Sail (Wake #2) by M. Mabie Read Free Book Online

clarified as I pushed my chair back to get some space.
    She leaned in even more. “I’m not sorry about it. Any of it, really. I’m glad you used me. I’m glad you took me to the wedding, and I’m really glad you finally came to your senses and left that bitch standing there. Maybe she’ll finally learn her lesson and be a good little wife like she should be.”
    Every hair on my body stood at attention and random muscles throughout my body began to twitch. She was so wrong. How different the night looked from her point of view, just proved how warped the relationship between Blake and I looked on the outside. How it must have always looked to everyone around us.
    “You don’t know everything, Aly. You only saw part of it.”
    “What do you mean? You didn’t leave with her. She followed her husband. I watched out the window. You left.” She smiled like a pageant contestant after answering a question without blunder.
    “I came back. Grant left without her. She’s leaving him,” I said. As soon as the words left my mouth, I thought better, realizing I should have left Blake out of it. The conversation was supposed to be about the things I’d done wrong—with regards to Aly—and seeing if there was a way the friendship between Aly and I could survive or if we’d just be co-workers and partners.
    I wasn’t sure what I’d do if things couldn’t move forward with us professionally, but I’d hoped I wouldn’t have to deal with that. However, her sitting in front of me on my desk was a clear indication she still thought there was hope for us in some messed up way.
    She laughed as she said, “She’s leaving him? And you’ve thought that how many times?” I couldn’t sit there anymore. The whole thing was fucked up.
    Was eight thirty a.m. too early to start drinking?
    “You know what? This was a bad idea,” I said as I walked to my door. I wasn’t going to participate in this cat and mouse game she liked to play. Not at work and not right then.
    “She’s never going to leave him, Casey,” she announced matter-of-factly as she stood and headed toward me. I swung the door as wide as it would go and propped it open with an empty mini-keg I had in my office.
    “I’m not talking about this with you. I wanted to apologize for being a prick. That’s all. The rest is none of your business. End of conversation.”
    “Oh, end of conversation? See, even you know she’s just playing you. You just don’t want to admit it.” Aly was quickly pissing me off. What the hell did she know?
    “Well, she already left him,” I said, probably a little louder than necessary.
    “She did? That’s great.” Her phony smile reminded me why things with us never worked out. She mocked me with a snotty nodding of her snide face.
    “Goodbye, Aly. I’ll have the rest of my end-of-year papers done before I leave,” I said, my faux professional voice matching her debutant smile.
    She paraded out my door a few steps, then turned and probed, “So where is she then? Your honeybee. I wonder who she’s buzzing around now, because I don’t see her. If you’ve fooled yourself into thinking that her husband is the only one she’d be unfaithful to, you’re just as delusional as he was.”
    What. A. Bitch. Why the fuck did I ever date her?
    Propping the door open was a poor choice. I moved the little keg and promptly shut the door.
    When do I leave San Francisco again?

    I worked on my receipts and expenses until long past business hours. I’d only left for long enough to grab a sandwich down the street and the entire time I wanted to text Blake. I refused to admit that what Aly said had gotten under my skin. She was only trying to be vindictive, and some of that I most likely deserved because of how I’d treated her. I’d never intentionally hurt her, but she had no problem being a bitch to me on purpose.
    It had been Bay Brewing Company’s best year ever. We were being served in almost every local pub and our national