their short interaction that day: get her things and show him how great she was doing without him.
Putting her phone away, she took a deep breath—just in time to see Danny walk through the coffee shop’s front door. He wore his puffy orange jacket and walked in a slinking way, weaving a path between the tables.
Adison’s stomach flipped, and for a second she thought she missed him. But then she realized that feeling in her gut was disgust. The trance she’d been in while dating Danny had broken, and now she saw him for what he really was. A lying loser.
When he saw her, his eyes widened the slightest bit.
“Hi.” He put the small cardboard box he carried on the table.
Adison sipped her cappuccino. “Is that everything?”
His face tightened. “Yeah.”
“Great.” For lack of anything else to do, she took another sip of coffee.
Danny sighed. “Look, Ad.”
She didn’t invite him to sit, but he did so anyway. Having him so close made her stiffen.
“I hate how things went down,” he said.
She raised her eyebrows, doing her best to appear calm even though her heart was racing. “What exactly do you hate?”
“The way it all ended.” He spread his hands.
“You mean your getting caught.” A lump formed in her throat.
He looked away and licked his lips.
Right.
He wasn’t sorry for cheating on her. He only regretted that he hadn’t been more careful about it. If she hadn’t come home early on Thanksgiving, they would probably be going on the same way they were before. He would be sneaking around behind her back while she continued to sacrifice herself for the relationship.
A relationship that had been a sham.
In a way, it was good to see Danny again. It cemented the realization that he had nothing she wanted. Knowing that she would never go back to him, she could finally move forward.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “We’re done. You’re in the past.”
His face hardened. “Oh, well, I, uh, I’m moving on too.”
“Great.” She couldn’t care less.
“Jess and I are getting a place together.”
Adison’s mouth went sour. “It’s good to hear you found a girl that’s okay with cheating.”
A slow smile pulled at his lips. “What? Who… Oh, right. That girl you met wasn’t Jess. Naw, that was some girl I met at the bar.”
At first, she thought he was kidding. He didn’t correct himself, though, and the truth sunk in.
Unbelievable. Exactly how many girls was Danny running around with?
Nausea rolled up Adison’s chest, and she thought she might vomit.
She didn’t get sick, though. The nausea disappeared. In its wake was a cocktail of disrespect, disgust, and hurt. Danny wasn’t just a jerk; he had a total lack of empathy.
“Don’t worry, Ad,” he said. “You’ll meet someone eventually.”
“I already have,” she snapped.
He blinked in surprise. “Really?”
“Yep,” she lied.
She had no idea where the claim came from. It seemed to have sprung forth instantaneously from somewhere deep in her subconscious.
“Who?” Danny demanded.
“A guy. Obviously.” She sipped her cappuccino, buying some time.
His eyes narrowed. “Yeah, right.”
“Excuse me?” She slammed her paper cup onto the table. Coffee sloshed through the sipping hole and onto her hand, but she ignored it. “Not everyone lies all the time, Danny.”
“Where’d you meet him?”
“At work,” she said, naming the first place that came to mind.
“What’s his name?”
“His name is None-of-your-business. You’re no longer part of my life. You don’t need to know anything about it.”
As she finished talking, she spotted a familiar face entering the coffee shop. Ken Montoya strode past the displays of scented candles and locally knitted scarves, but instead of approaching the counter, he stopped and searched Drip as if looking for someone.
His eyes landed on Adison, but instead of waving or nodding hello, he made a beeline for her.
“Whatever.” Danny shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. “Like I care.”
By this time, Ken had arrived at their table. He stood next to Danny, waiting to be addressed. Feeling someone there, Danny looked up.
Adison cleared her throat. “Danny, this is Ken Montoya. From work.”
Danny looked between the two of them. “So you’re the new boyfriend?”
She could have said no. That would have been logical. As a matter of fact, if she’d only chosen different words with which to introduce Ken, things might have taken a different path. As it was, she had said “from work.” Not “my boss,” not “founder of the Montoya Foundation.” She’d used the same words as she had when telling Danny where she’d met her new—and imaginary—boyfriend.
Which is why, before she could tell herself how crazy