Page 100 of Broken Vows

Heat rises up my neck. “I’m not.”

“You absolutely are.” Her expression softens. “Carmen.”

I hesitate, then lower my voice. “I slept with Levi last night.”

Her eyes widen. “You did what?”

“Please don’t say it like that.” I let out a shaky breath. “He hasn’t messaged me. I know it’s only been a day. I know he’s not a big texter. But…I wanted something. Anything.”

Diane’s face gentles. She reaches over and squeezes my hand.

“Men are idiots, Carmen.”

I swallow hard and nod.

“He’s probably sitting at home right now,” she says, “thinking about you and too stupid to send a message.”

“Or maybe he got what he wanted,” I whisper.

“Maybe,” Diane says, honest enough not to sugarcoat it. “But from everything you’ve told me about him, that man is down bad for you.”

It should be reassuring, but it isn’t.

“Tell you what, if he skips town now, we’ll hunt him down and I’ll give him a whack with my handbag. It’s heavy.”

I laugh properly at that, the sound surprising even me.

By the time Maya finishes rinsing, toning, and blow-drying my hair, I’ve almost stopped checking my phone every few minutes.

When she turns the chair toward the mirror with a little flourish, I go still.

The gray is gone. My blonde is softer now, brighter around my face in delicate pieces that catch the light. I don’t look dramatically different—just fresher. Less tired. A little more like myself.

“Maya,” I murmur, touching the ends. “It’s beautiful.”

Her face lights up. I tip her generously, and as Diane and I step out into the evening air, she says, “Well, now we have to go to dinner. You can’t waste hair this good on going home to spiral.”

I glance at my phone again. Still nothing.

The small ache returns to my chest, but before I can sink into it, Diane links her arm through mine.

“The Italian place down the block. Wine, pasta, and we can talk about how men are idiots for as long as you want.”

“Okay,” I say.

Diane grins. “That’s my girl.”

28

CARMEN

Dinner with Diane turned a little boozy. By the time the cab drops me off, my cheeks are warm and I’m still smiling from a genuinely fun night. We split the fare, hug on the sidewalk, and I begin the short walk home, the cool evening air brushing against my flushed skin.

I’m halfway up my porch steps, keys jingling in my hand, when a figure steps out of the shadows.

I nearly stumble straight into him.

Levi.