When it Pours: A Bad DogMcGuire Brothers Novella (The McGuire Brothers) by Lili Valente

Author:Lili Valente [Valente, Lili]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Self Taught Ninja
Published: 2023-08-31T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Six

MACY

Theo’s gone so pale that his dark eyebrows stand out against his skin like charcoal slashes on a fresh sheet of drawing paper. It would almost be funny if it weren’t obvious that he’s truly upset.

I set the last of my uneaten trail mix bar to one side and thread my fingers together in my lap, giving him my full attention as I say, “It’s okay. It’s not a big deal, I promise.”

His brows draw together now, forming a vertical line in the center of his forehead. “It’s not a big deal that I slept with your best friend two weeks after you left town? When I didn’t know if you were coming back or if it was really over between us or if there might still be some chance of making it work?”

I shake my head. “Greta wasn’t my best friend, you were.” His eyes widen as if to say “like that makes it any better?” and I amend, “But yes, we were close. Close enough that she remembered I said I was headed to Arches National Park first and tracked me down at a campground there.” My lips twist. “She told the guy at the main office it was a family emergency, and he brought his cell to my van door at almost midnight. After I got off the phone with Greta, I lied and told him my aunt was in the hospital. I was too embarrassed to tell him that my friend slept with my ex and was having a meltdown about it.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it,” Theo says. “I shouldn’t have even thought about it. But I was so sad, and Greta was sad, and we were hanging out at her place drinking rum and Coke while her parents were out of town and it just…happened. But it was awful. And we both felt terrible afterwards. We barely looked at each other again the rest of the summer and once she left for college, she never came back.”

I wince. “Really?”

“Really. Not even for Thanksgiving or holiday break.”

I curse. “I hate that for her. I told her it was okay the night we talked, and I meant it. If I’d known she was still messed up about it, I would have reached out to her again. I was weird about talking to Bad Dog people on the phone back then, but I could have written a postcard or an email or something.”

Theo studies me for a long beat, clearly confused, before he asks, “Why?”

“Why was it okay?” I ask, pushing on when he gives a tight nod. “Well, I mean, I wasn’t thrilled about it. You were my first love, my first kiss, my first…everything like that.” I shrug. “But I was the one who left, Theo. Without saying goodbye or honoring your wishes or even leaving a note telling you how much you meant to me.”

“And you blocked my calls,” he says softly.

“Yeah, I did. So, really, there was no reason for you to think I was coming back.

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