Page 154 of The Worst Best Man

Brenda’s quiet sniffles turned into full blown wails. “We’re so sorry, sweetie! And after everything that you’ve been through…”

Frankie rose and gave each of them a mechanical hug. They had been mentors, second parents, and friends to her. And now they, too, were out of her life.

“Can we take you to lunch or… something?” Raul asked.

She shook her head. “No, thanks.”

“We’ll send you your vacation pay with your last paycheck,” he said, looking glumly at the table.

“Thank you,” Frankie said, pausing inside the door and taking a last look at the room.

Downstairs, she shoved what she could from her desk into an empty paper ream box and stepped out into the mocking sunshine. The end of March was showing signs of the spring to come. But nothing could thaw the ice inside her.

She sat down on the curb in a scrap of sunshine that filtered between the branches of the trees. Was this rock bottom? No job, six weeks shy of finishing her master’s, and she was going to have to decide between rent and tuition. Oh, and speaking of school, this job and her social media workshops had been part of her thesis project. So, graduation this spring was no longer an option.

And worse was the fact that Aiden had stopped contacting her a week ago. As if he’d vanished from the face of the planet. But he was still here. Still working. Still existing. Still living his life.

She knew because she couldn’t stop herself from opening those blasted Google alert emails every damn morning.

He went to work every day, had dinner in the city, made appearances. Meanwhile, she’d stopped talking to everyone. Her parents, her brothers, Pru. She was avoiding human contact because she no longer felt human.

The anger, the hurt, had shifted inside her making room for a new feeling. One she didn’t understand. Guilt.

“Frankie!”

She winced at the cheery greeting. She couldn’t do Pru right now. She was incapable of even pretending to be happy to see her best friend.

“Hi,” Frankie said flatly.

“Why are you sitting on the sidewalk with a box of… Oh.”

“I got fired. They’re shutting down the center,” Frankie said.

“Then you’ve got time for me to buy you lunch,” silver-lining-finder Pru announced. “Let’s go.” She dragged Frankie to her feet and picked up the box. “I’m feeling like pizza.”

Frankie stumbled over her own feet. “You’re voluntarily eating pizza? Do I really look that bad?”

“You look like a zombie. Sort of alive on the outside but totally dead and gross on the inside.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Pru led the way to one of Frankie’s favorite pizza shops, chattering about the weather and gossip. Frankie didn’t bother responding. It took too much effort.

Pru slid into the booth across from her and interlaced her fingers, smiling expectantly. “I’ve got some things I need to tell you.”

“Is everything okay?” Frankie asked, rousing herself into a minimal level of caring.

Her friend nodded.

“What can I get you ladies?” Vinnie the proprietor demanded, leaning on their table with a combination of charm and impatience.

“The biggest, greasiest pepperoni pizza you can make,” Pru decided. “And how about some of those garlic twists?”

Frankie’s eyebrows winged up. Her friend was serious about all the carbs today.

Vinnie took their drink orders and headed back behind the counter.

“So. I’m pregnant,” Pru announced.