My Favorite Mistake (A Love Like That #4) - R.L. Kenderson Page 0,58

every time I mentioned your name, I finally dug that little tidbit out of her.” Christina shook her head. “I’m disappointed in you, Griffin.”

“I…I thought—” I ran my hand through my hair. “Dammit. I don’t know. I thought I would walk in here, and she would be so happy to see me, and we’d…”

“Live happily ever after?” Christina laughed.

She stopped when she saw the wince on my face.

“Wow. And I thought women were hopeless romantics.”

“I guess Madeline made me watch one too many romantic comedies.”

Christina patted my chest. “You’re not in a movie, buddy, and just seeing your face is not going to fix everything. You owe Madeline a real apology.” She looked at me sympathetically and walked away.

Shit, shit, shit. I had planned to apologize. If only I hadn’t been late, I could have pulled Madeline aside and talked to her.

Now, she was probably even madder at me.

I sure as hell needed to figure out what I was going to do about that.

Thirty-Eight

Madeline

I sipped my drink as I picked at my appetizer. Not only had I lost my best friend and the man I loved, but I’d also lost my favorite bar to hang out in. I missed going to My Favorite Place. Not only to see Griffin’s face, but I had made friends with his bartenders and some of the regulars too.

Casey and I had texted back and forth a few times, but it wasn’t the same as seeing her several times a week.

So far, I hadn’t found a good replacement for My Favorite Place, and I always felt lonely, coming to a bar by myself. I’d never felt that way, going to Griffin’s bar. Tonight, I should have probably gone home instead, but that would have made me feel even lonelier since I was missing the rehearsal dinner.

“Madeline? Is that you?”

I turned my attention in the direction I’d heard my name. “Oh, hi, Harris.”

I hadn’t seen my ex-boyfriend since Griffin had basically kicked him out of my house.

I looked around. “Who are you here with?”

He came over and leaned against the bar. “Some coworkers.”

“Oh yeah, it’s Friday.”

“You had the day off, I take it?”

“Christina and Troy are getting married tomorrow, and this afternoon was the rehearsal. You remember them, right?” I joked.

Harris looked sheepish. “Yes, I remember them. And I’m sorry I never gave them a chance.”

I leaned way back and then forward and squinted my eyes. “Are you really Harris?”

He chuckled. “Yes. Now that we’re not together anymore, I can see where I went wrong.”

“How grown-up of you.”

“I’m trying.”

I didn’t know what I was thinking, but I held my hand out to the seat next to me. “Would you like to sit? Or are your coworkers waiting?”

He smiled. “I can sit for a bit.” He pulled up the stool. “And just so we’re clear, I’m not taking all the blame in our relationship,” he joked.

I laughed. “I never thought you would.” I picked up my drink and took the last sip.

“Can I buy you a drink?” he asked, eyeing my glass.

“Yes, please.”

Harris raised his hand to the bartender.

“So, because my first airplane needed maintenance before we could take off, I missed my layover flight. I had to sit in the airport for five hours, waiting for the next plane, for which I was only on standby, which means I wasn’t even guaranteed a seat.” Harris took a sip of his drink. “I told my boss that I was never flying over the holidays again.”

I laughed so hard that I fell against him. If I had been sober, I wouldn’t have found the story so funny, but thankfully, I was a happy drunk tonight.

I sat up and looked Harris in the eyes. “We used to have good times, right?”

He smiled. “In the beginning, we had a lot of good times, if I remember correctly.”

My face heated and turned away. Sex with Harris was nothing compared to sex with Griffin, but it had still been enjoyable.

“Sometimes, I wish I had never broken up with you.”

Harris cleared his throat. “Come again?”

I sighed and fiddled with my drink, swirling it around, tipping my cup back and forth. “If I had never broken up with you, I would never have asked Griffin to have sex with me on my birthday, and then I would never have fallen in love with him.”

“Are things not going well? I was wondering where he was and why you were here.”

I smiled sadly at Harris. “We had a falling-out. I’d stupidly thought I wouldn’t fall for