Juliet nodded, trying to ignore the ache in her heart. He was going through with it, then. Maybe that was a good thing. Once he was gone, she might be able to breathe again, because right now, just remembering to inhale was taking every ounce of energy she had.
‘Sorry about the cases, I haven’t managed to unpack yet.’ Sheridan led the way, weaving through the red leather luggage stacked in the hallway. ‘I’m only supposed to be here for a few days. I definitely over-packed.’ They reached the kitchen, where Sheridan grabbed the coffee pot, filling it with water. ‘Decaff okay with you?’
‘That would be great.’
‘Take a seat,’ Sheridan said, gesturing at the breakfast bar. ‘I’ve got some bread if you want a sandwich. I bet
you haven’t had a chance to eat any lunch.’
Juliet slid onto the white plastic stool. ‘I’m not hungry.’
‘Ah I wish I wasn’t. I’ve been eating like a horse. I swear this thing inside me is a goddamn cannibal.’ She rubbed her stomach. ‘It’s weird isn’t it, you spend the first three months throwing everything up, and then the next three eating everything in sight. I’m a slave to my hormones.’
‘You’re pregnant?’ Juliet asked, hypnotised by the slow circular movements Sheridan’s hand was making on her stomach.
‘Yeah, nearly four months. I’m as big as a house already.’
Juliet laughed. There was nothing to her. ‘You look tiny.’
‘I’m wearing baggy pants.’ She pointed at her drawstring black trousers. ‘Mostly because I can’t fit into any of my jeans. I keep growing out of my clothes, hence all the suitcases.’
The coffee machine started to splutter and steam. Sheridan opened a cupboard door, then closed it right away, opening the next one before scratching her head.
‘The mugs are in the one in the corner,’ Juliet told her.
Sheridan turned around to look at her, putting her hands on her hips. ‘And how would you know that?’ she asked in an amused voice.
Juliet feigned an easy shrug. ‘I’m a neighbour. I’ve had coffee here before.’
Sitting on the opposite stool, Sheridan slid a mug of steaming decaff over to Juliet. ‘Just coffee?’ she asked lightly.
Juliet leaned forward. ‘Sometimes he gives me a cookie, too,’ she whispered.
Sheridan coughed out a laugh. ‘You’re full of shit. I know that something’s going on between the two of you. I’m not stupid, I can put two and two together. First of all you and Poppy are all Charlie talks about, and then I get a phone call telling me that Ryan’s hit your husband on the jaw and is going to jail. And then there’s the way he sulked around the house ever since I arrived, with a face like a stormy night in November.’
Juliet felt strangely cheered by Sheridan’s description of Ryan. At least she wasn’t the only one feeling low. ‘There’s nothing going on between us. Not any more.’
‘Bull.’ Sheridan stared at her over the rim of her coffee cup. ‘I know there’s something going on. What I don’t know is why he’s running away from it.’
‘He isn’t running away. He has to sort out his new job. It’s important to him.’ Juliet put her mug down, rubbing her bottom lip to capture a bead of coffee there. ‘He never promised me anything.’
‘So there was something going on?’
Juliet traced her finger around the rim of her cup, the tip squeaking as it completed the circle. How on earth did she end up here, sitting opposite the ex of her ex – and wasn’t that a mess in itself – trying to explain what on earth happened between her and Ryan? He and Sheridan had an unconventional relationship at best. After all, she seemed completely comfortable grilling her about the two of them, while sitting in his house. But did she really want to hear the details of what happened between them?
More importantly, was Juliet comfortable talking about it?
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. ‘I don’t even know where to start. I don’t know how to explain whatever it was that was going on between us. All I know is it’s over. He made no bones about that.’
‘What makes you think it’s over?’
An almost laugh rumbled from her chest. ‘Oh I don’t know, the fact he said it was. Not to mention the small detail of him leaving town like his ass is on fire.’
‘Ah, but he’s a man. They’re stupid, remember?’
She met Sheridan’s amused stare. ‘Yeah, you’ve got that right.’ She couldn’t believe how easy it was to talk to this woman. It reminded her of Saturday nights in the kitchen surrounded by her sisters, as they giggled about boys. ‘Can I ask you a question?’
‘Sure.’ Sheridan gave a shrug. ‘It’s not as if I can refuse is it? I’ve been grilling you for the last ten minutes.’