Page 79 of Meet Me in Montreal

Bobby’s jaw tightened so hard it looked like it might shatter as he stared daggers at Scott. His gaze only softened when Ling reappeared, looking forlorn that her friend had gone off upset.

“I think you’ve said enough.” Bobby’s voice was smooth, not matching the embarrassed rage in his eyes.

“Oh, I’m just getting started.” Scott grinned with those sharp, white teeth as Bobby glared at him. “How about you, the big shot heart doctor? So respectable. So put together, soperfect. Imight not have met you before, but I heard about you. Your huge house in Westchester, your big-time doc gig. How moral and self-righteous you can be.”

Bobby looked at Vanessa sharply and she flushed. Had she said those things? Maybe she’d mentioned the beautiful house and his beautiful life. Maybe there had been something in her voice that Scott had heard and he’d made his own interpretations of what she’d meant.

“But,” Scott said, squinting at her brother, “didn’t I see you last night at Virgil’s house trying to put your hands all over Ling’s ass in his bedroom?”

More “what the fuck” gasps. Now Virgil zeroed in on Bobby as Scott continued.

“The only reason I didn’t mention it to Virg was because I heard her say ‘no.’ She said you surprised her, coming up here like you did when you know she’s seeing him. She said she didn’t want anything to do with your married-with-children ass when she’s been trying to lock him down for a year.” Scott cut into his steak vigorously, knife scraping against the plate. “Meanwhile, there you were, begging for a taste like a desperate hoe outside some married dude’s window at three am. It was like listening to a fucking Keith Sweat song.”

Scott snorted and shook his head ruefully while Ling put her hand over her mouth and Zoe turned to Bobby with brimming tears.

“Fuck you, you bitter, redheaded barbarian,” Bobby said quietly.

That made Scott laugh out loud. “Oh, shit. Good one, Dr. Perfect.” Then he turned to Virgil. “And you, Virg. Don’t think I didn’t run a background check on you, too.”

“Christ…” Santino muttered as the slaughter went on.

“You want to know why I wanted to work with you, become buddies with you? It’s not because you’re one-percenter rich.Fuck rich. There are more billionaires now than ever before so that’s not special anymore. Your family’s money might look clean now but it’s old, like a vintage car. Shiny and fly on the surface but plenty of bloodstains in the trunk. I like you because you keep it real. I’m sorry this evening had to come to this, but I keep it real, too.”

Still shocked by what had been revealed so far, Vanessa said, “Libel is when you write something defamatory to ruin someone’s reputation. Slander is when you say it verbally. Santino slandered you. But only if it’s not true.” Despite the shock, or maybe because of it, the Knowledge Nerd didn’t seem to know when to take a break.

“I just said it. I’ve never raised my hand to a woman or been abusive in any way.” Scott rested his elbows on the table, his bulky shoulders in a tight, tense line.

“Alright, if you want to keep it real, as you claim, tell them how you’ve been going out of your way to make one particular woman feel very uncomfortable. Me. You’re makingmefeel uncomfortable and you know what you’re doing. Why else would you have come here tonight?”

“I came here to makehimuncomfortable.” Gesturing toward Santino, Scott’s chuckle was harsh and sardonic. “You really think everything I do is about you? Jesus, how much attention do you need? Were you deprived as a child?”

That cut bone deep. It went beyond that. It went soul deep.

“Don’t fucking talk to my wife like that,” Santino interjected through gritted teeth.

“No.” Vanessa’s mouth was desert dry. “Let him have his say. Let him get it all out, right now, because I have no intention of ever listening to him or seeing him again. I’m sure he’s heard of restraining orders.”

Redirecting her gaze at Scott, whose face was blazing with derision, she folded her hands together on the table. Everyonesat frozen, breathless, leaning forward to hear what he had to say.

People claimed to be drawn to beauty, but they were even more fascinated by the grotesque.

“You won’t be needing one. Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘sour grapes?’” Scott took a sip of water, clearly relishing what he was about to unleash. “It’s from one ofAesop’s Fables, about this fox —”

“I’m familiar with it. You know I am, since you bought me a copy for my birthday,” Vanessa said quietly.

Scott smiled at her. “I was just checking to see if you read it. Rare edition with gold edges and that beautiful, embossed design on the front. It was gorgeous. I’m just warning you ahead of time that whatever I say about us isn’t going to be out of spite or because I’m so distraught at losing you to that dude,” he said, indicating the glowering man by her side. “You were cool, V. I really did enjoy spending time with you. But based on things I saw over those four months and things I’ve seen since you’ve been up here with him, I’ve accepted it probably wasn’t going to work out, anyway. Not without you getting a lot of therapy first.”

Okay, that was the second time in one day someone had suggested she seek help. The first time was way funnier.

“Well, damn, Scott. I almost think I’d prefer you just call me a bitch,” she exclaimed with a short laugh devoid of humor.

“He’d better not. And that sounded like fucking sour grapes to me,” Santino muttered.

“Nah, you see, I noticed things. Like how every time we went somewhere, you were checking to see if I was looking at another woman. When you said you had a bad breakup, I figured dude must have cheated, and you were still nervous about it happening again. I understood that, since I was paranoid like that myself for a while after it happened to me. Then thismotherfucker shows up at my company. I thought to myself, ‘Damn. Hedoeslook like a cheater.’”

Now that she was no longer the object of his ire, Zoe laughed into her hand while Santino cut his eyes at her.

“Then he went in on me about you, insisting you were still his wife. He was all strung out on you. He reminded me of my dumb ass, still sleeping with my ex when she’d let me.” His eyes swung back to Santino. There was no sarcasm, no hostility, only his own remembered pain. “But did you do it? Did you cheat on her?”

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