“Yes.”
He waited for her to say more, but if he wanted to talk, he needed to get to it. She didn’t want to pretend they were still friends. Friends didn’t lie to each other.
Jamie cleared his throat. “I don’t quite know where to start.”
“I’ll start,” she said softly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done what I did.”
His shoulder rose on a deep breath before he turned to face her. “You probably shouldn’t have, but that’s okay.”
“I wanted to help, and…” She held up her hands. “And I just wanted to help.”
“It did help.”
“Yeah?” Relief bloomed inside her.
“We talked. Me and Eric and Tessa. In fact, I’m back at the brewery. We’re making it happen.”
“You’re doing it? Seriously? That’s great.” She started to move toward him, then realized that she shouldn’t.
“I wanted to tell you, but you never answered, and…”
“I was out of town,” she said, as if cell phones didn’t function at a distance. They stood there awkwardly, just staring at each other. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Jamie look awkward before. “Well, I’m truly glad it worked out. I hope you’ll… I hope you’ll keep in touch.”
His eyes flickered to the door, but he didn’t move. “I know what my brother told you,” he said. “And I wanted to explain.”
That snapped her from her awkward hovering. Olivia shook her head and retrieved her wineglass from the table. “There’s no need. Really.”
“No, I want to be—”
“I mean it,” she snapped as she opened her fridge and grabbed the wine. “I don’t want an explanation or…whatever you want to call it. It’s done. I’m over it.”
“You’re over it? Just like that?”
“What do you want me to say, Jamie? We had a thing. We had fun. And if you want it to mean something to me, then that would mean your lies meant something, too. And I need them not to mean anything.”
“Olivia, please listen. It’s—”
“I don’t want to listen! What could you possibly say? ‘It isn’t what you think? It meant nothing? I only told you that to make you feel better about yourself?’ I’ve heard it all before, Jamie. And believe me, none of it makes it better. Do you know what it’s like to be lied to? To be made a fool of?”
“Yes. In fact, I do know what it’s like to be made a fool of. That woman—” He looked up at the ceiling as if it could help guide him through this minefield of manipulation. But apparently the ceiling offered no answers, because Jamie closed his eyes, his brow furrowing.
“Even if she screwed you over, Jamie, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t count. How many other women have you slept with that you don’t count? Jesus, were there others while you were seeing me?”
“No. And that’s not why I don’t count her.”
“Did you have sex with her?”
“Yes,” he growled.
“Then why are we having this conversation? You made a damned point of telling me you hadn’t slept with anyone in over a year. You didn’t even have to say it! I wasn’t asking!”
“I wanted you to understand that you meant something to me.”
“Jamie…” Olivia threw her hands up. “I feel like I’m in the twilight zone! It doesn’t mean anything if you’re lying.”
“I’m not lying!” he shouted. “I don’t count her, because I didn’t want it.”
“Oh, for God’s sake. I give up.”