Page 20 of Great Pretender
“My God, girl, are you serious? Men like that also don’t ask their girl best friends to move in with them.”
“I think it’s more the case that he saw I needed the help.”
“Was it you who said you’d stay for a few days, or him?” She raises one perfect brow.
The words get stuck in my throat. Chad didn’t even put an end date on the offer.
“Me.”
“Uh-huh,” she beams. “See, it’s hard enough to get a man to share his space in the best of times, let alone one who’s just offering it up with no expiration date.”
Lord, this reminds me of high school, when the girls would overanalyze a guy’s actions. The last thing I need to be doing is that. And not with a man like Chad.
It’s dangerous territory I won’t cross into.
“Okay, Elodie, point taken. I think I’m the exception in his mind, though, because we’re such good friends. I’m like a sister to him.”
“You know what?”
“What?”
“We just spent all of two minutes talking about the prospect that Chad might have had a hidden agenda, and you didn’t seem to mind.”
I laugh and wave her off, but part of me notes she’s right.
“Elodie, I have got to get to work.”
“Fine. Do you want to grab a late lunch with me and Addison in a few hours?”
I should decline and get back to work, but having a little more downtime does seem awfully tempting, and Addison is hilarious. She’s friends with both Elodie and Hollis, but she was Hollis’s best friend first. They remind me a little of myself and Chad.
“I’d like that.”
“Yay. We’re thinking of hitting up the bistro in town. They’re doing one of their weekly special thingies. I thought we could check it out.”
“That sounds great.”
“See you later then.”
* * *
I’d call our get-together more of an early dinner since we got to the restaurant just before five. I was so hungry by the time we tucked into our food that I polished off my thin-based Hawaiian pizza in nanoseconds while listening to Addison’s tales of adventure. She just got back from vacationing in Greece with her husband, Peter.
Elodie and I have been laughing our heads off from the craziness she’s told us, so much so that I’m sure no one would believe I just broke up with my boyfriend.
I’m still laughing at the joke she told about a horse riding away with Peter after he called it a dumb animal.
Elodie is laughing so much; tears are streaming down her cheeks.
“Did you catch him?” Elodie manages.
“Nope. That horse took off like a bat out of hell. Peter ended up in the next town. The men who were supervising us had to ride after him. It reminded me of one of those Western movies with Marlon Brando or Clint Eastwood, just on a beach and funnier. I watched, and when I couldn’t see them anymore, I just enjoyed my mellow ride into the sunset.”
“That’s so funny.” I giggle.
“I know. We have the best times. The poor man won’t admit his shame, though. He was so embarrassed.” She laughs.
Her phone vibrates on the table next to her drink, and she winces when she looks at it.
