Page 94 of Ty

Ty headed for his office as Jinx walked the blown tire to the dumpster. Once a week, they were picked up for recycling, and today was that day.

When he reached his space, Ty locked the door and pulled the blinds. This would be a private conversation he didn’t want interrupted. He sat at his desk and scrolled through his contacts for the number he’d never bothered to memorize.

“Ty! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?” The sultry voice on the other end had his hackles rising with nothing more than a standard greeting. “Have you called to concede the property?”

Laughing, he leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet on his desk. He grabbed a stress ball Brooke had left him a few weeks ago and tossed it in the air. “I gather you haven’t seen the news this morning.”

“No. Why?” Her voice held a note of suspicion.

“Cuz your buddy, Lorenzo, is ruined. He doesn’t have enough money for a gumball, let alone to steal my business out from under me.”

“W-what?” she whispered.

Ty grinned as he caught and tossed the ball again. The shock in her voice was music to his ears. “You heard me.”

“I-um, I hadn’t heard anything.”

“Well, you might want to flip on your television because it’s all over the damn news. But that’s not all I called to say. Trina?”

“Yeah, Ty?”

He could practically hear her twirling her hair and plotting how to get back in his good graces. “The moment I hang up this phone, we are finished. I don’t want to see you or hear from you again. Ever.”

“Baby, you can’t mean tha—”

“Oh, but I do. You stay the fuck away from me, but you especially stay the fuck away from Kelsie.”

Trina laughed. “The child? Please, Ty, there’s no way she can give you what I can, and you know it. Remember how we used to—”

“What I remember is the relief I felt the day our divorce went through. I mean it, Trina. I’ve played nice up until now, but that’s over. You come near what’s mine, and I will bring the full power of my club down on you, and trust me, you don’t want that.”

“Ty, you don’t mean that.” She went for a verbal pout that time.

“Goodbye, Trina.”

Before his finger hit the end button, he heard a shrill, “You fucking asshole,” but the words rolled right off his back. He ended the call, set the phone on his desk, and then booted up his computer.

It's time to get his work done. He had a woman to get back to, and he didn’t want to arrive home a minute later than he had to.

CRYING JAGS ALWAYS left her weak and exhausted—this one was no different. Add to it the mountain of guilt she had over locking Ty out of his bathroom and the complex feelings over the information she hadn’t processed from that morning, and Kelsie was a general mess. She went through the motions of dressing, styling her hair, and applying her makeup as though walking through a fog.

The drive to the community college’s administration offices in southern Tampa went by in a blur of jumbled thoughts and rampant emotions. At least she hadn’t thought to be nervous about her meeting, which was as easy as possible. She only encountered women and ended up registering for two classes this semester.

After the information in the news and the successful solo outing, Kelsie should have been on cloud nine. Instead, she was a distracted, guilt-ridden mess. She wanted Ty. She wanted him to kiss her, touch her, and help her forget her worries. She could have had all of that if she’d been smart enough to keep the bathroom door unlocked.

“Idiot,” she muttered.

Was he mad? Disappointed? Did he think she’d acted like a child?

Ugh, more insecurities to add to the pot. What did he even see in her?

“You have got to stop this shit.”

She shook her head as she reached her car parked on the street in front of the building. There she was, walking around and talking to herself like she’d lost it. Enough was enough. Moping wasn’t her style, and she hated it. She’d pull into her favorite coffee house drive-thru, grab a drink for her and Ty, then visit him at work with an apology. She could take him to his office if he resisted and try a different tactic.

A shiver of delight ran through her. Yes, that’s what she’d do. Hell, maybe she’d try getting on her knees in his office, even if coffee was enough to have him forgive her.

As she reached for the door handle, a heavy weight hit her from behind, slamming her into her car. She yelped in pain as her chin slammed into the car.

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