Sadie and I wander the house in the encroaching evening darkness. I call Corrine since I haven’t spoken to her in a few days, but my call goes to voicemail. Then I remember she has some apartment board meeting tonight, so I sit in the kitchen with a bowl of melting ice cream and my laptop, watching the video feeds from the outside cameras. The doorbell rings, and I switch to the front porch camera. A man stands there, hands jammed into the pockets of his jacket, moving from foot to foot. My heartbeat kicks up, and then I recognize Josh.

Sadie and I go to the door.

“Can I come in?” His frosted breath wafts toward the porch light.

I swing the door open, and he hurries into the foyer.

“What can I do for you, Josh?”

“I just want to talk.” His gaze meets mine for a fraction of a second, then drops to the floor. I don’t particularly want to talk to him, but it’s a situation that has my stomach in knots, so I lead him down the hall to the kitchen.

We sit at the table, and I finish my ice cream but don’t offer him anything.

“I want to explain,” he says, running his hand through his sandy hair.

“Okay.”

“I know you probably figured out about me and Laken.” I start to respond, but he puts up a palm to stop me. “Please, just listen for a minute before you say anything.”

“Fine. Explain.”

He draws a deep breath. “Laken and I’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months. I know it’s wrong. I never meant for it to happen—”

“Nobody ever does.”

“Things have been pretty rough for her.”

I arch my eyebrows.

“I know you’re going through hell right now. I don’t want to burden you with this. The rest of our problems don’t seem like such a big deal next to yours.”

“It’s not a contest.”

He looks away, wipes his mouth with his hand. “I wish Jay was here.”

I get up and walk to the sink, rinse my bowl, and gather my wits. He wishes Jay was here.

“Sorry. That was insensitive.”

“Did Jay know?” I turn to face him, lean against the counter.

“Yeah.” He hangs his head. “Jay knew.”

This sends a dart of pain through my chest. Why didn’t Jay tell me? “How long did he know, Josh?”

“I told him a couple of weeks before Christmas. He, Cal, and I met at the pub for drinks. But Cal left early.”

“How could you guys do this?”

He rubs his hands over his eyes. “Something’s been bothering Cal for a while, and he’s been taking it out primarily on Laken. You didn’t notice?”

“No. I guess I missed all the drama.”