Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Selina texted, “Hey, where’s your place? I’ll swing by for a bit of fun.”

Leanne, with her trademark cool detachment, texted back, “A secret,” and promptly ended

the conversation.

Before she could enjoy the silence, Joy called her.

“Babe, get your stuff together, I’ll be at your doorstep in ten! My boss hooked us up with two tickets to the theater. I’m taking you out for some culture!”

Just like that, Leanne’s plans for a lazy Sunday were hijacked.

Closing her book, Leanne replied, “Hold on, I’ll change.”

Only Joy could manage to drag her out on a precious weekend with just one phone call.

да

Leanne quickly did her makeup, slipped into a new outfit, and stepped outside to find. leaning against a sleek black SUV, with sporting sunglasses, striking a cool pose.

As Leanne passed by, she snatched Joy’s sunglasses and put them on herself.

Joy

“What?” Joy crumbled her cool façade in a second. “I’m standing here looking all hot and are you not even phased? And you take my shades!”

“They’re only worth taking if they’re on someone hot.” Leanne teased, “Do I look hot?”

Draped in a caramel-colored coat, the color set off her features perfectly. With oversized. shades on her petite face, she looked like a celebrity hitting the streets, absolutely

stunning.

“You’re killing me here, not gonna lie,” Joy pouted, then coaxed, “Come on, give me a kiss!” Leanne pushed her away playfully, “Oh, come on, don’t do that.”

Inside the car, Joy held out her hand expectantly, bragging, “How about this ride? Lost a bet to my boss and now I get to drive it for a few days. Cool, right?”

Leanne handed her some hand sanitizer, “You’ll probably make a fortune gambling. someday.”

The thing about Joy was her uncanny luck with bets. It worked like a charm, but only for

bling.

Jughout her

her life, Joy never lost a bet. She’d won a year’s worth of cleaning duties from er deskmate in school, a rich guy’s allowance of three grand, and even the attention of the most sought-after guy in college from her nemesis.

When the nemesis couldn’t face the defeat, she spitefully gave Joy the guy’s number. Joy sent him a voice message, “Your girl doesn’t want you anymore, haha!”

After rubbing her hands clean, Joy started the car’s music app, shuffling through her boss playlist with a disdainful sneer, “What a strange music taste!

Finally, a song she liked came on and she sang along passionately while driving

“I needed to lose you to love me

I gave my all and they all know it

You turned me down and now it’s showing.

In two months you replaced us

Like it was easy

Made me think I deserved it”

Leanne glanced at the display, “What’s this song?”

“Lose You to Love Me,” Joy said, her favorite. “Have you never heard it?”

“Nope,” Leanne replied, feeling a twinge of recognition, “It’s just… the lyrics feel like they’re about me and Curtis.”

ig away.

Curtis had loved her fiercely but briefly before coolly walking a

She, always slow to warm up, was left to love him deeply and torment herself for more than two years.

But at least now, she was finally cooling down.

As she was speaking, Joy abruptly changed the song, looking annoyed, “Bad vibes! That. jerk doesn’t deserve to ruin my favorite song.”

Leanne laughed just as her phone rang.

Being a doctor, she was used to getting calls from unknown numbers. Patients often called for advice after appointments. Without much thought, she picked up.

“Suzan?” Leanne’s smile faded a touch.

“Thought I might have dialed the wrong number,” Suzan said. “Nothing urgent, really. I just got back into town. Devin and the gang are throwing me a welcome back party. I told

it’s too much, but Devin insisted and now there’s a whole shindig.”

in sounded quite resigned. Leanne, not particularly keen, stayed silent.

The thing was, Devin and his friends treated Suzan quite differently than they did Leanne. Devin and Suzan had grown up together, after all.

Sensing Leanne’s hesitation, Suzan continued, “I was hoping you could join us tonight. It’s been a while.”

Leanne was about to decline when Suzan added with a chuckle, “You’re not going to use

Chapter 52

work as an excuse, are you? I checked with Curtis, and he told me you’re off today.”