Solving for Ex

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-one

perplexity and agitation every way

Head down, hands shoved in my coat pockets, I fought the frigid wind sweeping off the Allegheny. It chilled me to the bone, but I had to get away from the huge picture windows of Pamela’s diner and the scene inside. The last thing I needed was Brendan and Sofia seeing the despair on my face as I tried to figure out what the hell to do with myself. I did a quick calculation—eighteen blocks from the house, just about four miles. Which wouldn’t have been too far, with perfect weather, but it wasn’t even eight o’clock on a November morning in Pittsburgh and I was already chilled to the bone.

Even though I wanted to just be alone all day long, I knew I had to call Kristin and Bruce. When I pulled out my phone, it was dead—I’d forgotten to charge it when I’d collapsed in bed the night before. The tears started to come back, and I swiped them away. Tear-shaped icicles on my face would not help matters any.

Really, the last thing I needed was to feel like a jerk or a drama queen for crying over banana pancakes and eighteen blocks when Brendan had just told me last night that his mom was an alcoholic and he was just trying to keep his head above water. No matter what he was doing with Sofia in our diner.

Eighteen blocks was nothing.

I stuck my head down and watched my feet flash in front of me, one in front of the other. Before I knew it, I’d be home.

I made it half a block before I heard the unmistakable sound of tires rolling up next to me. The sun glinted off the metal of the car and into my eyes. “Hey,” Vincent’s smooth tenor came from the window as it rolled down. “Can I give you a ride? It’s freezing.”

I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. “You are pretty much the last person I want to see right now.” I stuck my head down and started walking again.

The car rolled up next to me again. “Hey. Hey, Ashley. Look, I’m sorry, okay? Last night was completely screwed up. You’ve gotta know, I didn’t mean for any of that to happen. I just wanted a fun night with some good people and a great band. And your favorite cake.”

I stopped and looked into the car window. “My favorite cake?”

“Almond with coconut butter cream. Yeah. I have my ways of finding these things out.”

I glared at him. “I didn’t even get a slice.” The wind blew against me and started a shiver that wracked my whole body. My arms wrapped themselves around my body even tighter. “You’ll take me straight home?”

A hint of that same old patient Vincent smile showed. “Anything you want.”

I slid into the car’s dark leather seat, and immediately warmed up—heated leather. Of course it was.

We rode in silence for a few blocks. “Seriously, how did everyone hear about that party? And why did people come expecting to drink?”

Vincent sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Sofia. She…as soon as we moved it to Brendan’s house, it’s like she went into attack mode. She texted everyone, and told them to text everyone. Told them his parents wouldn’t be there. She didn’t say ‘bring a keg,’ but she might as well have.”

“Why would she do that?” It was everything I could do not to tack the word ‘bitch” on to the end of the sentence.

He shrugged. “Brendan has a huge house. She’s trying to make friends. Wanted to show off her boyfriend’s digs, I guess. Got carried away.”