Piece of My Heart (Fostering Love 4)

I didn’t even bother to respond. My outburst didn’t have anything to do with my being Jewish. I was pissed because he was such an asshole. Because he’d embarrassed my friend. Because Hailey had been so excited about the meal she’d made, and he’d ruined it. Because he didn’t seem to have any regard for her feelings at all.

“Now you know,” Alex said flatly to Sean, giving my thigh one more squeeze before digging into his food.

“This bread is really good,” I told Hailey, changing the subject.

“I made it with margarine,” she told me quietly. “No dairy.”

She knew that I didn’t follow the stricter kosher rules, like never eating dairy and meat in the same meal, but she’d made sure she hadn’t mixed them just in case. I sent her a thankful smile that was just between us. My best friend had put a lot of thought into our dinner, and I hated that the night wasn’t going how she’d envisioned.

Alex started talking to Sean about someone they worked with, and I let myself zone out while I ate my dinner. It was really good. I was honestly impressed, considering what a disaster Hailey was in the kitchen.

After dinner, I helped Hailey with the dishes while Sean showed Alex something in the detached garage.

“Is he always like that?” I asked, handing her a plate.

“No,” she said lightly, shaking her head. “I think he just really wanted things to go well tonight.”

“They did go well,” I replied. “You did a really good job.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

We were quiet for a few minutes as we worked in tandem.

“He shouldn’t talk to you like that,” I said finally, unable to ignore the elephant in the room any longer.

“I know.” She sighed. “But he’s not always like that. You don’t see him when it’s just us. He’s really sweet most of the time.”

“That doesn’t make up for it—”

“It’s only when he’s around his friends,” she said, cutting me off. “I think he’s just a little insecure or something.”

“You realize how crazy that sounds, right?” I asked incredulously. “You’re saying he puts you down because he feels bad about himself? You’re okay with that?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be,” she said softly as we heard the guys come back inside. “Who’s the dramatic one now?”

I opened my mouth to argue but snapped it shut again when she looked nervously over her shoulder. She clearly didn’t want Sean to overhear our conversation.

“Hey, beautiful,” Alex murmured, coming up behind me as I set a clean pan on the countertop. “You ready to go?”

I let out a quiet sigh of relief and nodded, drying off my hands with a kitchen towel. I really hadn’t wanted to be the one to cut the night short, and Alex was giving me the perfect out.

“We’re going to head home,” I told Hailey, giving her a tight hug. “Thank you for dinner. It was delicious.”

“Thanks for coming,” she replied quietly, squeezing me back. “Next time we’ll come to your house, yeah?”

I nodded, even though I knew that would never happen in a hundred lifetimes. Hailey was always welcome, but I didn’t want Sean in my space.

I followed Alex toward the front door, and when we stopped to grab our coats off the couch, Sean started whining.

“Man, you guys are leaving already?” he asked. “It’s early still.”

“Sarai has to work in the morning,” Alex said, resting his hand on my back.

“Hell, so do we,” Sean replied.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Alex replied. “Bye, Hailey.”

“Thanks for coming, Alex,” she called back from the kitchen.

“You guys’ll have to come over again soon,” Sean said as he stood up. “Don’t worry—we’ll order takeout next time.” He chuckled, and I wanted to punch him.

“Yeah, maybe,” Alex said, steering me out of the house before I could say anything.

* * *

The ride back to my apartment was silent.

I was so angry and sad for my friend that I wanted to cry. Why did Hailey stay? Why did she try to justify the way he treated her? I didn’t understand any of it.

I watched Alex as he drove. He was everything Sean wasn’t. He complimented me constantly. He treated everyone with respect, from the waitresses at Mr. and Mrs. K’s restaurant to the homeless guy who sometimes huddled at the far end of my apartment building. He didn’t complain, and he’d never made me feel bad for any reason, not even when I didn’t text him back or forgot to call.

“Well,” Alex said as he pulled into a parking spot. “That was a shitshow.”

His voice was so calm, so serious, that I burst out laughing.

“That’s an understatement,” I replied. “I’d rather go to the dentist than do that again.”

“I’d rather slide into second again,” Alex mumbled.

“I’d rather fly internationally three days in a row,” I replied.