Slowly We Trust (Fall and Rise #3)(43)
Author: Chelsea M. Cameron

“Whatever you say, but I can tell you that our girl Audrey will not see it that way. So I’d just stop with that little plan right now and get out with your testicles intact.” That was a bit dramatic. Right?

“So what the hell do I do?” He shrugged.

“Don’t know, bro. That’s a tough one. I don’t feel qualified to give advice on this one.” Now it was my turn to snort.

“Are you kidding? You live for giving advice. And organizing things.”

“Be that as it may, or may not, I’m not telling you what to do. But I will be here to say ‘I told you so’ when this plan blows up in your face.” He tossed a ball at me. “Your serve.”

“You are so unhelpful,” I said, slamming my racket down on the ball to give it some topspin. Simon volleyed it back with ease. I was barely able to return it and then he slammed his racket on the ball, making it hit just inside the line.

“I win.”

Okay, so maybe Trish wasn’t the best person to pick for this excursion, but I couldn’t take Lottie because she would tell Will, and I didn’t know if Katie would be able to keep this from Lottie, so Trish was the best choice of friend who could keep her mouth shut.

“So why are we doing this?”

“Because I need a phone and I can’t go with Will. He asks too many questions.” Because the phone reminded me of everything I was trying to hide. She just nodded and turned the truck on and didn’t ask any more questions.

“So, how’s things with Max?” Making small talk with Trish was sometimes a chore. She had a bad case of resting bitch face and a constant pissed-off energy that she didn’t seem to notice she was giving off.

“Good. How’s everything with you and golden boy?” The nickname made me giggle.

“He’s getting nosy, and I don’t know what to do about it.” Trish thought about that for a while before she answered.

“You’ve got to decide what you can live with: telling him the truth, or living with the lie. It’s that simple.”

“I’m used to living with the lie. It’s what I know. In a weird way, it’s comfortable for me.” Trish nodded.

“Exactly. That’s what people don’t understand about secrets. If you’ve been keeping them for a long time, it’s almost impossible to think about setting them free. But is it worth it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, figure it out, bitch.” She said it with a smile.

“How about this one?” Trish said, pointing to a phone that didn’t look like it would slide into the average back pocket. “If you go blind, you’ll still be able to use it.” I shushed her and looked around to make sure no one else in the store had heard her.

A sales guy came over and asked if he could help us. I cut Trish off before she could snark at him and explained the situation. I actually had my old phone with me, but I hadn’t paid extra for the replacement program, so I was out of luck in just getting it replaced. It was so old, I didn’t think they even made that model anymore.

After a lot of sales pitches and mumbo jumbo about which phone was the best, I finally picked one and was able to pay for it and get out of the store before Trish said something that made them throw us out.

“You’re going to become one of those hipster robots now,” Trish commented on my phone choice. I couldn’t help it that the best deal was the most popular phone.

“Look, I’ve got bigger problems than a phone, Trish,” I said, my tone a little snappish.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s what I’ve learned in life. We all have shit to deal with and you have no idea about what the person standing next to you is going through.” She was having one of her moments of wisdom again. Getting advice from Trish was like using a cursing Magic 8 Ball.

“I know, I know.” I made a quick trip to get some lingerie, and Trish threatened me with bodily harm if I took more than fifteen minutes to pick something out.

Phone and lingerie acquired, we headed to the food court and I was in line to get a slice of pizza when the guy in front of me turned around and did a double take.

“Audrey!” Shit, shit, shit. What was Eddie doing here? I swallowed my moment of panic and put another fake smile on my face. I was getting better at smiling when I didn’t want to.

“Hi, Eddie. Small world.” You could say that again.

“Yeah, definitely. I’m sorry we didn’t have more of a chance to talk at the party.” I wasn’t.

“Yeah, I ended up leaving early. I didn’t feel that great,” I said, the lie slipping easily from my tongue.

“That sucks. Hey, I’d love to get together and catch up sometime. I’m with someone right now, but maybe soon?” His eyes flicked over to one of the tables in the food court and I glanced and saw a pretty blonde sitting there, as if she was waiting for him.

“Oh, yeah, we should do that.” He grinned and took his plate of pizza and asked the guy behind the counter for a pen.

“Here’s my number,” he said, pushing up my sleeve and writing on my arm. I almost pulled away, but people were staring. “That way the ball is in your court. Call me.” He gave me one last wink and left.

The guy behind the counter just gaped at me and then gave me a grin.

“What can I get for you?”

“You look like you just saw a zombie,” Trish said when I sat down with my pizza. I definitely wasn’t hungry anymore.

“Not quite.”

“Okay, spill. What happened?” I stared at my slice of pepperoni and green pepper.

“There’s this guy. Let’s just say that he and I have a history that I’d rather forget and I just ran into him. He doesn’t go to DU, but I keep seeing him around.”

“Oh, that guy you saw at the party? What was his name again?” She dug into her giant vat of nachos with everything on them.

“Eddie.”

“Right. He looked like a douchecanoe.” Against my will, I laughed. I couldn’t help it.

“He’s not, really. A little self-centered, but he’s not a bad guy. He’s not a bad guy.” I don’t know why I said it again.

“Hm. Sounds like an interesting history.”

I picked up my pizza and took a bite, even though I couldn’t taste it. I didn’t want Trish to see how wrecked seeing Eddie made me. “One I’d rather leave in the past, but it doesn’t seem to want to stay there.”