Kids were out playing in the cul-de-sac, and I breathed a sigh of relief to see Kara’s SUV in the driveway of a traditional brick house.
There was an old Band-Aid over the doorbell with ‘SHHHH…kids are sleeping’ written in black ink. I knocked and waited.
Nothing.
I tried again and heard movement in the house in the form of kids squealing and a dog barking.
Great.
The door opened and Kara answered, looking irritated, until she saw it was me.
“Mandy, what are you doing?”
“Sorry, I was going for a jog, and I…”
“Lower your voice. I don’t want my husband knowing my friends actually exercise.” She gave me a wink and ushered me inside the house. “I’m just fucking with you. He’s not here.”
Relieved her husband wasn’t home, I followed her into a living room that was littered with toys and what looked to be unfolded laundry. “Excuse the mess. You can tell I never did get the hang of cleaning.”
When we were kids, she was a slob. Even her car had been a bit of a hovel. “You have children. I get it.”
“You’re totally judging me right now, aren’t you?”
I smiled, already feeling better.
Her six-year-old sat on the couch with a tablet, and the four-year-old was cutting up different colored construction paper. Kara turned up the volume on the television and ushered me into the kitchen.
While the kids played, Kara turned to me. “Okay, so spill. What’s going on?”
I shrugged. “Nothing. I just wanted to see where you lived.”
She stared and then smiled. “You’re so lying. You forget, I know your right eye does that weird twitchy thing when you get nervous.”
Damn it. I took a deep breath and released it. “Swear you won’t say anything to anybody?”
Lifting her pinky toward me, I laughed, but slid mine around hers.
“I swear,” she said. “Now tell me everything.”
“I stayed the night with Brax last night.”
Her eyes widened. “You lucky bitch.”
“Heather showed up this morning.”
She poured us both a cup of coffee. “She showed up this morning. Well, what did Brax say to her?”
“He wasn’t there. He left to check on a job in Camas.” I took a sip of coffee. “She told me they had been together on Sunday.”
Kara frowned. “Shit…”
I nodded.
“But technically that was before you.”
“Yet he said they were done,” I said, a little pissed off that she was playing devil’s advocate. “That they’d been broken up for months.”
She tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “I mean, I understand it’s going to take time for you to trust anyone again…but don’t let her stop you from going after what you want.”
“But what is it that I want? I was in a seven-year relationship with a guy that I thought I would marry. He was screwing around on me for months before I discovered it.” I ran a hand down my face. “It’s not easy for me to trust. I don’t know if it will ever be easy for me to trust anyone again.”
“Consider this…what if she told you that because she knew you were a threat, and she knew you’d be pissed off?”
As much as I wanted to believe that, I also knew men. And given Brax’s reputation, Heather was probably telling the truth. “Do you know of any nice guys?”
She seemed to seriously contemplate the question. “My brother has a cousin who works in stocks and bonds…but he’s no Brax Mitchell.”
Therein lay the problem. I needed to stay single and be single.
My phone pinged, signaling a text.
I looked down. It was from Brax.
WHERE ARE YOU?
“It’s him, isn’t it?” Kara asked, a smug expression on her face.
I nodded, surprised at how relieved I felt considering how angry I was.
AT A FRIEND’S HOUSE. I’LL BE HOME SOON.
WHICH FRIEND?
I smirked and debated on whether or not to answer right away. Ultimately, I answered. KARA.
Kara laughed. “If you want my suggestion, and I have to believe that’s why you’re here—then say nothing. Play it out, have fun, but don’t let your heart get stepped on.”