Jokers: BBW Billionaire Menage Romance (Billionaire Brothers, II Book 2) (7 page)

I heard the front door open and Tomas hopping as he jumped over the threshold. Then I heard the scraping sound of her dragging her handbag off the small table. I took the opportunity and jogged down the short hallway toward her.

“Wait, Melita? Hold on please,” I said in a rush.

She glared at me as though she'd been waiting for me to come toward her. Just shot me a look like a lightning bolt,
bang
. I flinched and threw my hands up to surrender.

“Okay, okay, I know you’re so mad at me,” I started again. “But, honey, if you'll just talk to me, please.”

“You know what,” she said in a tight growl, “I don't think I need to talk to you at all right now. I need to get Tomas to daycare.”

“But it's been days,” I whined. “I need to talk to you about the gallery, right? Don’t you want to talk about your new job?”

She fisted her hand on her hip and cocked her head at me sarcastically.

“You know what, I think I will be seeking other opportunities.”

“Oh, come on, Melita –”

“Yeah,” she continued, “I think you and I could use a little time apart.”

I took a deep breath and tried to steady myself. This is not going at all the way that I imagined it the thousand times that I played it through my head.

“Melita, I am so sorry. You have to believe me… I just had to say something.”

“But why?” she sneered with her eyes narrowed. “Do you ever stop to ask yourself
why
you needed to say something? Was it because I finally had something that you didn't have? Was that it?”

I winced like she had slapped me. “No way! How can you even think that – Melita, he's
married
. Of course I had to say something!”

“Uh huh, yeah sure,” she spat. “Well for your information, he's not. He's decent and sweet and I am like all kinds of crazy for this guy.”

“Melita, no –”

“Yeah, I know you think you're so smart all the time, but this time you're just wrong. Accept it.”

But I saw the ring. I saw it, right? It was just for a second but I'm positive that I saw it…

“Sometimes you're not the brainiac that you think you are, Bree. I know this must come as a shock to you, since you were so
perceptive
about Carl and all… Since you are so
unfallible…
”

Infallible,
I corrected her silently, casting my eyes down.

I looked the floor while she swayed her weight from hip to hip.

“I'm not kidding, Bree,” she continued. “I think some time apart would do you and me a lot of good. So why don’t you use that credit card that you been sitting on all these years and find yourself an apartment? It seems like you got all your shit together now, so why don’t you just take it on the road?”

“Mel, there's so much I want to talk to you about, though…”

“Yeah,” she continued as though I hadn't said anything, “that sounds like the right thing to do. You've got all day, because I'm not going to be here. Tomas is going to Mama's house after daycare, and I am going out. Yes…
with Jay
. He makes me happy and you would think my best friend would care about that. Want to share that with me. But you don’t. So you could probably have all your crap packed back into your two stupid suitcases and be gone by the time I'm back.”

I looked up at her wordlessly. It felt like a barrier had slammed down between us and even though she was looking in my direction it was like she couldn't even see me at all. Finally she looped her handbag strap over her shoulder and just whirled around and left, slamming the door behind her.

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