Page 103 of The Good Luck Cafe
Tess crossed her legs and leaned back. “River says the same thing.” She made a shooing motion with her hands. “Go. I’ll be here waiting.”
Moira didn’t budge. “I was thinking about staying home tonight.”
Tess nodded. “I guessed as much. That’s why I came.”
***
An hour later, Moira was glad she’d gone to book club. Her friends always made her feel better.
“So tell us what happened,” Lucy said, folding her legs beneath her.
“Lucy,” Tess warned, narrowing her brown eyes at their friend. “We said we weren’t going to press Moira. If she doesn’t want to talk about it, she doesn’t have to.”
Moira blew out a shaky breath. “I really don’t want to discuss it.” She hesitated for a moment. “But sometimes the things you don’t want to talk about are the exact things you should be talking about.” She swallowed hard.
“If you’re not ready…” Tess said, trailing off. “We’re your friends no matter what.”
“None of us are able to judge you,” Trisha agreed. “I mean, my ex-husband robbed people right beneath my nose. I missed things I should have seen.”
Tess raised a hand. “We’ve all made mistakes. It’s part of being human.”
Moira nodded and took a deep breath. She knew that everyone had things in their past they weren’t proud of. It had always been hard for her to discussherthings though. “Way back in the day, I went on a date with Gil’s college roommate.”
“Felix.” Tess nodded. “I remember meeting him once when he came to town with Gil. He was cute.”
Moira rolled her eyes. She’d thought Felix was cute, too, before she’d realized he was such a despicable human being. “I feel so foolish. I didn’t even like him that much.” She shook her head, wishing for the millionth time that she could have a do-over.
“Hindsight is twenty-twenty,” Lucy said.
Moira looked at her friends. “I can’t prove this, but Felix slipped something into my drink when I went to the bathroom. I only had a couple swallows of my drink before I excused myself. Once I returned and drank a little bit more, I was completely intoxicated. I don’t even remember what happened after that.”
Tess pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, Moira.”
Moira held up a hand, needing to finish her story before she lost her nerve. “I do know that nothing happened, but only because Gil showed up and drove me home. Felix argued with him and wanted to drive me himself, but Gil insisted. When I woke up the next morning, Gil was in my kitchen making breakfast.”
“You could have been assaulted,” Lucy said. “If not for Gil.”
Moira nodded. “I slowly started putting the pieces together and came to that same conclusion. I went to the police, but there wasn’t enough evidence to make a case. It was my word against Felix’s.” She bounced her foot on the floor beneath her chair, trying to release her pent-up energy. “So I decided to take matters into my own hands and make him regret what he tried to do to me.” Moira rolled her lips together, feeling a rush of anger and guilt all at once.
“What happened?” Lara asked.
“I called Felix and told him what a great time I had the night before. I asked him to meet me at a park so we could hang out again that night. Instead of meeting him though, I broke into his apartment. The one he shared with Gil. And I just ransacked it. I broke things. I smashed things. I was so angry, not just for me but for all the women out there who’ve been through something similar or worse. I felt this sadness deep inside me, knowing that guys like him hurt people and get away with it all the time.” Moira sniffled. “It’s not fair. They should pay.Heshould pay. That’s what I was thinking.”
Tess put a hand on Moira’s shoulder. “It’s understandable that you would be upset. Just hearing what happened makes me beyond angry on your behalf.”
Moira glanced around at her circle of friends. There was no judgment in their eyes. On a breath, she continued. “Anyway, Gil showed up and called the cops before he realized it was me. The police came and arrested me, and I spent the night in jail. Not my finest moment.”
“What are you talking about?” Lucy asked. “I am prouder of you than I ever have been. You are amazing.”
“Because I got arrested?” Moira asked in disbelief.
“You were betrayed and hurt, and while violence is never the answer,” Tess said, “I agree with Lucy. I’m proud of you too. Not for taking matters into your own hands but for being such a strong, beautiful person, inside and out. Don’t let this news stop you from living your life and chasing your dreams. If you want to be mayor, go for it. If you want to be with Gil, be with him. The past is just that. The past.”
Moira shook her head. “The story that everyone else got paints me as the bad guy.”
“You don’t owe anyone an explanation,” Lucy said. “The charges were dropped, right?”
“Gil was the one who called the cops. Once he realized it was me, he dropped the charges. Felix threatened to file, but I think he thought better of it.”
