Page 20 of Hushed

“Brice.”

“Any story I need to know?”

“I got a job on the East Coast, he decided when it was time to go that he wasn’t going. And, it turns out, he never intended to, so he just packed up for show.”

“And now he wants you back?”

“How did you know this?”

“Because if I lost you, I would do a lot more things than give you a call. Is this the first call?”

“No.”

“Do you want him to move on with his life?”

“So much.”

“Do you love him still?”

He looks at me and shakes his head.

I don’t pretend that doesn’t thrill me. If I were a gambling man, I think I’d put a lot of chips on me being the reason he’s over his ex. “I’m going to do you a solid. Give me the phone and I’ll sort it out.”

“How?” He unmutes. “I’m still here, Brice. A few more seconds. There’s someone else in my ear and I need to respect his privacy too, okay?” He hits the button.

“Leave it to me.”

“I can’t just hand off my phone to you. That’s rude and I don’t need you to solve this problem.”

“But you want me to.”

He looks at his phone guiltily. “How do you know this?”

“Because you look like this is hurting you. And I can make it go away. Tell you what. You unmute and go back and I’ll step in.”

He closes his eyes and unmutes. “I’m back,” he says. “No, this is not about Robby. No, I was not in love with—”

I pull the phone cleanly out of his hand and smile at him. “Hi,” I say. “I’m sorry, I had to interrupt. You must be Brice. It’s so nice to finally meet you after all this time.”

“Who is this?” he demands. He has a thin, reedy voice. “Where’s Bastien? You knew Robby, didn’t you?”

“No. I’m sorry to say that I didn’t. But you were both right and wrong. He was in love with somebody else, so, good job spotting that. But it wasn’t Robby. It’s complicated.”

“What are you doing?” Bastien demands, looking horrified. “Give me back the phone.” I pivot away.

“What exactly is complicated?” Brice asks over the phone. Good. I’ve got his attention.

“Well, you were just asking if he was in love with Robby. And Robby was great, I’m sure, but he was never in love with Robby.”

Bastien exhales in relief. “Thank you,” he murmurs.

“And how would you know?” Brice demands.

“This is the awkward part, but we met when I was about nineteen and he thought I was too young for him, so I just kind of…you know how you do.”

“I don’t like where this is going,” Bastien says.

“What are you trying to say?” Brice asks.