Page 144 of Divorced from Number Thirty-Eight
Harper’s pink cheeks go bright red.
“And then there’s the fact they left together.”
Now they go somehow brighter.
“I think we should talk about something else,” Kailey says.
I nod. “Maybe Harper doesn’t want to talk about it.”
“So what?” Luna counters.
Bri groans.
Kailey goes for distraction. “Time for more wine.”
“I’m not drinking,” Luna says and makes a hurry up gesture at Harper. “So…”
Silence.
Then Harper shakes her head and sighs, glancing at each of us in turn before stopping on Luna and wrinkling her nose. “I know you well enough by now to understand you won’t let this go. Not that it matters, anyway. Leo and I…well”—a shrug—“we had a night and then that night was over.”
My heart squeezes.
Because there’s hurt in Harper’s words.
I reach for her hand, something healing in me when she holds it tight in return.
Luna’s expression sobers and she asks softly, “What does that mean?”
“Leo—” She slants a look at Bri, nibbles the corner of her mouth.
“I’m a vault,” Bri says, miming zipping and locking her lips. “So’s Kailey. And we’ll make sure Luna is too.”
Harper shakes her head. “You’re too young.”
“I promise you, I’ve heard a lot worse than the details of a one-night stand.”
“Shit.” Harper winces. “I didn’t mean?—”
“You didn’t do anything,” Bri says, channeling a little bit of Luna with the forceful redirect. “And, truthfully, it’s nice being able to think about dates and Luna being nuts?—”
“Hey!”
“—and men being jerks,” she says without missing a beat. “Than…” She falters here for a moment then lifts her chin, presses on, “Than what was done to me growing up.”
Kailey slips her arm around Bri’s shoulder as we all fall quiet for a beat.
Then Luns, right on cue, breaks the tension. “Can I tell Aiden?”
“No!” we cry in unison.
She scowls. “But I tell him everything.”
“Not this,” Bri orders.
A sigh. A considering look at Harper. Then a grudging nod. “Fine. Then I guess I’m a vault too.”
That promise secured, Harper’s gaze comes to mine.
