Page 90 of You Weren't Mine Then

“Can we get to the interesting part now?” Roni asked when the coffee table had only leftovers and dirty plates on it. “One thing you can count on, Anne, is that everything that is said between us remains between us. And no one here can stand that cousin of yours, so feel free.”

“Um, she’s dating someone,” Anne said. “And I hope it goes well, for everyone’s sake.” The week before, Linda had come into the preparation room and excitedly whispered to Anne, “Allisonat Flowerelle just told me that she had a delivery for Avery. A dozen red roses. From that boyfriend she had a few months back.”

“Yeah, I saw them being all touchy-feely on the promenade the other night,” Roni said. “The things you see when you take your kid out for a late ice cream—her school’s vice-principal shoving her tongue down some guy’s throat.”

Hope sprayed out the water she had just sipped. She covered her mouth and stopped the rest from spilling out. “Roni!” She exclaimed as soon as she could speak.

“Yeah, you should tell Jordan that he missed out big time, Hope,” Roni said, laughing. “Finn probably knows he’s not missing out on anything, right?” she then said, smirking at Anne.

“Veronica!” Libby rebuked, though she couldn’t stop laughing.

“What? Too soon?” Roni said, looking between Libby and Anne.

Anne laughed. “Not too soon, and yeah, he knows. I think he’s … fine.” She smirked at Roni.

Roni measured her through narrowed eyes, tilting her head to the side. She then nodded. “You know, I look at you, and I have a feeling”—she waved a hand across Anne’s features as Avery had done before Christmas, but Roni’s conclusion was different than Avery’s—“that he’s more than fine. It’s always the quiet ones,” Roni said with a cheeky smile. “Am I right, Anne?”

“My God, Roni! Anne, I’m so sorry,” Libby hurried to say, placing a hand on Anne’s arm and glaring at Roni amusedly.

“She won’t join us again,” Hope said, hardly able to stifle a chuckle.

“No, no,” Anne said, laughing. “That’s okay. I like this take-no-prisoners attitude. I’ve had to walk on eggshells much too often. And, Roni, all I can say is … you’re not wrong.” She smirked back at her.

“Welcome, Anne.” Roni tilted her wine glass with a warm smile.

She then agreed to tell them the history, trusting this small circle of friends to safeguard her and Finn’s story that only three other people knew—her parents and Bella.

“Wow,” Hope said when Anne was finished. “I didn’t know.”

“No one did.”

“No, that he roughed up Eric in high school!” Hope said, a gleeful smile spreading on her face, knowing that someone had stood up to that ex-husband of hers when he had been at his nastiest.

They all laughed. It was a burst of releasing laughter, which was better than the pitying expressions that they’d had on throughout her narration.

“I can’t believe this. You look at someone and think you have them all figured out while, inside, they’re different, and you have no idea what they’ve been through. So, Avery doesn’t know?” Roni said.

“No. And she shouldn’t know. It was, and still is, a very sensitive issue for everyone, and knowing this will only cause more harm.”

“Yeah, I can’t even imagine,” Libby said, brushing her fingers pensively through her brown hair. “I don’t know what’s worse—being in love with a man who only loves you as a friend, like Luke and I were, or having a man love you just as much and not being able to be with him.”

“There are no winners in this competition, Libby,” Anne said, scoffing and patting Libby on the shoulder.

“Damn right,” Hope said.

“To long-lost and new-found love,” Roni said, surprising everyone with a heartfelt toast. “Come on, don’t look at me like that,” she said, getting out of the armchair and leaning forward, glass in hand, toward them. “Cheers, ladies.”

They all got up, leaned forward from their side of the coffee table, and clinked their glasses together.

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