The Man I Thought I Trusted - E. L. Todd Page 0,35

kind of a douchebag.”

Her wet eyes suddenly calmed as a laugh escaped her lips.

A smile broke across my lips when I heard that sound. “I am. We both know it.”

After she chuckled for a bit, her eyes started to dry. “No, you aren’t.”

“I’m pretty sure Carson would disagree with you.”

“And she would be teasing if she did.”

I looked at Kat and felt the atmosphere change, felt the energy become less hostile. The ice around her heart had been broken, and the kind person I knew shone through. “Think about what I said, okay? We all love you very much.”

“Including you?”

My eyes softened. “If you ever really loved someone, you never stop. And if you don’t love them, you never did in the first place. You know which one applies to us.”

When I came home, Carson’s laptop was open on the dining table, but she was sprawled out on the couch, her feet on the edge of the armrest, a blanket pulled over her with a margarita on the coffee table.

Normally, I would talk some shit right now, but she was obviously hurting. “What are you watching?”

“You know…” She spoke in a bored voice like she didn’t even care what was on the screen. “Keeping Up with the Bitches…whatever it’s called.”

Carson rarely watched TV unless it was sports or the news. “And why are you watching that?”

“Because I wish I were a rich bitch, walking around, stirring up shit…”

I set my bag on the counter and sighed because Carson had really fallen into the rabbit hole. “I need to talk to you.”

She crossed her ankles on the edge of the couch, her slippers visible. “Go ahead. Talk.”

I entered the living room and got a full view of her, in her pajamas with her hair in a ponytail. There was a chocolate stain on the front of her shirt, and she hadn’t worn makeup to the office, even though she always did. “I talked to Kat today. I saw her right before I came home, actually.”

She stilled at my words before she quickly sat up. “Seriously? What happened? What did you say? What did she say?” All the questions rolled out of her mouth at the same time, so it was just a jumbled mess.

“Chill out, and I’ll tell you.”

Her ponytail was high in the center of her head, and the hair shifted in front of her face, so she had to fling it away.

“I basically told her you’ve been really sad about the whole thing…and she should forgive you. I told her I was the one who made the decision and you’ve been rooting for her the entire time, which is true.”

“And…?” She took a deep breath like my answer was a lifeline.

“She said she would think about it.”

Disappointment filled her gaze.

“I think she’ll come around. She just needs some time. I told her I’d like it if we could all be friends, so we’ll see how she responds.”

She nodded before she took another deep breath. “Well…thanks for doing that.”

“I won’t let you lose her because of me. That’s not right.”

She shrugged. “Sometimes, that’s how life works out.”

“Well, that’s not how this is going to work out. I’ll make this right…eventually.”

“God, I hope so. I’ve felt like shit like every single moment of every day.”

“Yeah…I noticed.” I grabbed the remote and changed the channel. “And turn this shit off. You’re better than this.”

“Better than rich-bitch drama?” she asked. “No one is better than that. But I know the game is on, so I’ll let you change it.” She already seemed better, a slight smile moving onto her lips. Her eyes were a little lighter, and the old Carson started to come back into view. Then she asked the question that told me everything would be okay. “So, what’s for dinner?”

13

Dax

“I’m so happy to hear that.” I sat across from Charlie in the bar, waiting for Carson to show up. “It’s really been eating away at her, and it kills me to see her like that.”

“Me too.” His hand rested on the top of his glass, his eyes down. “So, hopefully, Kat comes around. I felt like it was a good conversation. I mean…it went better than I thought it would.”

“I’m sure she will. Not to seem insensitive, but I think she’s being unfair, blaming Carson for everything.”

“That makes two of us,” he said quickly. “But she’s just emotional and hurt, not thinking clearly, and she’s stubborn. So, I’m afraid that stubbornness will last a long time, until the point when it’s