Page 80 of Redemption

“What’re you doin’ here?”

I give him an incredulous look. “It’s seven. I’m here for my shift. Just wanted to drop my purse in your desk drawer like I always do.”

Clay looks confused. “It’s seven already? Shit. We were goin’ at it longer than I thought.”

I scrunch my face. “Gross, Clayton. I don’t need to know that. If you want to talk about your sex life, I’m sure there are plenty of other people who’ll listen.”

His eyes widen. “You can’t say a word, Pres, not even to Beck. She doesn’t want anyone to know.”

“Yeah, I’m sure the last person she’d want to know about this is Beck.” I scoff. “What the hell were you thinkin’, Clayton? Nicky? Really? You could do so much better.”

He thunks his head against the doorframe and closes his eyes. “I’m in love with her, Presley.”

I mime unplugging my ears. “I’m sorry; there’s no way I heard you correctly.”

His periwinkle eyes flicker to mine. “Trust me, if I could turn these damn feelings off, I would’ve done it years ago, but I fucking can’t.”

“But...” I shake my head and try again. “I don’t understand, Clayton. How long has this been going on?”

He stretches his neck from side to side. “Off and on for... what? Thirteen, maybe fourteen years now?”

“What?!” My jaw drops. “How? Why? Why her, Clayton? She’s the devil incarnate!”

Clayton releases a heavy breath. “There are things about her that you don’t know, Pres. There are things about her that no one else knows. It’s not my place to tell, but let’s just say Nicky’s life isn’t what she leads people to believe. There’s a reason she’s so...”

“Unbelievably bitchy?” I helpfully supply.

He gives me a wry look. “Yeah. That.”

I lightly tap the back of my head on the wall. “God, Clayton. Of all the people.”

“I know,” he agrees. “Just please... forget you ever saw anything tonight. Okay? And don’t say a word.”

I sigh. “I’m not going to lie to Beckett, Clayton. You can’t ask me to do that. Not when we’re just getting back on track again.”

“Pres—”

I hold my hand up. “The best I can do is I won’t outwardly volunteer the information until you get your crap sorted out. But if he asks... I won’t lie.”

My brother thinks about that for a minute. “Thanks, Pres.”

I give him a good once-over, taking in his messy hair, the unevenly buttoned shirt, and the bright red lipstick smeared across his mouth. “I’m gonna get to work. Maybe you should take a look in the mirror before you come back out.” He catches my purse when I toss it to him. “Put that in your desk for me, will ya?”’

Clayton nods. “I’ll be out in a bit.”

I start walking away. “Take your time.”

Theo gives me a strange look when I return to the bar. “Everything okay back there?”

I clear my throat. “Yeah, fine. My brother and I were just having a chat, that’s all.”

Theo lifts a dark brow. “That chat didn’t have something to do with the angry woman marching out of here a few minutes ago, did it?”

“Trust me, Theo. It’s best if you just leave it be.”

“Oh, I know.” He laughs. “Doesn’t mean we’re all not curious. You’d have to be blind not to see it.”

“If that’s true, then clearly, I need to get my vision checked.”

---