Page 43 of The Ex Next Door (Charming, Texas #8)

That silliness? It drained out of her and she was left with… She couldn’t tell what.

Heat. Tingles. Giddiness. A combination of all three? Though none could fully encapsulate the topsy-turvy feeling of that moment. Except that it held excitement and promise and friendship and attraction.

But.

Chip was her best friend. He was also the best friend of the only man she’d once loved. Changing her platonic relationship with Chip—just thinking about it—wasn’t even a consideration, despite these continued surges of attraction.

Besides, there was William. Her far-away beau whom she’d soon see in person.

“She’s frozen,” Bailey commented.

“Gab,” Chip said, waking her from her thoughts.

“Right. Seventy-five percent.” She reoriented herself—obviously, her stress was getting to her.

“Wait!” Willa halted Gabby, then clumsily set up her phone in front of them. She pressed the red button to record. “For posterity.”

“Good idea. This is why I love you.” Her socials had been lacking these days, and a video of her test reveal would make for a great reentry from her hiatus.

Heaving a breath, Gabby set her fingers on the track pad and hovered the arrow over the Results button.

She clicked.

Hours. It felt like hours before the screen loaded, probably due to the horrible Wi-Fi access in the bar.

And when the page fully appeared, it still took too long for her to scan the screen for the score.

It wasn’t a number that jumped off the page.

Nor was it in red. It was a number in the same black font as the rest of the text.

A number that said sixty-five percent.

Sixty-five.

“No.” Gabby’s voice was a whisper.

“It’s fine.” It was Chip’s voice, except it sounded far away.

To become a licensed CPA, Gabby would have to pass four tests in eighteen months. It had been suggested by her instructors that a test per quarter was ideal, to give her time for proper study.

Gabby had taken one quarter to study after earning her certificate, and now, technically, she would be behind a quarter.

“This can’t be right.” She looked up at her friends, bewildered.

Gabby was a doer. And she did things well. Like, straight A’s since forever, summa cum laude, always on the ball. It was how she could be a wedding planner in addition to school, and be able to manage everyone’s emotions, including hers, while in the depths of boyfriend drama.

And she’d studied. Late-night study sessions with Chip, skipping out on fun, gallons of coffee, and pounds of dessert…

“Don’t worry, honey, you’re going to get it next time,” Liza called from the bar.

Next time, as in three months?

“Thanks.” Gabby nodded at Liza, then noted the faces of other patrons turned her way. At the moment, she couldn’t recognize them, even if they were locals—their expressions were fuzzy in her brain.

Her eyes darted to her friends and their stricken expressions.

At the propped-up phone recording her every move.

She pressed the red button so hard that the phone clattered to the ground.

“Well, I’ve got to go.” She shook herself out of the moment, with only one thing on her mind, and it was to get far from here. To process, to plan for the next quarter. Something.

“But, Gabby…” Bailey began.

“No.” She pushed out a grin and gave each of her friends the eyes that said, Let me go and freak out, okay?

Was she open about her feelings? Yes. Did she live a transparent life? Also, yes.

But when it came to what she was good at, what she was trying to accomplish, she couldn’t fail. And that included people watching her fail.

“Love y’all. I’ll text, okay?” She grabbed her laptop and walked swiftly, with her chin held high, out of the bar.

She resisted showing any sign of distress, steeling her expression.

Though, as she exited Mountain Rush and was hit by a gust of wind, a full-body shiver overcame her, threatening to loosen her tears.

She lengthened her strides.

“Gabriella!”

She knew who it was before she even turned around.

Only one person would be brave enough to come after her when she was in such a state.

He was the same person who’d seen her at her drunken worst when she’d found out that her father’d had a child out of wedlock—her half-brother Jared.

The same person who’d supported her while recovering from her break up with Nathan.

But she was too upset to turn and face him.

A gentle tug against her elbow coaxed her to slow, and then to stop. Her eyes went straight to the ground.

“I was just thinking.” Chip’s voice was light, as if he hadn’t just chased her across the parking lot. “I have a Costco-size box of Rice Krispies. And enough marshmallows for at least a couple of pans of Rice Krispies Treats.”

“Those things are addicting.” She struggled to keep her voice from breaking. Rice Krispies Treats were her favorite. Anything sweet was, in truth, but her late father used to make them as bribes for a quiet afternoon.

God, what was her dad thinking, looking down from above? Louis Espiritu had gone to war; he’d died there. And she couldn’t pass a CPA test.

“You should come by and do your next round of studying at my place,” Chip said, “because I can’t eat them all myself. Sometime this week? I can help you make flashcards again. You’ll be double prepped for the next test.”

She bit her lip to halt her tears and allowed gratitude to flow instead. This was Chip. Never faltering, always present.

Her eyes fluttered up to meet his, brimming with his sincerity. She found zero judgement in his expression, nor was there pity. It allowed for her to release some of the tension in her shoulders, so much that she could think of the next step. “You’re really going to help me study again?”

“Yeah. I mean, what else do I have to do?”

She laughed. “You’re so bored and all.”

“I know, right? So keep me company.”

Her nerves calmed further at the idea of them spending more time. He was the ultimate hype-man. With him, she could start again, try again.

Gabby would rally. She would come back from this. There was no other choice.

Chip walked her the rest of the way to her car. Then he opened the car door. “Soon?”

She nodded, despite the dread sitting solidly in her belly. Her mental calendar came to the forefront. “How about the day after tomorrow?”

He looked up in the sky for a moment. “Yep, I’m free. I’ll get those treats ready.”

“Okay. Thank you. Love you.”

“Love you.” He shut her car door.

As she pulled out of the parking spot and drove away, she caught sight of Chip walking back into Mountain Rush.

And instead of tears, she found herself smiling.