The Calling by Ashley Willis Read Free Book Online Page A

as well get it over with. “You ever talk to Ty?”
    She placed her sandwich on her empty potato chip bag as if she weren’t hungry anymore and stared at her hands. “No. We run into each other occasionally, but only say hi.”
    Justin mentally chastised himself. He should have kept his mouth shut. The chemo had stolen a good fifteen pounds from her frame and, though she was still smokin’ hot, some of her curves had disappeared. He looked forward to seeing them again soon, but they weren’t going to reappear if he made her lose her appetite.
    He eyed her solemn expression. “We don’t have to talk about him.”
    “I don’t mind.” She picked up her sandwich and took another bite, then chewed slowly. “He didn’t tell you about his run-ins with me?”
    The poor girl was apparently clueless about what had happened in the aftermath of her breakup. “We’re not friends anymore.”
    Her brow furrowed. “You two were as close as a nut and bolt. What happened?”
    “I wasn’t impressed with the way he handled your diagnosis.” Or that he had been out banging every girl he could get his hands on less than a month after they’d broken up. Ty was a selfish bastard, and not for one minute had Justin regretted throwing him out on his ass.
    She set her sandwich down and rubbed her temple. “He’s not your roommate, anymore?”
    “No.”
    She winced. “Please tell me you didn’t end your friendship because of me.”
    “You want me to lie?”
    Mandy squeezed her eyes closed and rubbed more vigorously. “Does he know the reason?”
    Considering Justin had kicked Ty out after catching him in bed with Kirsten, he knew. “Yep.”
    Her eyes popped open wide. “You’re not supposed to ditch your best friend over a woman, especially me.”
    He thought she’d be flattered, knowing he was on her side. Apparently not, but her response didn’t change how he felt about what Ty had done to her. “You deserved better. You knew that. I knew that. Ty knew it, too, but he didn’t give a damn.”
    “He told me we’d been growing apart,” she said in a quiet voice. “He was planning to end things even before I got sick.”
    Of course Ty had used that excuse. He had been looking for the easiest way out. “You believed him?”
    She cringed. “You think he left because of the cancer?”
    “What does your gut tell you?”
    She pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. “He didn’t want to deal with my diagnosis.”
    Christ, he hated doing this, but she needed to accept the truth—Ty wasn’t any better than Addie. Actually, he was worse, because he’d put a ring on her finger and promised her forever before he took off. “He’s a prick, Mandy. How could I stay friends with someone who left you when you needed him most?”
    “He was a jerk to me, not you. I never wanted our breakup to affect you two.”
    How could their breakup not have affected him? Hell, because of Ty, he hadn’t known if she was going to live or die, and the fear of seeing her name in the paper had eaten at him. “For the last year, I’ve read the obituaries every morning, praying I wouldn’t see your name.” He swallowed hard. “Maybe I didn’t mean much to you, but you meant a lot to me.”
    Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes as she hugged her legs tighter and stared at him. “Oh, Justin.”
    He groaned and ran his hands down his face. The conversation had gone too far, too fast. “I shouldn’t have brought up Ty.”
    A teardrop snaked down her cheek. “I’m so sorry.”
    If there was one thing he couldn’t stand, it was waterworks from the opposite sex, especially Mandy. “Christ. I didn’t mean to make you sad. No one’s supposed to cry at the beach.”
    She sucked in a shuddered breath. “You were a great friend to me. I loved hanging out with you. I just always thought your friendship with Ty trumped ours.” Another tear escaped her eye. “I wasn’t going to get between you two.”
    Justin bit the