Her Fake Apology, My Real Goodbye

Synopsis

My husband, Xander Sherwood, and my best friend, Laura Chambers, who had just returned from abroad, came to pick me up from the hospital. Laura sat in the passenger seat, acting like nothing was wrong. "Susi, babe, this seat's getting fried. I'll take the hit for you, okay?" She cranked the AC to max. I said nothing and headed for the back door. Xander didn't say anything about it either in the driver's seat. "So? What did the doctor say?" He changed the subject. The pregnancy results crumpled in my fist. I opened the back door and slid in before answering slowly. "Just indigestion." Laura laughed. "Seriously? You're still so dramatic. Indigestion? You went to the hospital for that? "Total waste of resources, girl." Then she reached over and flicked one of the little decorations I'd put on the dashboard. "And Xander, this car's like half a million dollars. But you've got it looking all girly. You even a guy?" she asked. Xander kept his eyes on the road. But the corner of his mouth curved up. "She likes it." "Ugh. Well, I don't. Such a hot car, and you made it look like a mess." "I'll buy you one if you want," Xander offered. "Please. Don't act like such a big shot in front of me. Who carries you in ranked games, huh?" Laura shot back. The curve of Xander's lips was downright irresistible. I hadn't seen that smile in a while. And suddenly I remembered what someone had said to me once. "Susi, I swear. They're totally hooking up."