Page 68 of Keeping Kaitlyn

Weaving my way through the crush of people, I aim myself at the hallway that houses the bathrooms and office. There’s a line of women waiting outside the ladies’ room. Most of them either chatting with each other or on their phones. One of them who isn’t doing either of those things catches my eye. Long dark hair. Curvy and petite. The firm line of her jaw familiar. One I’ve drawn a thousand times.

Kait.

Like I said it out loud, the woman turns around and looks right at me, her bright blue eyes flaring wide, mouth falling open, just as a fight breaks out behind me.

By the time I have things under control and I go back for her, she’s gone.

THIRTY-EIGHT

KAITLYN

That didn’t happen.

There’s no way that happened. I did not just see my ex-husband in a Boston bar, six years after I ran out on him and disappeared without so much as an explanation.

And there’s no way inhellthat he actually works there. Why would a multi-billionaire be working in a college bar, for Christ’s sake? That makes absolutely no sense.

None at all.

Zero.

Even less sense than Went wanting to marry you in the first place.

Managing to find a small table near the pool tables, I planted roots while Jill and the rest of my former co-workers melted into the crowd and disappeared without so much as aWe’re going to the bar—want anything?.Instead of feeling used because they obviously invited me along because of who I work for now and I was the best chance they had of getting through the door, I feel relieved. Even an hour fielding their questions about Conner and comments about what a nightmare it must be to work for Ryan would’ve been entirely too much. Like they’d believe or evenunderstand that a sexual relationship with Conner was never the goal and that the last few months of working as Ryan’s private nurse—while frustrating at times—has been the happiest I’ve been for a long time. I’d much rather sit here quietly and nurse my beer while helping Tess fill Grace’s tub with ice.

“Where’d your friends go?” Tess asks. It’s just us for the moment, Grace and Logan heading for the back office to pull cases of beer up from the basement.

Giving her a shrug, I pick up a bag of ice. “Gone,” I say, giving her a wry smile before dumping the bag of ice into Grace’s tub. “I served my purpose.”

When I look back up, Tess is scowling at me. “You want me to find them and kick them out?”

Laughing, I pick up another bag of ice and rip it open. “Conner told me once that I needed to find better friends,” I tell her, handing her the open bag of ice when she gestures for it. “I guess I should’ve listened.”

“You did listen,” Tess tells me, matter of factly, while she dumps the ice into the other side of the tub. “You found us.”

Because I don’t know what to say to that and even if I did, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t actually say it without bursting into tears, I don’t say anything at all. Instead, I spend the next forty-five minutes with Grace and Tess while Grace sold longnecks and Tess hustled a couple of finance bros out of their Christmas bonus at the pool tables. It was probably the most fun I’ve had in years until Declan shows up.

“It’s almost midnight, Tiny,” Declan says before leaning down to kiss Tess on the forehead. “I need you back on the door and I need your dickhead ex back on the floor.”

“Dickhead ex?” The corner of Tess’s mouth twitches a bit when she says it. “You know he used to call you the same thing, right?”

“I don’t give a fuck what he calls me,” Declan says with a laugh. “As long as he does his job and remembers, that unlike me, he’sstillyour ex.”

“No need to get jealous, baby.” Tess lifts herself onto the toes of her boots to press her lips against the underside of Declan’s jaw. “You’re the only dickhead for me.”

“Better be,” Declan growls at her before dropping a quick, hard kiss on her mouth. “If you need anything at the door?—”

“No worries,” Tess reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a crescent wrench almost as big as her forearm. “I’ve got back-up.”

“Jesus.” He barks it out on a laugh as he backs away from her. “The fact that you haven’t caught assault charges by now is beyond me.” Without waiting for her reply, Declan pushes himself deeper into the crowd while Tess looks at me and laughs. “Like some cheesedick frat boy wants to admit he got his ass handed to him by a hundred-pound girl.” Shoving her wrench back into her pocket, Tess tells Grace she’ll be back to check on her when she can before heading for the front of the bar. Telling Grace I’m going to the bathroom and I’ll be right back, I follow after her.

Finally managing to fight my way across the crowded bar, I cue up in line outside the ladies’ room. Pulling out my phone, I shoot Ryan a quick text.

Me: How’s it going?

Ryan texts me back almost immediately. A picture pops up of Molly and Mookie passed out on the couch, surrounded by a sea of buttered popcorn.

Ryan: Don’t worry about Mook until morning. He’s good here.

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