Page 61 of Betting on the Best Friend
“Not really.” In the living room, Madison is on the floor with Smudge in her lap, and she looks up with concerned eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asks as I settle on the sofa in front of a sweating bottle of beer.
Oliver nods at it. “Drink if you need it.”
Not sure a beer ever helped do anything but cool me on a hot day. Doesn’t seem like it’s going to do much for the queasiness. I leave it untouched.
“Did something . . .” Madison starts to ask, but she trails off when Oliver shakes his head.
I appreciate both of them. I do need to talk, but I need a minute first.
Madison goes back to petting Smudge, and Oliver settles into an armchair and fiddles with his phone, taking a swig of his own drink.
I lean back against the sofa and stare at the ceiling for a minute before I say, “Ruby and I had a fight.”
“You sure you want me here for this?” Madison asks. “Because even if it’s her fault, all my advice is going to be about trying to fix you guys.”
“I’m sure.”
I can’t see them, but I can feel them exchanging glances. They must decide Oliver is the one for this.
“What was the fight about?” he asks.
I sigh and sit up. “Remember last year when you told me I should tell Ruby how I feel, and I told you to drop it?”
“Distinctly,” says Oliver.
Madison’s eyebrows go up, but she doesn’t seem surprised I have “feelings.” Maybe surprised that I’m bringing it up.
Me too, friend. Me too.
I flop back against the cushion. “I did, and then we fought.”
Madison gapes at me. “Youtoldher?!”
She’s acting like I gave away one ofherdeeply guarded secrets. “Yes, Mads. Because honesty. Let me repeat that your man was telling me to do it last summer.”
“Oh, I see. This is my fault.” Oliver nods like this makes perfect sense.
“Let’s go with that.” I appreciate that he’s playing this low-key.
He cracks his knuckles. “Give me some details, and I’ll fix it.”
Like it’s that easy to explain everything. But . . . I don’t know. Maybe it is.
I struggle up enough to rest my elbows on my knees. “Short version is I probably fell for Ruby the first time we worked together. But I talked myself out of it because she was in a relationship. Except the feelings didn’t go away. Instead, they . . .”
“Lurked?” Oliver suggests.
I nod. “When they broke up, it broke the seal too.”
She and Oliver trade another look, but they stay quiet, waiting for me to unreel the story at my own pace. I tilt my head and watch her. Where is her inquisition?
“Madison,” I say slowly. “Don’t you have a bunch of questions for me, like why I told you I only care about Ruby as a friend?”
“No. I didn’t believe you. You should have let us help.”
“That would be bringing a nuke to a knife fight.”
