, and how I’m a big, fat liar.

“But I still don’t understandwhyyou told him that you and Jed got married,” Abigail says. “Or why you said you were touring the world, before that, either.”

“You’ve never met an ex while your hair was in a messy knot on your head and you were wearing sweatpants with a big zit on your nose, have you?” Amanda asks.

Abigail frowns.

“Of course she hasn’t,” I say. “It’s perfect Abigail.”

“Come on,” Abigail says. “Of course I’ve run into people when—well. One of my exes I left half a country away when I changed schools and started law school. And then I married the next guy I dated, so. . .”

“When you meet your ex,” Amanda says, “you donotwant to look bad. You want to look your best. You want to win.”

“Win?” Abigail asks. “It’s a competition?”

Amanda, Maren, and I all speak at the same time. “Yes.”

Emery says, “Don’t you feel like everything in life is a little bit of a competition?”

“Not really.” Abigail blinks.

“That’s just because you’re always the one who’s winning,” Amanda says. “Trust me. The losers know it’s all a contest.”

“As if you lose things,” Abigail says. “You’re the most put-together person I know.”

“Right,” Amanda says. “I’m put-together, and that means that when I’m not prepared for something, I’m a total mess.”

“It’s true,” Maren says. “Poor Eddy.”

Amanda shoves Maren, but she deserves it, so I don’t fuss at her.

“Okay, let’s say that I agree with all that, which is a stretch, but even so, Tommy wasn’t your ex,” Abigail says. “So why would you need to lie to him?”

“She wanted to date him, but he didn’t like her,” Amanda says. “That’s actually worse.”

Abigail’s shaking her head as she sits down. “But something happened at prom, right?”

“I don’t think I should tell all of you anything else,” I say.

“Why not?” Abigail asks.

“Because Tommy’s coming soon, and the less you know, the less you can blunder through and destroy.”

“Or the better we can cover your lies,” Abigail says.

Sheisa lawyer. It’s kind of her whole job. I drop into the chair on the end by the kitchen with a huff. “Only if you tell me that something like attorney client privilege applies.” I look around the room. “With all of you. If I keep telling you about Tommy, you can’t let any of this slip, not to him, and not to anyone else.”

“Who would I tell?” Amanda asks.

“Who wouldn’t she tell?” Maren glares.

“Eddy, for one,” I say. “You can’t tell your husbands. They know everyone in town, and their parents really know everyone I’m talking about.”

Amanda’s brow furrows. “But?—”

“No buts.” I shake my head. “Those are my terms.”

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