The Space Between Us Read online

  I eyed her. “Yeah.”

  She shrugged. “He didn’t even remember me. He came into that other shop a few times a week for months, and I waited on him every time. We went out, we had dinner, it was awesome. And the sex was…”

  She sighed, looking dreamy, then focused on me. “Joe made me feel beautiful, Tesla. He really made me feel like I was beautiful. But then… I dunno, I was a little too aggressive or something, whatever. And then he didn’t even recognize me. I know I lost a lot of weight and stuff, but still.”

  I knew how much it meant to have someone make you feel beautiful. I could give her credit for admitting she’d been a douchetard, but not a whole lot. “What you did was really dumb and just nasty.”

  “I know. And when she comes in again, I’ll tell her I’m sorry.” Brandy looked contrite. “I mean it. Don’t hate me, Tesla, please.”

  I made a face, grateful we didn’t have an audience for the schmoopfest. “I don’t hate you.”

  “You don’t like me.”

  “I hardly know you, that’s all.” I didn’t want to be mean, even though she was right.

  Brandy shrugged. “Whatever. But I work here now, and it would be cool if we could get along.”

  “Have I made you feel like we don’t get along?”

  “No, but you don’t really like me. I can tell.”

  Great, now I had to worry about hurting her feelings. I didn’t have time to hold her hand through this. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. Listen, I’ve got Darek coming in to take over for me when I leave early.”

  “The guy who got fired?”

  “He quit, but yeah. Him.”

  Brandy frowned. “I can handle things until Moira comes in.”

  “Joy doesn’t want you and Moira here alone. Darek’s cool. You’ll like him. I promise.” I looked at the clock. “Damn, it’s empty in here.”

  She glanced around. “I guess everyone’s out shopping and stuff.”

  “Just what I need to be doing. I have half an hour before Darek gets here, I’m going to go do some prep in the back. Can you handle it out here?”

  She gave me a look. “You mean can I handle the total lack of customers? I think so.”

  Forty minutes passed while I did my prep, trying to get ahead for the next day. Annoyed that Darek was late, I went out front, only to find the place bustling once more with customers and Darek and Brandy casting each other flirtatious glances from either side of the dessert case.

  “Hey,” I said.

  He looked at me. “Hey, I made it. Brandy was just showing me what’s new.”

  The only thing that was new was her, but I didn’t point it out. In cartoons, characters with hearts beating out of their chests and flying from their eyes means true love at first sight. Well, it sort of happens like that in real life sometimes, too, minus the cartoon hearts, and with the addition of smoldering glances across refrigerated pastries.

  I left them to it. I had a long list of things I wanted to pick up so I could get them in the mail, mostly odds and ends of strange things like the snack foods native to central Pennsylvania that my mother missed out in Cali. I picked up a few bags of groceries for Cap while I was at it. Money well spent as far as I was concerned, since he ate like a rhino. I found some toys for Simone and Max, as well as the cutest little snowman plushie for the new baby.

  And then, crossing from one overcrowded store to my car, passing by a shop window I’d never looked in twice, I felt my entire world grind to a shuddering, stuttering stop.

  I’d heard of the Green Bean, of course. On the other side of town from the Morningstar Mocha, it wasn’t exactly competition, but was probably one of the better known coffee shops in the area. And there in the front window, tapping away at her laptop, sat Meredith.

  I stopped in the parking lot, shielded between two cars, my hands loaded with bags that were quickly growing too heavy. She sat alone at her table, but close enough to the other customers that it was obvious she could take part in the conversation. She looked up and laughed as I watched.

  She tossed her hair over her shoulders, leaning forward to talk to the man next to her. He gestured broadly, and they laughed together again.

  It was the equivalent of finding her naked and sucking some stranger’s cock, that’s how horrible it felt. Harsh and breath-stealing and painful. She’d told me she was working from home in the cold winter so she didn’t have to go outside. That she had the coffee girl at home and didn’t need to go out anymore to get her. Meredith had told me a lot of things, and it looked as if at least some of them were lies.

  Chapter 34

  I didn’t tell her what I’d seen.

  It would’ve sounded silly, accusing her of cheating on me with a coffee shop. And who knew, maybe it had been a whim. Maybe like me, she’d been out shopping, and decided just to stop in for something hot to drink. After all, no matter how it felt, it wasn’t out of line for her to drink her coffee wherever she wanted to.

  She didn’t notice that I was quiet, but Charlie did. He didn’t ask me why, just pulled me close to press a kiss to my temple and smooth my hair off my forehead. His squeeze comforted me. I leaned into it, breathing in his good, soap-and-water smell. His heat.

  “I think we should bag the ski vacation.” Meredith tossed this out over the dinner she’d cooked and had ready for us both by the time we got home.

  Pasta, sauce, salad, garlic bread. It was the first meal we’d all had together the entire week, but it tasted a little sour to me. It tasted like a bribe.

  “What? Why?” Charlie sopped up some sauce with his bread. “I thought you’d already booked something.”

  “Yeah.” Meredith gave him a sideways glance. “Of course you did. Well, it’s been hard as fuck trying to find something for three, that’s all. Lots of packages for two and four. None for three. We’d have to get two rooms, which is twice the cost.”

  I had a bite of spaghetti halfway to my mouth and used that as an excuse not to answer with anything more than a shrug. Meredith turned her attention to Charlie again. He was twirling his fork but not eating, and his fork scraped the plate. He didn’t say anything at first, then looked at me.

  “What about a room with two beds?” he suggested.

  Meredith caught his look and frowned. “I’m not paying all that money to sleep crammed up in a double bed.”

  “You can have your own,” he offered. “I’ll share with Tesla.”

  I cringed. “You two go. I’ll stay here.”

  He turned to me. “But you took the time off already, didn’t you?”

  “It’s okay. You two go.” I didn’t want them to go alone; I didn’t want to be left behind. I’d been looking forward to the ski trip. Jacuzzi tubs, a bedroom with a fireplace, the works.

  Charlie drank some of the red wine Meredith had poured him. “I guess…”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I can’t get anything now. It’s too late.”

  Charlie put his fork down with a clink. “I thought you were taking care of this, Meredith.”

  I wanted to leave. I so did not want to be here during the showdown. But all I could do was stare at my plate and pretend to enjoy the dinner that was now like eating sand.

  “I told you. I tried.” She frowned. “It’s impossible.”

  “You could’ve let me know you were having trouble. I’d have helped you. Looked up some stuff online,” Charlie began.

  “Jesus, Charles, I’m not completely impaired. I told you, I looked up everything, but you do realize that Vermont at Christmastime is booked up pretty far in advance, don’t you? What would you like me to do, perform miracles?” She stabbed at her pasta. “I told you, there’s nothing reasonable for three. That’s just the way it is.”

  “You don’t really need me to go,” I said.

  She looked at me, her smile fading a little and something dark flittering in her gaze. “No. I guess we don’t.”

  “Of course we do.” He turned to me. “I thought you w