Page 79 of Big Girl Panties

Brooke: Thanks. My credibility as a love guru is currently at an all-time low.

I knew I'd have to address the elephant in the room eventually. Matt and I had become the poster couple for "relationship goals" on social media.

The chime above the café door rang out, and my gaze flicked up. A slow, surprised smile spread across my face despite my current emotional state. It was Leilani.

"Hey." I set my phone on the counter. "What are you doing here?"

She strolled up, stopping in front of me. "If you're not closed yet, I was hoping to grab a coffee and chat for a few."

"Look, if Matt…"

"Matt didn't send me," she cut me off. "Though I think he would have if he'd thought it would change anything." She forced a smile. "We've missed you. The girls have missed you."

My chest clenched. When my marriage ended, Chris's family never reached out to me. They were happy to see me go. I was never good enough for him.

"Let me brew some coffee and…"

"Oh, no," Leilani said. "You don't need to brew a whole pot just for me. I'm not really here for the coffee anyway."

"Are you sure? I don't mind."

"Positive." She pointed to a small round table in the corner. "Let's sit and talk." I nodded and let her lead the way. "I hope it's okay that I'm here. I honestly wasn't sure if it was appropriate, or crossing some line, or I don't know."

"I'm glad you came."

"Oh, thank God," she sighed as she pulled out a chair and sank into it. "I was so worried I was overstepping."

I pulled out a chair across from her and eased into it. "How are the girls?"

"They miss you." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a small folded card. "They asked me to bring you an invitation to Lilly's birthday party."

Smiling, I took the card. "That's so sweet." I stared at the pink and purple princess birthday invitation silently for a long moment, my heart racing. "Will Matt be there?" I immediately winced at the question. Of course, he'd be there. He was her uncle.

"Yeah," she smiled. "He'll be there." She cleared her throat as she slid to the edge of her chair. "Can I ask what happened? I know it's none of my business, but you two looked so happy together, and he's been so sad." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I promised I wasn't going to ask…"

My brows pulled together. "He didn't tell you?"

She shook her head. "He said he made a stupid mistake."

"He…" I paused, collecting my thoughts and trying to form them into coherent words. "He lost a bet and I was the collateral damage." My gaze lifted, meeting hers as I forced a sad half smile, and her face dropped as she processed what I was saying.

"Brooke," she sighed. "I'm so so…"

"My friends think I'm overreacting." I cut her off. "They don't say it, but I know they do."

"Do you think you're overreacting?"

Sucking in a heavy breath, I shrugged on a slow exhale. "I don't know. Maybe a little." I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Honestly, I can get past the bet or dare or whatever it was, but being kept in the dark after everything I went through with my ex really hurts." My gaze dropped to my fidgeting hands resting on the table. "I wish we could start over."

She nodded slowly. "He's my brother-in-law and I love him, but that was a real dick move on his part."

"He's part of your family, and I don't want to cause drama between everyone. I think I need a little bit of time to process how I feel. I'm so confused right now."

"Men have a way of doing that to us, don't they?" I nodded. "Maybe I can help you process your thoughts? I mean, if you want someone to talk to."

I shouldn't bring her into this, but she was the only person I knew that I could talk to who knew Matt. Like, I really knew him. "I was really angry and hurt when I found out. I spent so much time letting myself not only believe that Matt was too good to be true, and that he was way out of my league, that when I found out about the bet, I gave myself an out. Only now, all I keep thinking about is everything he said to me."

Leilani sat silently listening, which was really nice.