Page 49 of Christmas for Keeps

Ignoring the phone, I asked, “Did you meet Emory on Grindr?”

“Is that what he said? He’s the fucking liar. He must have seen my profile on there at some point, but why does it matter if I had an account?”

“It matters because you told me there hadn’t been anyone else. You didn’t have to lie about it. I always assumed you’d moved on. I wouldn’t have held it against you if you had, but if you’ll lie about something—”

“I. Didn’t. Lie.”

Has he lost his mind? He can’t even remember what he says.“Zach, you admitted going on dates.”

He spoke through clenched jaws. “Twice, both times with the same guy, who wasnotfrom Grindr. He and I never had sex. We weren’t intimate in any way. He was a med student, home for the summer. I met him at a town cookout and—”

“Stop!”Why did I ask? I don’t want to hear.

Zach sprang off the sofa and knelt in front of me, grabbing for my hand. “He was home for the summer. We went to a movie. Afterward—”

“Please don’t,” I begged.

“After the movie, we got ice cream and went home. Each to our own house. The second time—”

“Zach!”

“Listen to me, babe. The second time, we went to a comedy club in Burlington. He rode with me, and when we got back to Stowe and I took him home, he tried to kiss me. I freaked out…freaked the fuck out! I never went out with him or anyone else again.”

It was time to bring out the heavy artillery, so I asked about the thing that was so horrible I hadn’t even told Abby about it. “Why did you tell me you’d never fucked Emory?”

“Because I never have. God, just thinking about it grosses me out.”

“He said you two hook up sometimes. Honestly, I’d been wondering why he would come here that first night when the roads were so bad we barely made it ourselves.”

“He’s lying to you. Why won’t you believe me?” Tears ran down his cheeks, and he swiped at them furiously. “When did you start thinking so little of me that—”

“I don’t, but—”

“Nothing he said is true, Con. Not a word of it.” Zach’s voice broke, and he stared at me while he swallowed a few times. “Don’t you remember how shocked he was that first night? He went on about how he didn’t know anything about me having a boyfriend, and how he’d never seen you before.”

Zach gave me a pleading look. I didn’t know what to believe, but wasn’t the fact that I had so many doubts reason enough to stop things? If I couldn’t be sure he was telling me the truth, that was a fatal blow, whether he was being honest or not. “I should go back to Boston. I’ll leave tomorrow.”

His eyes widened so much I could see white all the way around. “No! You’ve got to believe me. I swear I’m telling you the truth. How would you even get to Boston, anyway?”

“I’ll take a bus. It isn’t like—”

A heavy knock on the door cut me off. Zach and I turned our heads, but neither of us moved. When the knocking grew louder, Zach jumped to his feet. “I’ll kill him!”

He rushed toward the door, and I ran after him. “Stop, Zach!” I’d never seen him so angry, and while I hated Emory, I didn’t want Zach to hurt him. I caught up as he reached for the knob.

CHAPTER16

Zach

Furious and heartbroken,I rushed to the door. My heart rampaged in my chest, ready for battle.I’ll kill him with my bare hands.Ready for the final showdown with Emory, I yanked the door open. “You’re a dead man, you miserable bastard!”

Liz and Kerry jumped back, looking like they didn’t know whether to scream or run. Probably both.

Connor wedged himself in front of me, apparently afraid I’d slug them before I realized who they were. “Easy, Zach. It’s Liz and Kerry, our friends.”

Confused about why they were there, it took a moment for me to say, “Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

Liz exchanged glances with Kerry, then looked at Con and me. “I apologize for not calling first, but we have something urgent to tell you.”

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