How to Steal Your Best Friend's Fiancé - London Casey Page 0,70
the pictures of her on stage with a guitar.
She looked so fucking beautiful.
It was unfair.
Either Carla or Faye took the picture because the angle was from down on the floor.
Emily was in mid hair throw with a smile on her face hidden behind her hair. But I could see it. I could see her hair. I could fucking smell it if I shut my eyes.
The picture made me tense up in all the right ways.
As I sat behind my desk at work, a knock at the door took my attention away from the woman I loved.
Jacob walked a folder to me.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“I went through all those depositions for you,” he said. “Highlighted some interesting parts. I think we might be able to revise the timeline.”
I opened the folder and flipped through the pages. “If this works and we get the lawsuit dropped… this is a big deal, Jacob. Did you do this alone?”
“Completely alone,” he said.
“Anything else?” I asked.
He shook his head.
I could tell something was tearing him up inside.
He walked to the door and I gritted my teeth. “Hey, kid.”
Jacob looked back. “Yeah?”
“Sometimes the biggest dreams don’t involve big buildings and big paychecks. Seems to me that those who have that shit are just as unhappy as the guy with nothing. You have to ask yourself something… do you want to leave work and go to a bar and throw cash around looking for someone to fuck or do you want to go home to someone who’s going to hug you?”
“If this is your way of getting me to quit, it won’t work. I know David is going to end up with the job, but I’m still going to work my ass off.”
Jacob left the office.
On a professional level, I respected his work ethic.
On a personal level, he needed to find his girl and make things right.
But who was I to talk, right?
My phone buzzed again and it was another picture of Emily.
This time she was squished between Carla and Faye.
All I knew was I hadn’t seen that kind of smile on her face in a long time.
I noticed they all had shot glasses in their hands.
I looked at the time.
I laughed.
Getting drunk on a work day?
I started to look at the work Jacob did and Emily texted me right back.
Hell to the yes, Liam. Wanna join? ;)
I groaned.
Then I stood up.
I wanted to do more than join.
I wanted to steal Emily away.
I had years to make up to her.
I grabbed my mail out of the mailbox and when I tossed it to the counter I saw the thicker envelope slide away from the rest of the pile.
I noticed the handwriting on it.
Then the return address.
Which was just the word Boston.
And the handwriting was Miranda’s.
“What the fuck is this?” I whispered.
I couldn’t believe the anger and annoyance that went through my body and mind when I saw her name. That wasn’t good. Whatever was going to happen here, we still had a lot to figure out. This wasn’t two people dating and breaking up. This was…
I tore the envelope open and reached into it.
I felt something soft and pulled out a ball of tissues.
I dug through the tissues and let out a laugh as the engagement ring hit the counter.
That’s what she did.
She put her ring in an envelope and mailed it to me.
I grabbed the envelope again and looked at it.
So that was it then.
Not that I was expecting things to work out.
Done was done as far as I was concerned.
But this was typical Miranda. She knew how to make a grand gesture when it came to arguing or proving a point.
I picked the ring up and studied it.
The day I bought it, I wasn’t sure of it or what I was doing with it. Somewhere in my heart I knew it wasn’t going to be good enough for her. Yet I wanted it to be this simple gesture of… something.
The truth was I fucked it up as much as she did because it was for all the wrong reasons.
I had no idea what to do with the ring.
I dropped it to the counter and walked to the cabinet where I kept the good whiskey.
There was no glass needed for this celebration.
I took one drink.
Then other.
Three met four.
Five collided with six.
And my next collision was going to be with Emily.
I got a ride to her apartment after she phoned to tell me she was home.