Morla was Skylar and Mac’s twenty-year-old tortoise that they had gotten on a vacation in the Florida Keys. Skylar had named her pet after the ancient turtle in her favorite childhood movie, The Neverending Story. She doted on that tortoise more than some people did their children.
“Good thinking, Sky.” I tipped my drink in her direction.
Her phone buzzed from her purse. Instead of looking at the screen, she turned it off. “I told him to take his shit and get out. He has seven hours to do it. He’s haggling over every tiny thing like the selfish dick he is.” She looked ready to spit nails. “I told him to take it all; that I didn’t want anything that reminded me of him. I’d rather buy all new stuff than fight with him over the fucking toaster.” She drank the rest of her black coffee in one gulp, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. I felt her tense. Skylar hated touchy-feely crap, but I also knew that she was hurting. And she knew I was into the touchy-feely crap. “He’s a jerk who doesn’t deserve you, babe.”
She gave me a lopsided grin. “That’s right. Mr. Three Nipples isn’t worth my time.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “Three nipples?”
Skylar smirked. “Oh yeah. I thought it made him unique. I should have seen him for the freak he is.” She ran a hand down her face. “I’m angrier than anything.”
“As you should be! What he was doing is—”
“No, not at him,” Skylar interrupted. “I’m angry at myself.”
I squeezed her hand. “Sky, don’t be like that. You couldn’t have known he’d turn out to be such an asshat.”
Skylar shook her head. “Maybe not, but I should have known better than to try and have a relationship with anyone. I’ve seen firsthand how shitty loving someone is. I can’t believe I thought I could do healthy and normal.”
I was taken aback by her attitude. Skylar wasn’t the kind of woman to sink into self-pity. She was strong and confident and took no bullshit.
But I also knew that she had witnessed firsthand the havoc a dysfunctional relationship could cause. Her parents had divorced three times over the years and always managed to get back together—not that they should have. They spent most of their time yelling and screaming when they weren’t completely ignoring each other. Her father had cheated on her mother, and her mother had cheated on her father. They hadn’t even tried to hide it from their impressionable daughter. It was no wonder she developed a jaded view of love and relationships.
I had been pleasantly surprised when she met Mac and then moved in with him, even though I thought he was a total plank and completely beneath my more amazing friend. I loved that she was taking the plunge—making an effort.
Now it had all exploded in her face just as she had always been scared it would. Bastard Mac had just reinforced every horrible thing Skylar ever believed about loving someone.
I wanted to murder him.
Skylar furiously wiped her eyes. “Ugh, enough with this maudlin shit, tell me about you. That’s got to be slightly less depressing.”
“I doubt it,” I said with a sigh.
Skylar went to drink more coffee, then realized she had finished her cup. “I can’t handle this town without more coffee. Do you need some more?” she asked, getting to her feet to head to the counter.
“Nope, I’m good.” I pointed to my still full coffee cup. Skylar quickly got into line, not hiding her impatience at waiting for the woman with two toddlers in front of her to reel off a giant order.
I pulled a pen out of my purse and started doodling on the napkin to pass the time. From the looks of the haggard mother and her unruly kids, this was going to take a while.
“Still doodling my name on napkins, I see.”
I startled, dropped my pen, and watched it roll off the table and onto the floor. Adam bent down to pick it up. And then proceeded to smack his head on the table.
I laughed, and I laughed hard.
“Ouch,” he whined, rubbing the back of his head and handing me the pen.
“Maybe it’ll knock some sense into that thick head of yours,” I joked before realizing who I was talking to and that I shouldn’t be talking to him at all. I did have to peek to