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It wasn’t Andie

Of course it wasn’t

How could it be?

Tears pricked my eyes and I stubbornly shoved them back as Ito need to see soed bartender smiled kindly at me He was tall, broad-shouldered, and he looked like he could handle himself He also looked like he wasn’t born yesterday Thank God I enty-one now

I gave hilanced down the bar at the woman I’d mistaken for my sister "I’ll have a scotch on the rocks"

He seemed bemused by my choice but didn’t question it "Any brand in particular?"

"Surprise me," I muttered

He grinned and set aboutit, the bartender approached Sensing hiot to ask"

"Ask what?" I sipped at the last ofscotch inlike the world just ended"

I stared at this curious stranger, this person who had no ties toor expectations of , "I miss my sister"

His eyes softened and he leaned on the bar "That’s rough"

"Have you got faot wives and a whole bunch of kids I don’t see them much"

"Do you miss them?"

"Sure, I do"

"You should really visit therin was sad "We had a falling-out a couple of years back Things haven’t been the sa it down "You’d think that would be all the et frozen, like you can’t move or make a decision either way Is that how you feel?"

He nodded, eyes filled with understanding "Yeah, that’s how I feel"

"Do you think you’ll ever get past it?"

"I expect I ht One day"

"What do you think will o see them?" I desperately wanted to know

"I don’t know" He stood up, conte ht do the trick"

I finished my drink and offered him a wry, melancholic smile "Maybe"

Chapter Fourteen

After Claudia had broken down over Dustin’s callous rejection, Jake called Beck to let him knohat had occurred and he’d hurried back to the hotel

So Claudia but she didn’t eled out of his hold like she didn’t want him to touch her He attempted to talk to her¸ but she cut hi his presence while they booked tickets out of Barcelona

The entire way to the airport, Claud gave Beck the coldest shoulder, even snapping at hie She’d been adamant that I sit next to her on the plane

Beck was stunned and clearly hurt

I gave it twenty minutes before I plucked up the nerve to ask "What was that all about?"

"What?" she asked flatly

"Beck"

Claudia shotmade a fool of by men who pretend to care Dustin doesn’t want me in his life, fine Guess what? I don’t want Beck into convince myself that he didn’t break my heart But he did He hurts me all the time and doesn’t even care He’s selfish and cruel and I hate him"

I knew my friend, and I knew that what she’d said wasn’t her I was convinced she was projecting what she felt about Dustin onto Beck "You don’t mean that"

The coldness in her eyes shocked me "Yes I do"

"Claudia…" I reached for her hand "What exactly did Dustin say?"

Pain etched itself into her features "When I got to his apartht He was nervous and juaze Then Pedra showed up"

Renewed anger flooded me "He said it in front of her?"

She nodded unhappily "He told me we needed to talk and I sat down across from them and he told me that his life is his art and that he didn’t have time for distractions He said he’d never had to be responsible for anyone other than himself and at ale that And then he said that he thought I was a lovely young woman, but he’d rather not keep in contact because he felt it would be too confusing for both of us"

"He’s a dick," I said