“He refused to fight back because he knew he deserved to be pounded. He’s the one who slept with his boss’s wife. And then lied to everyone about it.”
Her lips purse to one side as she reaches for one of the ladyfinger cookies in the box between us.
“What?” I ask. “Why the prune face?”
“I’m just thinking,” she says, hesitating for a moment before she adds, “And I think maybe it’s not the fact that he lied to everyone that’s got you so worked up. You feel like he lied to you, right?”
“He did lie to me,” I say. “He told me he’d never cheated on any woman he was in a serious relationship with.”
She shrugs. “Well, it doesn’t sound like what you found out today invalidates that claim. I mean, she was the one cheating. Not him.”
I frown. “It takes two to tango. And to cheat.”
“I know,” she concedes. “But at the same time, Jamison wasn’t the one who stood up in a church and swore to love, honor, and cherish his boss for the rest of his life, you know? That was the wife’s promise, and she’s the one who betrayed it.”
I grunt and clutch my mug tighter, my frown becoming a full-fledged scowl.
Dawn leans in, tapping my hand gently with her cookie. “Listen, I agree it was a crappy thing for him to do behind his boss’s back. Really crappy. But sometimes love makes us do crappy things.”
I snag my own cookie from the box. “I don’t think so. If it’s real love, then there should be nothing crappy about it.”
“It should be all sparkles and unicorns?” She arches a pierced brow as she takes a bite.
“Maybe not all sparkles and unicorns,” I admit, chewing thoughtfully. “I know a good relationship takes work and compromise, but I don’t think there should be any darkness, you know? No big, bad secrets, no decisions that make you feel sick to your stomach. And definitely no cheating.”
Dawn finishes her cookie in silence and takes another sip of tea before setting her mug down on the floor next to the couch and turning to pin me with a serious look.
“Uh oh,” I say. “You’re getting ready to say things I don’t want to hear.”
Her lips curve up. “That’s the best part of old friends, right? You can always tell what they’re going to do next.”
I wince before setting my own mug on the floor. “Okay, lay it on me.”
“I want you to be sure this is really about Jamison, and not the other man who broke your heart,” she says, pressing on when I try to interrupt. “I know you and Serge are allegedly ‘friends’ now, and everything’s hunky dory, but I saw you right after it happened, Maddie. You were a complete wreck. I know how much Serge’s lying and cheating hurt you. And I know you probably can’t help but put yourself in Jamison’s boss’s shoes instead of Jamison’s, but…”
She sighs. “I mean, it’s obvious you love Jamison. And from what I saw on the camping trip, I’d say the feeling’s mutual. You have crazy chemistry, you can have a serious conversation without him running for the hills, and from what you’ve told me on the phone, it sounds like you’re good friends, too. Those things are hard to find in a relationship. Are you sure you want to throw that all away because he made a mistake months before the two of you even thought about dating?”
I thread my hands together and squeeze until my fingertips go a little numb. “I don’t know,” I finally say, my breath rushing out. “I thought I’d gotten to a place where I trusted him completely, but this… It changes things, Dawn. I can’t pretend it doesn’t.”
“Even though it happened months ago?”
“Yes, it’s… I don’t…” I pause, struggling to find the words to explain what I’m feeling. “When I’m with Jamison,” I begin slowly, “I believe he’s being honest with me and loves me as much as he says he does. But when we’re apart, I start thinking about the man I’ve known as a friend for almost thirty years and…things don’t add up. The old Jamison didn’t fall for girls like me, and he certainly didn’t want to talk about having babies just a few weeks into a relationship.”
“You guys had the baby talk?” Her brows leap up her forehead. “That is serious.”
“I know.” I nod, my eyes wide. “And I thought I was ready for things to get that serious. But this is evidence that Jamison isn’t who I think he is. Or that he’s exactly who I thought he was…if that makes any sense.”
She frowns for a moment. “You’re saying this behavior is in keeping with the lady killer Jamison you used to know.”
“Yes, exactly.” I nod more emphatically.
“The Jamison he was before he fell in love with his good friend Maddie and saw what he’d been missing,” she says, making my nose wrinkle. “Before he realized he didn’t want to be a lady killer anymore and decided to settle down with the woman he loves, have a family, and be happy.”