Mia, either.
“Not for a few days,” Carly said. “Why?”
“Then you don’t know that they ended things.”
Carly frowned. “Who ended what?”
“My dad and your mother have ended their marriage. They split up.”
Carly’s breath caught. That was impossible. They’d been married less than two weeks! She suddenly laughed. “If that’s your idea of a joke, it’s not funny, Dr. Sheffington, because that sounds too close to something my mother would do. Last I heard, your dad was packing up things and moving in.”
“I wish I was kidding, but I’m not. It’s over.”
The news caught Carly off guard, but part of her was not surprised—her mother was unpredictable. “Why?” she asked. “What happened?”
“That’s the thing I think you should know. Seems like your dad is, umm . . . he’s back in the picture.”
Carly gasped. All of Mia’s warnings began to clang in her head. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “You’re absolutely sure?”
“Oh yeah,” he said. “He apologized to me for everything they put us through.”
Carly didn’t know what she was supposed to feel, but fury leapt right to the top. “I knew something would happen. I told you—didn’t I tell you?”
“You told me,” he agreed.
“So now what? I mean, my mother and your dad got married, right?”
“Yep,” Max said. “My dad says he’s filing for a dissolution. I guess what happens in Vegas . . .”
“Stays in Vegas,” she muttered. “Oh my God, Max, your poor dad! How is he?”
“He’s pretty fucking furious, to be honest. Apparently, your parents were chatting it up all along.”
“Mia was right,” she muttered. “What about Jamie?”
“He’s great,” Max said. “He wasn’t a fan of the arrangement.”
“Me and Jamie both.” She fell back on her bed and closed her eyes. Somewhere above her, a couple was fighting, and down the hall, someone was singing off-key.
“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news,” he said. “You’re doing okay?”
“Me? Doing great. New York is so exciting.”
“Is it me, or does that sound a little like a line from a podcast?”
Carly and Max had not known each other very long, but he was good at reading her. He seemed to know when she was substituting enthusiasm for her true feelings.
She sighed. “Busted. Honestly, it’s hard. I don’t know anyone and my apartment is far from work. But, you know, I signed a lease, and I’ve got health care, and it’s a job in my field which I am super excited about, and it’s a job that I never would get in Austin.”
Max didn’t say anything for a moment. When he did, he sounded hoarse and weary. “That’s great. I’m so happy for you.”
“You’re going to have to come visit,” she said eagerly.
“Maybe someday,” he said vaguely.
Another moment of silence passed. “Our timing sucks, doesn’t it?” Carly said softly.
“Massively.” He sounded very far away to her. Like he was already fading from her life. “You should probably call your mom.”
“I’m really looking forward to that. Hey . . . I’m coming for Baxter, you know.”
He said nothing for a very long moment. “Hazel will be heartbroken.”
“Hey, Max? I sincerely . . .” She swallowed, trying to find the right word.
“You don’t have to thank me, Carly. I love Baxter, too.”
“No, I wasn’t . . . I was going to say that I sincerely love you.” She said it in a near whisper. “I do. So much. I wish I was there, to tell you in person. But I want you to know.” She closed her eyes, waiting for him to speak.
He groaned. “I love you, too, Carly. You will always be my right person at the wrong time.”
That did not make her feel better, it made her feel that much sadder. “I’ll call you later?”
There was another long silence, and she heard Max draw a shaky breath. “I think it’s best if we don’t.”
Carly’s heart stopped. She slowly sat up. Panic began to fill in at her edges. “Why?”
“Because this is too hard. Don’t you find this too hard?” he asked. “I walk around miserable half the time, with you up there and me down here, and just wanting to be with you. What are we even doing? We are the two unluckiest people in the world, but if this is it, we need to let it go.”
“You mean like never speak?” she asked him. “We can’t just . . . check in?”
“Baby . . . it’s a breakup. That’s the way these things go. I don’t know about you, but I need a minute. Do you understand? My heart .