Page 84 of Crash and Burn

But would I have stomped on another person's heart to do it? Probably not.

It was with heavy limbs and tired eyes that I got ready for work the next day. I'd barely slept a wink and now I had a full shift — and half of that shift was going to be with Grant.

My heart clenched and ached, but I forced myself to power through it. It was one thing when I was mad at Grant and expected him to explain himself so I could decide how long it would take for me to get over my anger and forgive him. I'd never truly thought we'd break up for real because of this.

But things hadn't turned out the way I'd expected. Not in the slightest.

I needed to face the facts. Things were over between us. I could rant and cry and rage over it, but nothing would change the fact that Grant had chosen another woman over me. It didn't really matter what his reasons were.

But that didn't mean I had to act like it. I didn't have to walk around moping and moaning and broken-hearted.

I could slip on my cutest dress, curl my hair into soft, pretty waves and wear the brightest red lipstick I had. Somehow, looking well put together on the outside made me feel a bit better on the inside. Only a little bit, mind you, but it was just enough to get me out the door without breaking down into tears.

When I got to the bar Evan was already there getting ready to open. I was glad to see his face. It meant I didn't have to see Grant's yet. He wasn't going to be in until later that evening when the place got busier.

"Hey Lizzy," Evan said with a soft, sympathetic smile. "How are you doing?"

"Well, I'm not huddled in my bedsheets crying over a tub of ice cream," I said.

He pulled me into his side for a quick consoling hug.

"That's better than nothing, I guess." He ducked down to look me in the eyes. "Have you talked to Grant yet?"

"We talked."

Evan waited, but that was all I gave him. He gave me a pat on the head, the way I stroked Mittens to calm her down when she was being ornery. I didn't much like the comparison.

"If you need me to run interference between you two tonight, just say the word," Evan promised.

"I'll be fine," I said.

He gave me a skeptical look.

"I told Mason when all this first started that I could act mature if things went downhill," I explained.

Of course, I’d always thoughtdownhillmight mean that we weren’t compatible as a couple or some normal reason like that.

I hadn’t expecteddownhillto mean Grant leaving me for another woman.

"I'm not going to cause a scene in public," I continued.

Evan didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded.

"I'm here for you if you need anything." He gave me one last quick squeeze as the first customer walked in.

The place was busy enough to keep the two of us occupied for a few hours so I could pretend not to see Evan's occasional flashes of a smile. I was sure he thought those smiles were encouraging, but his lips were an inch too wide and his eyes were a touch too kind for me to take them as anything but pitying.

Things didn't get any better when Mason came out of the back room.

"How are you doing?" he asked quietly, so the customers couldn't hear.

"I'm fine." I suppressed a sigh. How many times was I going to have to have this conversation? "I talked to Grant. We hashed things out."

"And?" Mason asked expectantly.

"It's over between us."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know how much you cared about him."