The Bad Friend (Never Tell collection) by Caroline Kepnes
Author:Caroline Kepnes [Kepnes, Caroline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Published: 2024-03-19T00:00:00+00:00
Eighteen holes wiped you out, but Ross could go for more. This is who you are now. Empty nesters who play golf. He starts the cart, and you grip the bar because he drives like a maniac. Time is moving quickly and slowly, and itâs all so confusing. Abby and Josie are in their own lives, Josie at law school in Boston, Abby in New York in the arts. Last month they met up at a spa in the Berkshires. They didnât invite you. Abby was exasperated when you said you wished they had. Youâve never longed for spa weekends, girlsâ trips. Those things are only appealing now because you love your girls and you miss them. Abby was firm. Boundaries, Mom. And then she softened. She said that you seem lonely, that you should go online, find old friends or new ones. Youâve never been good at friendship, and you made her. Sheâs yours. Why canât she want it to be you and her and Josie? You fixate on that conversation, the day your daughter made you feel like a loser. Desperate, and needy.
You tell yourself to be happy for the girls. Youâre not one of them. Youâre this.
âTroy, please. Slow down.â
He brakes, barely. âThe nameâs Ross, hon.â
You do that a lot lately, and youâre atoning when youâre on foot, in the parking lot, rubbing your second and final husbandâs sore back, as if your touch ever helps. His doctor told him to see a chiropractor, to lay off the golf. You canât fix it, him.
âSo how about Valeroâs?â he says.
Valeroâs. You just went there last week with Troy and Maxine. You hate it in there, the horror of that moment Troy told you about his new love, the way you knew that everything was changing again, that your days of having the tall man and the short man were numbered. Itâs embarrassing how often youâve daydreamed about weaving through a packed restaurant with your two men. You were convinced that all the women envied you, that all the men wanted you.
âHow about burritos?â
Ross nods. âBurritos it is.â
The Mexican place is crowded, and the hostess is perky. âItâs a bit wild tonight, just so you know. We have not one but two bachelorette parties.â
Ross cracks a joke about being the cock in the henhouse, and heâs become that old guy who talks too much to waitresses. Troy is the hip one now, the one with all the mint old sneakers that look brand new. Maxine encouraged him to hold on to his valuables, got him back into collecting. You might be here with Troy if youâd rooted for him to hold on to his sneakers, but you didnât. Youâre the same old you, and the bachelorette parties are loud. They make you think of Tanya again, the way you used to trade fun ideas about how youâd celebrate your own bachelorette parties. Skydiving. Wine country. Thelma & Louise.
âSo,â says Ross. âPalos Verdes, yeah?â
Youâre turning fifty next week, and you nod because thatâs the plan.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
What's Done in Darkness by Kayla Perrin(25531)
Shot Through the Heart: DI Grace Fisher 2 by Isabelle Grey(18247)
Shot Through the Heart by Mercy Celeste(18190)
The Fifty Shades Trilogy & Grey by E L James(17801)
The 3rd Cycle of the Betrayed Series Collection: Extremely Controversial Historical Thrillers (Betrayed Series Boxed set) by McCray Carolyn(13213)
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson(12951)
Scorched Earth by Nick Kyme(11866)
Stepbrother Stories 2 - 21 Taboo Story Collection (Brother Sister Stepbrother Stepsister Taboo Pseudo Incest Family Virgin Creampie Pregnant Forced Pregnancy Breeding) by Roxi Harding(11104)
Drei Generationen auf dem Jakobsweg by Stein Pia(10244)
Suna by Ziefle Pia(10205)
Scythe by Neal Shusterman(9297)
International Relations from the Global South; Worlds of Difference; First Edition by Arlene B. Tickner & Karen Smith(8656)
Successful Proposal Strategies for Small Businesses: Using Knowledge Management ot Win Govenment, Private Sector, and International Contracts 3rd Edition by Robert Frey(8451)
This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay(7740)
Dirty Filthy Fix: A Fixed Trilogy Novella by Laurelin Paige(6480)
He Loves Me...KNOT by RC Boldt(5834)
How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired by Dany LaFerrière(5429)
Interdimensional Brothel by F4U(5331)
Thankful For Her by Alexa Riley(5198)