Page 105 of Now That It's You
She blinked at her friend through watery eyes. “What’s the alternative?”
“Telling you something that might be a little harder to hear.”
Meg swallowed. “Which is what?”
Kendall squeezed Meg’s knees, and the warmth in her eyes was almost enough to thaw the iceberg lodged in the center of her chest since Kyle had spoken in that meeting.
“You did sort of back him into a corner,” Kendall said. “I know it was a shitty thing for him to do, and he betrayed your confidence, but?—”
“But what?” Meg swallowed down the lump in her throat as the tears started to well. “Pillow talk shouldn’t be admissible in legal proceedings. End of story.”
“Right. I know. But you were the one to bring up the sex thing.” Kendall winced. “Not that I’m blaming you. God knows you did what your lawyers told you to do. What your agent suggested. And you know I have no kind feelings for Matt Midland, may he rest in peace.”
Meg took a shaky breath. “I was looking out for myself. It’s something I did so rarely when I was with Matt. I thought?—”
“I know, honey, I was there. I watched that man back over you for years before you finally called it quits. Even before he cheated, he was running you down in small ways every single day.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “It wasn’t all bad.”
“It wasn’t, I know.”
“It was even pretty good, most of the time.” Meg sniffed. “At least I thought it was.”
Kendall nodded, her hands still warm on Meg’s knees. “When did you stop thinking that?”
Meg hesitated, knowing the answer before her brain formed the words. “When I was with Kyle,” she said softly. “When I saw how different it could be.”
Kendall nodded and reached for Meg’s hands. “I know. It’s like spending your whole life wearing the wrong-sized bra and not realizing it. Then when you finally get the right size, you wonder how you never noticed before how uncomfortable you were.”
“Yes,” Meg said softly. “That’s it exactly.”
Kendall let go of her hands and Meg leaned back against the couch cushions. She shoved hard at the memory of straddling Kyle on this same sofa. Had it only been four weeks since this whole mess started? It felt like mere days. It felt like a lifetime ago. She honestly couldn’t tell anymore.
“Come on,” Kendall said, standing up. “Let’s make dinner together. It’ll take your mind off things.”
“Things,” Meg repeated. “Like the fact that I’m destined to lose the lawsuit that would have assured me the royalties I worked hard for? Like how much Sylvia Midland hates me? Like the fact that I just lost the man I thought I’d started to love?”
Kendall nodded, glancing to the side. “Or the fact that he’s standing on your doorstep right now?”
All the blood drained from Meg’s head. “What?”
Kendall nodded to the front of the house, and Meg followed the direction of her gaze to her own front porch. Her gut twisted at the sight of him standing there. She couldn’t see his face through the frosted glass, but she’d have known his shape anywhere. She’d studied it with her hands, with her mind, with her heart.
“I can get rid of him,” Kendall said. “Either send him away, or arrange for him to meet a gruesome, painful death.”
“No,” Meg said, standing up. Her legs weren’t shaking anymore, so she headed for the front door. “I want to get this over with. I want to hear what he has to say for himself so I can tell him goodbye to his face.”
Kendall stayed seated on the coffee table, a look of worry crossing her features. “Okay,” she said. “Do you want me to stay?”
Meg hesitated, not sure anymore what she wanted. “That’s okay,” she said. “Thanks, though.”
“No problem. Some conversations are meant to be private.”
“Tell me about it.”
Kendall snorted and stood up, crossing to the front door where Meg stood with her hand on the knob. “A word of advice?”
“Don’t sleep with him? Not a problem. I’d sooner remove my own spleen with a spoon.”
