The Ex by Freida McFadden(72)

I shake my head, confused. “What?”

“Anyway,” she says, not answering my question. “Joel is gone. He walked out on me. For good.”

Is she saying what I think she’s saying? Did Joel really break up with Francesca?

“He’s all yours, Anna.” She laughs as she tops off her glass again. “He doesn’t want to have anything to do with me anymore. You can go pick up the pieces now.”

“I’m sure…” I blink at her, watching her drink more wine. “He’ll come back to you. He’s in love with you.”

“No.” She looks off into the distance. “Even if he was, you were right all along. It wasn’t fair of me to drag him into my mess. I’ll deal with it on my own.”

Joel is single again. Single and on the rebound. It would be easy to, as she says, go pick up the pieces.

But as I imagine a life with Joel, I realize that’s not what I want. I was scared for Joel when I found out what Francesca had gotten herself into, but I don’t love him anymore. Not like that.

The truth is, there’s another guy I can’t stop thinking about. And I’ve got to call him before it’s too late. If it isn’t already.

I look up at Francesca. I’ve felt a lot of things for her since that first night I saw her kissing Joel. Hatred. Envy. Fear. But this is the first time I’ve felt sympathy.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I ask.

Francesca laughs again. “God, you’re too nice. Just like Joel. So nice. It’s no wonder he wanted someone more exciting.”

My face burns. This is the Francesca I’m used to. “Fine. I’ll leave then.”

“Please do.”

After I leave Francesca’s apartment, I know exactly where I’m going. I don’t bother with the WhereAmI app—I’m entirely done with that, even if Joel hadn’t deleted it. There’s only one person I want to see right now, and it’s not Joel. I just hope it’s not too late.

One subway ride later, I’m standing outside the glass door to Dean’s cardiology practice, peering at the same blond receptionist who attempted to help me locate Nonna’s glasses. If she’s still here, then Dean would still be here, wouldn’t he? My heart is pounding, and not just because I ran all the way here from the subway.

The bigger question is, does he want to see me?

And then before I can wonder any further, there he is. Emerging from the back office, looking handsome as hell in a white dress shirt and dark blue tie, his dark hair black as ink. He tugs on his coat as he makes conversation with the receptionist. He smiles at her, flashing those white teeth. I remember the dazed smile he had on his face after he kissed me. If I close my eyes, I can still feel his lips on mine.

Before I know what’s happening, Dean is heading toward the exit, right where I’m standing. I quickly back away and flatten myself against the wall. I came here to find him, but I’m suddenly desperate that he doesn’t see me. This was a mistake. I’ve waited too long. I’ve blown it.

My attempt to hide is entirely ineffective. The second Dean swings through the door to his practice, his dark eyes widen when he sees me pressed against the wall. His mouth drops open slightly, but then snaps closed.

“Hello, Anna,” he says.

He’s not calling me Miss Loren anymore. Not a good sign.

“Hi,” I say.

He raises his eyebrows at me. “What are you doing here?”

“I, uh…” I rub at my chest, suddenly conscious of the fact that I hadn’t dressed up prior to coming here. I’m wearing worn jeans and my puffy coat. “I think I’ve been having an irregular heartbeat. So I figured…” Dean is staring at me and my shoulders sag. “Fine. I came here to see you.”

“Why?” He doesn’t say it in a mean way. More like he’s genuinely curious. He has a right to be a jerk to me after how I’ve acted, but he isn’t. “You didn’t seem to have too much interest in seeing me again.”

I shift between my feet. “Are… are you busy now?”

“Actually…” He glances down at his watch. “I’ve got a date in an hour.”

“Oh.” I lower my eyes. This shouldn’t surprise me. Dean is a great guy, and there was no reason for me to believe he would wait around for me. It would have been more surprising if he did. “I see.”

He shrugs. “Yeah, well. Why not, right?”

“Yes, of course.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “That’s… wonderful. Congratulations.”

“Congratulations?” He cracks a half-smile. “You’re congratulating me on getting a date? Am I really that ugly?”

“No.” My cheeks color. “Not at all. Just… um, the opposite.”

That half-smile remains on his lips. “I see…”

“Look,” I mumble. I’m having trouble looking Dean in the eyes, but I’ve got to say my piece, even if I humiliate myself. “I know I screwed up before. I really… I like you.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “I don’t know what to say to that, Anna. I told you from the start that I don’t play games. When I told you I’d call the next day, I did. And when you didn’t return my calls, well…” He shakes his head. “I’m not playing that game. Not anymore.”