Page 182 of Forever Never
“I think I’m going to take myself out to lunch before I witness any crimes. If you need any back-up, text me,” she said, slipping into her coat and fluffing her hair.
“Um...”
“Good luck. Don’t make any sudden moves,” she advised.
45
“So, you and Brick,” Audrey said, wrapping her hands around theMichigan: The one that looks like a mitten, you moronmug.
Remi glanced her way as she poured her own cup. “Yeah. Me and Brick. After you and Brick.” She fished out the creamer he’d stocked for her and poured generously.
There was a long silence.
“This is weird,” Audrey confessed. “And I feel like he’s just lurking in the hall, waiting to see if he needs to call for back-up.”
“Poor guy. Want to go into the studio? We can crank the music and scare him even more.”
“Good plan.”
Remi led the way, waving to Brick, who was indeed standing in the hallway looking a little nauseated and a lot scared.
“He should have told you,” Remi said, closing the door. “I should have told you.”
Audrey shook her head, making her tiny earrings jingle. “Neither of you owes me anything,” she insisted, perching on a tall stool. “In fact, if there’s any apologizing to be done, it should be me.”
“You? Why?” Remi asked.
Audrey adjusted her glasses, a gesture that brought Remi right back to high school. “I wanted what you had. And when Brick started paying attention to me, I felt like it was my chance to finally be the special one.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Remi said, hopping up on a paint-splattered work table, letting her feet dangle.
“You were always the bright light. The one everyone was interested in.”
“I was a walking disaster. To this day, people still expect me to shoplift candy bars or jump off the roof of the fudge shop.”
“You were interesting,” Audrey pressed.
Remi was getting real sick and tired of other women telling her how “interesting” she was.
“I just did what I wanted to do. Without thinking about consequences. It’s not exactly admirable,” she pointed out. Consequences, it turned out, were a vital part of the equation when it came to decision-making.
“You might not think so, but to those of us who are a little less brave, it is. You didn’t bend to meet anyone else’s expectations. You were you, and that was enough. Maybe the rest of us wanted to be like you. I knew how you felt about Brick, and when I had the chance, I took it.”
“That’s between you two,” Remi said, shifting uncomfortably. “Your relationship has nothing to do with me.”
Audrey sighed heavily. “It had everything to do with you. From beginning to end. I thought what you thought, that he didn’t see you. That he didn’t feel that way about you. So when he started paying attention to me...” She shrugged. “It was almost intoxicating. I was fresh out of college and had no idea what I wanted to do yet and he was just so...”
“Brick,” Remi said, understanding completely.
Audrey nodded. “Exactly. I felt special. I felt like I’d won the prize. Like I’d been named Homecoming Queen.”
“Uh, you were named Homecoming Queen,” Remi pointed out.
“Yeah, because you refused to accept the nomination. That’s not a real win.”
Remi took a swallow of hot coffee and sat with what Audrey was saying.
“When you were off-island, it was different. Brick saw me, and I saw him,” Audrey continued.
