Page 80 of Did You See Evie

“Connor. I found out he was cheating on me with Joanna.”

“That scum. You shouldn’t even waste your tears on him.”

“Allow me to be upset!” I shout. “I think I’ve earned the right.”

“You can’t really think Connor is your whole world,” she says.

That’s not what I’d meant, but the fact she’s so openly criticizing my fiancé—a man she’s met only once—bothers me.

“The last thing I need from you is relationship advice,” I say.

“Maybe you should get it from somebody.”

“Way to kick me when I’m down,” I say. “It’s not like I asked for him to cheat on me.”

“I thought Connor was a jerk before you told me he cheated on you.”

“What are you even talking about? You barely know him.”

“It sounds like he barely knows you,” she says. “You haven’t told him anything about your past or where you come from. He thinks both your parents are dead.”

“Can you blame me?” I ask. “My past is complicated.”

“What about your present?” she asks. “I spent a couple of hours with the guy. All he did was talk this dream wedding and honeymoon that you don’t even want.”

“What makes you say I don’t want it?”

“You don’t! You’re letting his wealthy parents take the lead on everything. It’s a beachside wedding, and you don’t even like the ocean!”

“Who cares about a stupid wedding?”

“It shows he doesn’t put your feelings first. Hell, now he’s cheating on you!” she says. “The way he talked about your job… if he really cared about you, he’d want you to pursue what you’re passionate about. He wouldn’t want you to trash everything so you could travel around the world together.”

I’m not sure what upsets me more, that part of what Nadia is saying feels accurate, or that I still feel the need to defend Connor after everything he’s put me through. I close my eyes, trying to wrangle my thoughts into a rebuttal.

“I think you’re just upset my life has some stability,” I say. “We never had that growing up. You still don’t have it. Stealing and conning your way through life. I’ve found a way to break the cycle, and that kills you inside.”

“You might have a nice house and a rich fiancé and a job at a cushy school,” Nadia says, narrowing her stare, “but if you think your life is any more stable than mine, you’re completely delusional.”

Again, I’m afraid she might be right. Maybe at one point there was stability in my life. Maybe two weeks ago. Ever since Evie’s disappearance, everything has been crumbling around me.

My phone buzzes with a message from Mr. Lake:

Meeting in my office. Now.

“I have to get back to work,” I say.

“Are we really just going to leave things like this?” Nadia asks.

“I have a job to do,” I tell her. “In the real world, people don’t always have time for your bullshit.”

“You had time for it when you wanted me to look into Evie’s disappearance,” she says.

I remember what’s brought us together, what’s kept us together, despite all the turmoil of recent days.

“I really appreciate your help,” I say. “What you found might really make a difference.”

“Let’s hope,” she says, opening her car door. “Not too bad for a chaotic screw-up, huh?”