Free Fighting Fate by Amity Hope

kept them.” She leaned over, plucking her enormous purse offettus purs the floor.
    Sarah waved her hand dismissively. “It’s not that I meant to keep them. I haven’t lived in that house for years. I just forgot that they were there.” In an instant a realization washed over her and she groaned.
    Gretchen slid a manila envelope her way. “Inside is your ticket to a trip down memory lane.”
    “Is that what this is about?” she pointed accusingly at the envelope. “You found those old photos of Cole and me and…” She paused. “No. I am not even going to finish that thought. Because if you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, it’s not happening.” She scowled because she was certain she knew exactly what Gretchen was up to. “I mean really, Gretchen? Cole? Cole Montgomery?”
    “You act like you hate him,” Gretchen stated .
    “I don’t hate him.”
    “But you are definitely holding a grudge.”
    Sarah frowned but didn’t argue because she couldn’t.
    “What did he do? You’re not usually so antagonistic.”
    Sarah shot Gretchen an offended look. “I’m not antagonistic. I’m ambivalent.”
    “Ambivalent people don’t hold grudges,” Gretchen argued. She gave Sarah her best sympathetic look. “Whatever happened? It was eight years ago. You should let it go.”
    “I have let it go. But that doesn’t mean that I have to be happy that he’s back in town.” She threw her hands up in the air. “What does it even matter? He could be married with a dozen kids for all I know!”
    “He’s not married,” Gretchen assured her.
    Sarah’s eyes widened. “What did you do? Did you run a background check on him? Please tell me you didn’t.”
    “No. Of course not. I just noticed he never wears a wedding ring.”
    “That doesn’t mean anything. He still might have a dozen kids scattered across the tri-state area.”
    “Wow,” Gretchen said as she blew out a breath. “If this is you not being antagonistic, I don’t want to be around you when you really decide you dislike someone. Do you really think that poorly of him?”
    “I don’t know. I honestly don’t. Because here’s the thing. I don’t know him at all. I thought I did. At one time, I thought I knew him better than anyone. But I was wrong. He wasn’t the person I thought he was. In fact, he ended up being a person I didn’t like very much,” Sarah admitted quietly.
    “He was really that awful?” Gretchen wondered.
    Sarah looked torn. She really did not want to dredge up the past. Yet she knew that Gretchen would keep pressing her for information until she had the answers she wanted. Maybe it was best to get it over with. With a whole lot of luck, maybe her sister would decide to never bring the subject of Cole up again.
    “If Grandma were here, she’d call Cole a hoodlum.” Sarah could think of worse names, but no matter how frustrated she was with Cole, she couldn’t bring herself to use them.
    Gretchen rolled her eyes at Sarah. “Cora loved Cole. She never would’ve called him a hoodlum.”
    “That’s because she didn’t really know him,” Sarah argued.
    “Well, I don’t think he’s a hoodlum ,” Gretchen said the word sarcastically. “At least, not anymore. People change. They grow up and become responsible. I saw him helping a lady cross the street. The poor thing had an oxygen tank and I saw Cole help her cross the street and walk her into an apartment building. Hoodlums don’t help people out. Not like that. That’s what nice guys do.”
    “Do nice guys go around kissing other girls? Do they kiss other girls when they know their girlfriend will be walking in the door any minute?”
    “ Ohhh …” Gretchen said the word on an exhalation. A look of understanding settled onto her features. “He cheated on you.”
    Sarah nodded as she spun her empty cup on the table.
    Gretchen waited with raised eyebrows. When Sarah didn’t elaborate she said, “Is that it? They were kissing ?”
    Sarah scowled