“Yeah, it’s true. Ashley told me. She didn’t mean to, but I’m glad she did because it reminded me again to always question what I think I know.”

Mel ignored the less than subtle dig. Her heart thudded hard. Could it be true? No. Nate wouldn’t have lied to her. But he hadn’t actually talked about it, had he? He’d always refused. And if he was the one who had broken up with Joanna, it would explain why Joanna had looked so confused when Mel had demanded an apology. A hideous, uncomfortable feeling crawled through her insides. If Eden was right—“But if that’s what happened, why wouldn’t Joanna have called me?”

“I don’t know.” Eden rolled her eyes. “Maybe because you’re so opinionated you’re not that easy to talk to?”

Opinionated? Not easy to talk to?

She swallowed. Presumably, for Eden, this was no longer about Joanna.

“That’s an unkind thing to say.”

“Maybe.” Eden had the grace to flush. “But it’s the truth, even if it’s difficult to hear.”

It wasn’t the truth. “If people are in trouble, I always listen.”

“Yeah, but there are different types of listening.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Eden shrugged. “There’s the kind where you actually listen and hear, and then the kind where you listen and then rush in to offer solutions and judgment because you think you know what’s best. You do the second sort. You have to fix things. It’s like other people’s problems are part of your to-do list and you want to tick them off.”

Mel absorbed that blow. “If someone I love is in trouble, then yes, I’m going to try and help fix it. Is that a crime?”

“No, not a crime. But not helpful, either, because you can’t fix someone else’s life and sometimes all a person needs is to talk and express how they’re feeling, but with you that’s not allowed because you jump in with solutions.”

But that was because she was trying to help. What was wrong with trying to help the people you loved?

“Joanna and I talked about everything. We were best friends.” Her mouth felt dry. “If Nate had ended their relationship she would have told me.”

“Well, she didn’t. I can’t explain that and I’m not going to try, because I’m not a mind reader and I have no idea what was in her head.”

The implication being that Mel made assumptions.

Was that true?

She’d taken all the pieces and formed a picture in her head, but it was true that the pieces could also form a different picture.

Why hadn’t that occurred to her before?

If Joanna hadn’t already left she would have asked her straight out, but Joanna had gone, which left one other person who knew the truth.