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You weren’t willing to take the job.
That doesn’t mean another woman is good enough for him. I need to approve of this person. I’m his best friend. I know him best.
Obviously not if he’s been in love with you all this time and you didn’t realize it.
I sank down in the chair, burying my face in my hands. I really didn’t know him. And I couldn’t decide which was more depressing, the fact that he was in love with me or that I didn’t want him to move on and leave me behind.
“Hello?” Edith called from the front door, letting herself in.
I heard her heels clicking on the floor as she wound her way through the house. When she saw me at the table, her shoulders slumped.
“I take it you talked with Andrew.”
“You could say that.”
“And it didn’t go well.”
“He left,” I said, holding out the note for her to read.
She took it from me, her eyes skimming over the words before she handed it back. “Well, it’s for the best.” She took a seat across from me, watching me carefully.
“How is it for the best when my heart is breaking?”
“Honey, if your heart is breaking because he left, imagine what it feels like to him, knowing he’s been pining for you all these years and you don’t feel the same way.”
I knew she was right, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. “He told me he was going to say goodbye.”
“If you’re going to be mad at him, then you aren’t a good friend.This is what he needs, and it’s selfish of you to ask for more than he can give.”
I stared at her incredulously. “This from the woman who uses men and tosses them away!”
I knew I’d messed up as soon as it left my mouth. Edith had always been there for me, and she didn’t deserve my judgment on the way she lived her life.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re absolutely right. I’ve always been selfish, but the difference is, those men know it from the moment they begin seeing me. I’ve never hidden who I am. But you’ve always been there for Andrew, and when he needs your understanding the most, you’re being a bitch about it. Stop pouting and get your shit together. You have a house?—”
“I actually don’t,” I muttered.
“And you have friends who are willing to help you. You know Andrew would allow you to stay here. And then there’s that hot man who saved you?—”
“I can’t live with him forever,” I griped.
“And you have a job, which is a lot more than I can say. Andrew will come around, and when he does, you have to be there to welcome him home, without reservation.”
I rolled my eyes at her, something I’ve always done when my mother or her gave me advice, proving that I was wrong. I didn’t like being wrong about anything, so it really grated on my nerves when the facts were shoved in my face.
“You’re right.”
“My, that was a bitter pill to swallow,” she grinned, shoving out of her seat. “Now, I have a date I have to get to.”
“At nine o’clock in the morning?”
“Hey, there is never a wrong time to go on a date. Besides, if I get my way, I’ll be spending the whole day on my back with my legs in the air. And if you ask me, there’s no better use of my time.”
She winked at me before turning and walking back through the house. I grabbed the note and rushed after her, knowing I couldn’t sit around the house and pout all day.
“What about the house?”