14. Chapter 14 #2
I flash a smile, feigning confidence. “Wow, after two years that’s how you’re going to greet your ex-fiancé?” I rub my jaw, laughing nervously. “I mean, I know I was an asshole, but I thought I’d at least get a hello.”
Her lips press together as she crosses her arms. “Answer the fucking question, Nicks.”
Well, this is a different Honey than I left behind. The Honey I knew in high school wouldn’t speak to anyone like that. Let alone me. That was the worst part about her. She never knew when to protect herself or understood her true worth.
Thank God, Zach saved her. She deserved better than me.
She keeps staring, and that’s when I know she’s not going to let me leave until I give her a response.
“Getting breakfast,” I say, gesturing to the sandwich in my hand. “You?”
She closes her eyes and blows out a breath.
“Look. I know it’s hard for you not to be an asshole, but I’d really appreciate it if you tried for at least five seconds.
Why are you in Hope?” Her voice is tired.
She’s not angry. She’s just done with me.
“Please don’t tell me you’re here to mess with Tiff because she doesn’t deserve that.
She’s happy and Ella is too. She doesn’t need you or your melodramatic family causing issues. ”
“I'm not here to mess with anyone.” I shift my weight, suddenly aware of how pathetic I must look to her. “I'm here for Ella. My daughter, in case you forgot.”
“Oh, believe me, my boyfriend fathering a child while he’s still dating me is something hard to forget.”
“Yeah.” I scratch the back of my head, not sure where to look. “I deserved that.”
“Oh, you deserve a hell of a lot more than that.” She studies me for a second, taking in my rumpled appearance and no doubt haphazard hair. “You look like shit.”
“Feel worse, but I’m not here to do my father’s bidding. I’m here for Ella, and I have no intentions on leaving.”
“You’re staying?!
I shrug. “Yup. I’ve officially transferred to St. Michael’s. Started classes this week. Surprised it’s the first time I’ve seen you.”
“Your father let you—”
“My father cut me off,” I interrupt. “Froze everything. So yeah, I'm here on my own dime. What's left of it, anyway. Thankfully, Asher is smarter than he looks, so I’m good for a little while.”
She stares at me like I’m a stranger, but I feel the same way about her. She’s different now. I can feel it. She’s got that Zach Evans edge about her. Speaking of…
“Didn’t Zach tell you I was here?” I ask, watching her face carefully.
If Zach hasn’t told her, then maybe my suspicions are right.
Maybe they’re done. It would explain why the guy is wound up tighter than a spring at the moment, snapping at everyone, looking like he's one bad day away from unraveling.
Honey frowns but quickly masks it. “No. He didn’t tell me.”
“He didn’t?” I press, because I might be changing my ways, but I could still use some gossip that I’m not part of.
“Zach and I aren't together,” she says quietly, looking away.
And there it is. The confirmation. Zach Evans, the golden boy who had everything I didn't—including the girl I was supposed to marry—has somehow managed to fumble the ball.
What a fucking idiot.
Honey is the best thing to have ever happened to him.
“Does Scholarship Kid know that?” I can't help the edge in my voice.
“Yes. We haven’t been together for a few months now.”
“Are you okay with that?” I blurt out, but I can't take it back now.
“Yes,” she says, but her voice wavers. She's quiet for a moment, and I know Honey better than either of us would like to admit.
This is like those times when she'd get anxious at one of our parents' dinner parties, when the pressure of being perfect, of playing the part, became too much.
The only way to help her through it was to hold her hand under the table, and squeeze twice to let her know that we had this together.
Only, it was all a lie. I never really had it at all.
Honey's broken. I can see it in the way she won't quite meet my eyes, in the white-knuckle grip on her bag strap, in the slight shake of her shoulders.
Zach is too. Not that I care about him, but I care about her. Despite everything. Despite how badly I fucked us both up.
“Honey, what's going on? Why are you—”
“I have to go.” She checks her watch, panic flashing across her face. “I'm late for my internship.”
“At our fathers’ firm?”
She nods, already stepping around me.
“Why? You’ve never wanted to be a lawyer. What are you doing there?”
She hesitates, refusing to meet my eyes. Then something clicks. “Wait, are you doing this for Tiff? Are you the reason my father dropped his case against her?”
Her face crumples for just a second before she catches herself. “I can't—” She shakes her head. “I can't be late, Jamie.”
“Honey, if there's something I should know about what my father's doing—”
“I really have to go.” Her voice cracks slightly.
“Honey—”
But she's already running, practically sprinting across the quad in her too-formal outfit, leaving me standing there with a shitty sandwich and the sinking feeling that whatever my father's planning, it's worse than I thought.
And Honey—beautiful, broken Honey—is trapped right in the middle of it.
I watch her disappear into her car, and that’s when the concern starts to creep in. I left that firm, I’ve been officially cut off by my father, but Honey…she’s still stuck there. She’s still with the people who have openly manipulated both of us.
I want to help her. I need to help her, but is that even possible when I’m trying to figure out everything that’s going on with Tiff and me?
My phone buzzes, pulling me out of my thoughts.
It’s the realtor, checking that I’m still on for our ten o’clock appointment.
Right. Apartment viewing.
Still, as I head to the apartment, I can’t get the broken look on Honey’s face out of my head. I might be going through some shit, but it seems she is too. I guess neither one of us has control over our lives, and it’s really starting to show.