“I just want to talk,” he repeated. “I swear, I’ll just be a few minutes and then I’ll go. Just . . . just hear me out, Jade.”
Livie narrowed her pretty blue eyes. “This is still my house and I’m telling you to get the hell away. You ended things when you decided to cheat with another woman and then humiliate Jade in public.”
What a friend to bring that back up. As if Jade could have forgotten the spectacle at Taps, where Brad had had his new arm candy and proclaimed she was better in bed. The man had been drunk and completely out of line. And, to be honest, he was the one who was bad in bed, but she’d been a lady and refrained from voicing her thoughts.
Livie pushed forward. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’m here to see her.”
She wedged herself between Brad and the door, and a quick shoulder move threw Brad slightly off balance. Once Livie stepped inside, Jade closed the door on his confused face.
“What on earth did he want?” Livie asked as she stepped into the living room.
“He said he made a mistake.” Jade sent the dead bolt back home and turned to lean against the door. “I’m not sure if he was referring to the fact that he cheated on me or that he publicly embarrassed me, but I’m glad you came when you did. I was running out of patience with him. Why aren’t you home sleeping?”
Livie reached into her pocket. “You left your phone in Melanie’s room.”
She’d been so tired, she hadn’t even noticed it wasn’t in her purse when she’d left. “Thanks.”
Jade started to reach for it, but Livie moved back. “Interesting messages from Cash this morning.”
Oh no. No, no, no.
Jade’s breath caught in her throat, her heart started beating even faster, and she was nearly too tired to try to come up with more lies.
What had he texted? She was afraid to ask and even more afraid that Livie was going to tell her anyway.
Jade refused to act like she knew what her friend was talking about until, well, until she knew what she was talking about.
“I didn’t sneak into your phone, but your phone was vibrating on my way out of the hospital.” Livie tapped the screen and held it up for Jade to see. “Something about dinner, then a session of hot yoga just for the two of you, and then he got descriptive about chocolate cake and where he’d like to put the icing.”
Jade’s heart sank and she had to fight to keep her mouth from dropping. First of all, every bit of that sounded like a lovely evening he had planned. Chocolate cake had been on her list of favorites, and she had to give him props for the creative uses.
Second of all, she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. There was only one way out of this and that was to feign ignorance straight to her best friend’s face.
Jade pasted on a smile and waved a dismissive hand. “Please, you know Cash. He’s always flirting and being bold with his words. It’s no secret he wants me to teach yoga at his gym. Apparently, he thinks flirting is the way to win me over.”
“Flirting?” Livie repeated with a laugh. “Flirting is a smile or a compliment on your beauty. Offering to smear chocolate icing on your—”
“I get it.” Jade put her hands over her ears because she simply couldn’t hear Cash’s fantasy come out of Livie’s mouth. “Cash never does things halfway, does he? I’d hate to see how he interviews other employees.”
She laughed as her hands dropped to her sides. Livie still held the phone away and didn’t look convinced. Time to pull out her best acting skills, which were nearly nonexistent unless you counted the time she’d played the tornado in her third-grade rendition of The Wizard of Oz.
“Listen.” She made sure to keep her eyes locked on her friend, because if she glanced away or fidgeted, Livie would know Jade was lying. “I know what this looks like, but do you honestly think Cash and I would mesh? You’ve seen us together, right? We argue and annoy the hell out of each other.”
Until their clothes fell off, and then they got along quite well.
Livie pursed her lips, narrowed her eyes, and ultimately handed over the phone. “I suppose not. I’d like to think if you had a crazy hot affair going on, you’d at least say something to Melanie and me. Even if it was Cash. Hell, especially if it was Cash.”
“Of course I’d tell you guys,” Jade agreed, though the heavy dose of guilt settled uncomfortably on her shoulders.
She pocketed her phone and immediately felt it vibrate. No way was she going to look at the thing while Livie was there. If he started in on any more sexual options for chocolate icing, she’d
likely start moaning.
Jade never lied to her friends. She actually prided herself on always being upfront and honest. But if she said anything now, that would be betraying the pact she and Cash had made.
Since when did she put a man before her very best friends?
“Do you want me to stay in case Brad comes back?” Livie asked.