Ask Me Why(76)

Sadie wrinkles her nose. “Jordan says he’s being a tyrant. Fairly intolerable at work. Barking orders and expecting perfection. Apparently, one of the big bosses had words with him. That was a bucket of cold water and snapped him outta the fury. Since then, he’s mostly keeping to himself.” She grips my wrist. “But who knows how much of that is fabricated.”

My stomach sinks into a black pit. “That’s sad.”

“Is it? Brance is an asshole on a good day. I don’t see much of a difference. But Jordan seems pretty concerned.”

I frown at her. “How do you mean?”

“They’ve been friends for years. I guess this is a new low for Brance. Pretty hard to imagine him being worse.” She cringes.

“It is,” I murmur. The hole in my chest cracks wider.

Sadie averts her eyes, focusing on a pile of rocks. “Do you want to text him?”

I snatch one off the top and bobble it between my fingers. “Every other minute.”

“Why don’t you?”

“What’s the point?”

She shrugs. “You can patch things up.”

My laugh is bitter. “That’s not an option.”

Sadie hums and peeks over at me. “Are you a quitter?”

I narrow my gaze. “Hardly.”

She rolls her shoulders. “Then fight for the good. He was bordering on tender and almost sweet, right?”

“He had his moments,” I mutter.

“Mm-hmm.” She bobs her chin. “Don’t forget about that. You got a sugary piece of him no one else ever did.”

“He was so mean, Dee. I mean, shit. I get he was mad, but this was something else entirely. If I’m being reasonable—”

“Which you tend to be.”

I frown at her interruption. She winces and mouths an apology.

“There’s fault on my part. I did overreact. The toppling spiral was beyond reason. I should have been calmer. But it doesn’t matter.”

Sadie creases her forehead. “What? Why?”

I trace a heart in the dirt only to erase it. “Because we were just a fling. It’s over. We move on.”

“Uh, says who?”

“Brance. Me. Our ties are severed.”

“Really?” Sadie mumbles the word with a pound of disbelief.

I tilt my head toward her. “Why do you say that? Are you hiding something?”

“Not necessarily.”

“Spit it out, Dee.”

She reaches for my hand. “Okay, ready?”

I huff at this production. “Obviously.”

“He’s the one for you, Brae. No offense to Devon. I liked the dude well enough. But he never made you sparkle and shine. One look from Brance and you freaking glow. Like neon at a blacklight party.” She shimmies a bit for added effect.

As if on command, heat rises in my face. There’s fire in my blood just thinking about how he makes me soar. But that’s past tense now. I barely hold back my groan. “That was never what we were about.”

She flicks my elbow. “Don’t give me that, Brae.”

I rub at the sore spot. “It’s the truth.”

“According to?”

“Our laws and regulations.”

Her flat expression speaks volumes. “Life doesn’t come with a manual, girlfriend.”

“If anyone has proof of that, it’s me.” The blush dims, fading from my features.

Sadie holds up a hand. “I know, I know. But why go into something with such limitations? Breaking rules is part of the fun.”

I jab a finger at myself. “I will not be the one to fix this. At least not alone. I don’t believe he cares enough to try.”

She snorts. “Oh, my beautiful friend. How wrong you are.”

I raise a snarky brow. “We might have to agree to disagree.”

“Just don’t slam the door on him yet.”

“Fine,” I relent. “I won’t sign up for that dating app quite yet.”

“So spicy. I’m glad you haven’t lost the spark.”

I tap my lips. “Speaking of all things rosy, how’s it going with Jordan?”

Sadie flutters her lashes. “He’s fantastic. We’re two seconds away from being in love. I think it’s gonna happen.”

“Yeah? That’s super-duper, Dee. You deserve a good guy.”

“And he certainly is one. He makes me want to have all the babies. Whenever he watches Ollie, my ovaries sing a seductive tune. It’s the greatest aphrodisiac of all time.”

I giggle, picturing her swooning all over that man. “You’re too cute.”

“Just you wait. There’s more where that’s coming from. We’ve recently teamed up for a new project.”

“Oh?”

“Yep.” She checks her imaginary watch. “Jordan is actually rolling out phase one tomorrow.”

I squint at her. “What, dare I ask, does that involve?”

“Getting you and Brance together, duh. As in permanently. Wasn’t that clear?” She bops me on the nose.

A laugh shakes my entire frame. This girl is a nut. “Good luck with that, Dee.”

She brushes off her palms. “Oh, we won’t need it. There’s an expert matchmaker on our side. He’s very dedicated to the cause.”