Chapter 6

chapter

six

Chelsea

I practically run out of the office, then jump into my car. I drive straight to my sister's house. That's where Mike is, anyways. Since Charlie's no longer traveling so much for her job. Her obstetrician didn't want her to travel this far into her pregnancy, she's been keeping my boy instead of me bringing him to doggy daycare.

The car is barely in park before I'm letting myself into my sister's house. At least I don't have to wait to announce myself in case she and her boyfriend are canoodling. He's out of town for the weekend.

The moment I open the front door, my big, goofy boy comes loping over to me. "Who's my sweet boy?" I drop to my knees and wrap my arms around his furry neck. "I missed you today."

"Should I be concerned?" Charlie asks.

I glance up and see my pregnant sister leaning against the foyer wall.

She frowns. "Why are you crying?"

I touch my cheeks and they are wet. "Huh, I didn't realize I was crying." I blow out a breath.

"I'll get the ice cream and spoons. Go sit," she says, pointing to her living room.

I toe off my shoes and go and flop myself down on her super plush couch. Mike turns himself in circles a few times, then lies down at my feet.

"Such a good boy."

His ears perk up at my words and I swear he smiles at me.

Charlie sits next to me with a pint of Blue Bell Cookie Two Step. "What happened?" she asks.

"I almost kissed JD." I jam my spoon into the cookie-dense ice cream and bring some to my mouth.

"Almost? What does that mean?"

I stare at her while I swallow my cold treat.

"What? Did he shove you away? Did you vomit on him? I don't know, Chels, the options are literally limitless."

"Pregnancy has made you cranky."

She pulls the pint from my hands. "No more for you until you tell me the whole story."

"Fine." I blow out a breath. "We were talking about Terminator ."

"Of course you were." She snorts. "Nerds."

"Anyways, somehow, we got to discussing the differing timelines and he said something about a different timeline for us. One where I'd met him before Mike. Then I laughed that off because whatever. He's a total horndog."

"But is he? Really?" she asks. "Y'all work very closely together and you've never mentioned an endless parade of women at the office or calling him or anything."

"He's probably just discreet." I bite down on my lip. "Though he did say he hasn't been with a woman since he met me. But that can't be true."

My sister eyes me while she chews a mouthful.

"Why do people chew ice cream? I mean we all do it, but there's not that much to actually masticate. This one does have cookie bits in it, but they're pretty soft."

"Chelsea! Focus. Don't try to distract me with an inane conversation. JD basically told you he wants you and you almost kissed him? Why are you not naked in your office right now?"

"Because!"

"Because why?"

"I'm scared, okay. Scared he's going to break my heart."

"But what if he doesn't? What if instead, he takes the very best care of your heart?"

"That seems highly unlikely," I say.

"There is no actual evidence to prove that he's a manwhore other than something one person told you nearly three years ago. Don't you think it's time to be honest with him? Tell him how you feel? Introduce him to Mike. You know, your dog!"

I squeeze my eyes shut. Just the thought of coming clean to him makes my insides feel like someone just set off a fire alarm.

"What am I supposed to say? Oh, by the way, I've been lying to you for our entire relationship. I pretended my labradoodle was my boyfriend. Isn't that funny?" I wince. "He will think I'm a nutcase. Not only that, tonight, right before I left, he asked me to stay and I freaked out and told him I had to go home and feed Mike."

"Oh Chelsea, what are you doing to yourself?"

"I don't. I just know that it makes me feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin at the very thought of telling him how I feel. I've cared about men before. Had some crushes or whatever. But this…" I swallow the lump in my throat. "At first, the lie seemed so simple. I needed that job. I didn't want to lose it. And, God, no one wants to be the person who sleeps with their boss! For a really long time, maintaining the lie seemed reasonable. Smart. But now…"

"Now?" Charlie prods gently.

"Now…" I glance at my sister, who's waiting for my answer, spoon partway to her mouth. "Now I can't lose him. JD means everything. He's not just my boss. He's not just the guy who holds my entire professional life in his hands. He's the guy I spend most of my day with. He's my sidekick, my partner in crime, and my best friend."

"Hey!" Chelsea gives me a playful kick. "I thought I was your best friend!"

I roll my eyes. "You know what I mean."

She gives a wry smile and says softly, "Yeah. I do."

"I guess I'd just rather have him in my life in some capacity than none at all."

"You don't want to lose him?"

I shake my head, ignoring the damn tears streaming down my cheeks. "I can't. I don't know how to be me anymore without him."

"No. Love is wonderful and I want you to have what Max and I have. But the truth is, you are an amazing, smart, beautiful, funny and talented woman, with or without a man by your side."

I give my big sister a watery smile.

"Here's what you're going to do. You're going to march into the office on Monday and you're going to tell him the truth. Enough is enough. This charade is eating you up inside and that is not okay. Will he understand your lunacy? I don't know. But I suspect if he feels about you the way I think he does, he'll get over it."

I snatch the pint of ice cream from her and take a big bite.

"Monday morning," I say around a mouthful of coldness.

She nods, then turns on a rerun of Gilmore Girls and we stare at Luke Danes and agree he is the perfect TV boyfriend.