Her arm.
He’s fixing her hat.
Her cute knit hat with the little tassel on the top that might look silly on someone else, but on Angel, it looks adorable.
Though I tell myself not to, I use the camera app to zoom in on them.
Stop it,the rational part of my brain protests.This is a path you don’t want to go down.
But shit. Garrett Ryan is touching her. And thanks to the high-powered camera on my phone, I can see his eager expression as he speaks to her.
The weight in my gut grows heavier.
My chest goes tight.
A sour taste comes to my mouth.
Memories I’ve tamped down for years come roaring back.
The shock. The hurt. The betrayal.
The aching emptiness when I realized everything I’d believed in, everything I’d dreamed about, was over.
Angel isn’t Gwen,the rational voice insists.It’s not the same. And you know it.
Do I, though? How do Ireallyknow?
On the heels of jealousy, a storm of doubt rushes in.
If she’s letting him touch her, maybe that’s because she likes it.
Maybe this isn’t the first time he’s done it.
Maybe they’ve been out on dates before. Maybe there’s a history between them.
Maybe I’ve only been the stand-in while Angel’s been waiting for him.
Nausea rises as the imagined scenario comes to life in my mind.
Undoubtedly, they’ve known each other for years. With their daughters in the same grade, I’m sure they’ve spent time together. They became friends. And after he lost his wife, they bonded by nature of being single parents.
Angel would have wanted to help him. Support him. She probably brought over food. Cookies, like the ones I taste-tested. Chicken Carbonara, like she made for me.
Over the years, their relationship grew stronger. But Angel was nervous after everything with Justin. Garrett was giving himself time to mourn. So they held off on pursuing anything romantic.
Until now.
Until Garrett saw her with me and realized what he could lose.
And what if?—
My stomach lurches.
What if Angel’s been thinking about him all along?
What if she was only using me to get to him?
No,the reasoning voice insists.You know her better than that.