Page 83 of Release Me

“Yeah, so I can avoid you.”

His glee curdles. “Of course I got a reference. A good one too,” he scoffs, and I know he’s lying. I can hear it in his voice.

“Then you don’t need one from me.”

“The Depot is grunt work. But seeing as I helped run things around here?—”

“Are you serious? ‘Helped run things’?” A maniacal laugh escapes me. “You want my reference? Okay, here it is: You were the laziest person to ever work for the Sea Witch. How’s that?”

“Come on. Just ’cause we didn’t work out doesn’t mean you have to be so bitter.”

I take a deep breath to stop the urge to scream. “I’m not bitter, Cody. I’m relieved that I dodged a giant, lethal bullet. But that doesn’t change the fact that you did not help runanythingaround here, and I’m not lying to whomever you are going to fool into hiring you—oh shit.” It dawns on me. Right. It’s Friday. “The job fair.” Frank said he heard Cody was aiming for a position there.

“Yeah. And it wouldreallyhelp me if you could tell them how great I was as an employee. Come on, Sloane. How aboutit?” He’s shifted to wounded-animal mode, with pleading eyes and a docile tone.

“You mean lie?”

He sighs with exasperation. “Yeah, sure, fine, if you want to call it that. But what do you care, anyway? It’s Wolf. Youhatethat place.”

“What’d it ever do to you?” a deep raspy voice calls out.

My head snaps to where Ronan fills the doorway between the two sides, still shirtless but with runners on. How long has he been standing there, listening?

He meets my gaze, long and steady, before sizing up Cody through a sip of his coffee.

“Who’s this?” Cody asks.

“Nobody.” My life is none of my ex’s business, and I want him out of here as quickly as possible.

Ronan scoffs, presses a hand over his bare chest. “After all that we’ve shared?”

Cody’s chuckle is dark. “You couldn’t have shared too much if you didn’t know what a hate-on she has for that place.”

“To be fair, we didn’t spend a lot of time talking.” Ronan winks at me.

“You’re not helping.” Seriously, why is he here?

The back door creaks open. “Am I mistaken or is that Dead Man Walking’s truck in our lot?” Frank appears behind us, his presence eating up space in my tiny shop like a grizzly bear entering a small cabin. “Oh, look. Hey, Dead Man Walking. What, you don’t need your arms anymore?” His voice booms.

I could kiss Frank right now.

“Whatever.” Cody backs away, shaking his head. “Sloane, I thought you’d have the decency to get over yourself by now, but if not, fine. They’ll hire me without your help. I mean …” He holds out his arms as if presenting himself. If there’s one thing he doesn’t lack, it’s self-confidence.

“Good luck with that.”

Hisresponding smile is smug. “I’d say the same to you and the Sea Witch this year. Not sure how you’re gonna run things without staff.”

“Fuck you. We have staff.”

“You sure about that?”

“I already know about Dave and Teddy leaving.”

His eyebrows arch. “Dave and Teddytoo?”

A swell of panic hits me. “Why? What do you know?”

He shrugs. “Nothin’ about nothin’.” With one last wary glance at Frank, he yanks the door open. The bell jangles noisily with his departure.

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