It didn’t make sense. Grace was her best friend, and she’d neveronce led her to believe there could be more between them. Why would she tellEmma there was now? She’d had something real with Emma, and for some selfishreason, Grace had destroyed it. Just one more reason she had to distance herselffrom Grace whether she got Emma back or not.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
When Emma pushed the door open to Brent’s office, she foundhim standing staring out the window. That was odd. He wasn’t really thecontemplative type. He looked deflated somehow, slumped, shoulders hunched,head hanging low. As she crossed the room, she glanced at the picture lyingflat in the middle of his desk as though he’d been studying it.
She picked it up and examined the photo of him and Grace standingon the white, sandy beach in front of clear, blue water. It was from theirhoneymoon in Greece. Grace seemed to be the center of everyone’s misery at themoment. Emma set it upright in the spot where it usually stood and strolledover to stand next to Brent at the window.
Brent broke the silence immediately. “I never get tired of lookingat this city.”
“It is beautiful.” He was sad about something. He’d tell her if hewanted her to know.
“I’m sorry, Em. I’ve been a shitty husband.”
She sliced him a sideways glance. “Aren’t you talking to the wrongwoman?”
He shifted one foot forward as though he were smashing a bug andthen slipped his hands into his pants pockets. “If I’d been paying moreattention to Grace, she wouldn’t have been interfering in Dex’s life so much.”He spoke to the window as though he couldn’t say it to her face.
“You mean clinging to Dex all the time?”
“Yeah. Well, Grace and I have started seeing a counselor.” Hedropped his shoulders and blew out a breath.
“Really? That’s a big step for newlyweds.” She turned to face him,and he veered his gaze to his shoes.
“We need it. Probably should’ve gone before we got married.” Herubbed his forehead. “I’ve been lazy. I let Dex take care of things for Grace.”
“Wow. You really see that now?” She said it gently, trying not tothrow him an “I told you so” look.
He nodded. “We talked about me being a better husband and herbeing more independent.”
“How?” It was an honest question. “I mean, how are you going tomake Grace stop calling Dex when you’re not around or not quick enough?” Emma neededto know if Grace was truly going to become less dependent on Dex or if she wasjust going to hide it from Brent.
“I’m going to work on listening more, and when Grace needssomething, she’s going to work on asking me first instead of calling Dex.”
“That sounds like a good start. If you can make it happen.” Notthat it would help Emma. Grace had pretty much torpedoed everything she’d hadwith Dex.
“That won’t be too hard.” He raked a hand across the back of hisneck. “Grace took credit for the soup you brought her, and Dex is pretty pissedat her right now.”
With the way Grace had greeted her the other night, Emma prettymuch knew that was going to happen. “Is Dex feeling better?”
“Yep. Seems to be all well now. If it makes you feel any better,Dex pretty much told her to fuck off.”
She had to conceal the smirk on her face. “She actually saidthat?”
“Not in so many words, but Grace tried to call her a number oftimes, and she wouldn’t answer. So she sent her a text and invited her overtonight for Christmas Eve dinner. She came back with a big fat no.”
A wave of sadness rushed Emma, and her stomach churned. Shesincerely hoped Dex wasn’t spending Christmas Eve alone, or Christmas either,for that fact.
“She’ll probably go to her sister’s. Grace said that’s where sheusually goes for the holidays.”
That made Emma feel a little better, but her heart was stillheavy. A few weeks ago she was the happiest she’d ever been and thought she’dbe with Dex during the holidays. Now they would both be alone. Well, not totallyalone. They’d have their families, but that just wasn’t the same.
Brent swung around to his desk and took something from the drawer.“Here. I brought you this.”
“What? We never exchange gifts.”
“I know, but I feel like shit for fucking up your life.”
She pulled the bow from the box and opened it. Inside she found abeautiful modern-art sculpture of entwined lovers. “Lovers? Really?”
“Grace feels really bad and thought maybe it might bring you luck.We brought it back from Greece.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “Or just to pass on the curse.”
“Or that,” Brent said as he took his coat from the hook on theback of the door and put it on. “Merry Christmas, Em. I’ll see you next week.”He left her standing by the window staring at the statue.
“Yeah. Merry Christmas.” She inched slowly to the desk, set thestatue on the corner, and turned to leave. She spun around and picked it upagain, then took it into her office and slipped it into her bag. Her love lifecouldn’t get any worse at this point, so it couldn’t hurt.
* * *
Emma sat in her car in front of her parents’ house. A new sign inthe yard read “Holiday Christmas Light Contest Winner.” The lights decoratingthe house were beautiful as they sparkled in perfect rhythm. It was Dex’s work,something she’d done for Emma out of the goodness of her heart. She was sureher dad was thrilled. She checked her phone again. No response from the textshe’d sent Dex earlier asking if she was okay.
Baking cookies was so not what she thought she’d be doing thisChristmas Eve. It was her own fault. She’d canceled on her mother more thanonce to go out with Dex, which was clearly a wrong decision on her part. Shetook the statue that Brent had given her out of her bag and stared at it for afew minutes before she
