Save Me (The Me Novellas) Read Free Page B

down the bar. Dylan was drying and stacking mugs. He frowned at the cash on the bar, shaking his head, letting me know I didn’t need to pay.
    “ You’ll be back,” Ben said. “Begging.”
    I left the money in place on the bar and looked at Ben. “Only if I need a mechanic.”
    “ Whatever.”
    I didn’t say anything, just turned and walked toward the door. I wasn’t going to let him see me cry. Because the crying wasn’t just about him. It was about the downward trajectory my life had taken that day. I wasn’t going to miss him, but breaking up with a boyfriend, no matter how much of a jerk he was, still hurt.
    And I might have been PMSing.
    “ You’ll be back,” he called. “Less than a week.”
    I didn’t know where I would be next week. But one thing was crystal clear as I headed back to my car. I wouldn’t be with him.

THREE
     
     
    “ What an asshole.”
    Dani and I were sitting at Panera the next morning. I’d ordered a cinnamon roll but it sat untouched in front of me.
    Dani bit off a piece of her bagel and chewed. Her blue eyes, the kind of eyes guys could lose themselves in, were full of sympathy. “Seriously, Katie. I had no idea what a jerk he’d turn out to be.”
    I’d told her about my break-up with Ben. And my parents impending move. And my plan to find a bridge to jump off.
    I nodded. “I know.”
    “ I mean, you guys dated for almost a year.” She shook her head in wonder, her reddish-brown hair bobbing obediently. “I thought … I don’t know. I thought you guys were serious. I thought he might be It. You know?”
    I knew. Not because Ben and I were the perfect match, but because she’d been trying to set me up with Mr. Right since sixth grade. Her taste in boys had gone from bad to worse as she aged, though, so I had learned early on to sidestep any suggestions of blind dates or friends of Ron’s, her boyfriend of three years.
    “ We need to find you a new boyfriend,” she announced. She took a sip of coffee and winced. She’d never liked the taste.
    “ I kinda need a place to live first,” I reminded her. “Then I can work on the next ex-boyfriend.”
    She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, please. That is so not an issue.”
    “ How do you figure?”
    She looked pointedly at me, her eyes narrowed. “Katie. You’ll live with us. Duh.”
    I knew she’d offer—that’s what best friends did—but I still cringed. I was not a neat freak in any way, but her apartment gave me nightmares. Literally. Like I’d go to sleep and then wake up screaming because I’d dreamt that her apartment had come to life and eaten me.
    “ I don’t know,” I hedged.
    She tucked her hair behind her ears and took another bite of her bagel. I was convinced calories and carbs were allergic to her body because she never gained an ounce of weight. “I already texted Ron.”
    I raised my eyebrows at her.
    “ When you were getting more coffee,” she explained. “He’s fully supportive. Says you can stay as long as you need to.”
    Where? I wanted to ask. In the spare bedroom that was currently piled three-feet high with his record collection and newspapers they were supposedly recycling? I wasn’t sure, but I was fairly certain I’d seen a hobo living in there once.
    “ That’s really nice of him,” I said.
    She nodded. “I know. He’s the best, isn’t he?”
    I pictured Ron. Brown wavy hair, hazel eyes and an oily smile that screamed used-car salesman. Except he repaired bikes. And DJ’ed on the side.
    “ Yes,” I lied. “He is.”
    She beamed. “He really is. And I think he’s going to ask me … ”
    Dani had been waiting for a ring since she was ten. Her life plan included getting married and having kids. Period. It was why she didn’t go to college, why she worked for a temp agency, accepting short-term receptionist and secretary assignments. Because the minute she got married, she was quitting work and starting her real full-time job: baby-making. I was pretty sure