Page 66 of When You're Home
Tori nodded. She should have wondered why Rhett had so easily accepted the lies she told him. Or why he didn’t come back upstairs and call her on her bullshit after he confronted Fielding. But she had still been a little drunk, and then she was so happy she had finally won a round against him that she didn’t even question why it worked. She hadn’t realized that her victory round was actually a total knockout.
If Rhett and Fielding had already butted heads the night before… and Rhett found her naked in his bed… and Fielding had left the house before Rhett could confront him… She almost couldn’t believe how well all the pieces had come together.
Jake finally broke the silence between them. “Fuck, Tori. He was so upset this morning. You may have actually destroyed him.” Jake ran his hand through his short, cropped hair in a very Rhett-inspired motion. Tori’s heart ached at the reminder. She knew he was right. What he didn’t know was that she may have actually destroyed herself in the process, too.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sat in the pain of what she had done. Jake pulled her into a side hug, and Tori rested her head on his shoulder. She knew he had every right to be mad at her, but she was still grateful for his comfort. They sat in companionable silence for several minutes, both heartsick for their golden boy.
“It’s probably better this way,” she finally muttered. Jake pulled away and looked down at her like she was crazy.
“Something had to end it, Jake,” she said before he could argue, growing more sure of her declaration as she spoke. “It’s the end of March. He’s leaving in May. I have no intention of being with him long term, especially not after this wake-up call, and we both know he would have held on for too long.”
They sat quietly for a few more moments.
“I know things are rocky between you guys right now, but promise me you’ll make sure he’s okay,” she whispered.
“I promise,” Jake swore to her.
Tori felt emotionally decimated but fortified in her decision. It was time to be done thinking, time to be done feeling. She needed to pick herself up and move on. Or maybe not on, but at least forward. She knew she would never really be able to move on from Rhett, but she couldn’t just sit on his couch all day, either.
“Give me your phone, please,” she instructed, holding out her hand. “I need Fielding’s number.”
“Why?”
“I feel like I need to give him a heads-up that Rhett might be on a rampage,” she explained. She didn’t think Everhett would go after the other man, but she also knew better than to test his temper. Especially if he had been drinking, and especially if he felt betrayed.
Jake nodded in understanding before taking out his phone, unlocking the home screen, and passing it to her.
She texted herself the number, then pulled out her own phone and sent off a quick message as Jake rose from the couch and headed into the house.
Tori:Hey, it’s Tori from last night. I got your number from Jake.
He responded to her message a few minutes later:
Fielding:Hey you. I was hoping I’d hear from you again.
She rolled her eyes. Fielding was obviously into her, or at least the idea of her, but she was not in the mood for flirting right now.
Tori:Sodon’t freak out, but you need to know about something that happened this morning.
Tori waited a few breaths for his reply.
Fielding:Let me guess? You woke up and realized you were in love with me, too?
Tori shook her head. If she wasn’t so worried about Rhett confronting him, she would have been amused by his cockiness.
Tori: Not quite. Rhett thinks you and I had sex last night, and he’s pissed. I don’t know if he’ll be around Hampton this week or not. I don’t think he’ll do anything, but I just wanted to give you a heads up.
Her phone vibrated within ten seconds of sending the last text. When she glanced down, she realized Fielding was actually calling her.
“Hello?” she answered hesitantly.
“Tori! Hey. You just couldn’t stay away, huh?”
“Um, yeah. I guess not. I didn’t expect you to call me.” She glanced through the doorway to where Jake was making himself useful in the living room. She really should help clean up, too. She moved toward the makeshift beer pong table and started stacking empty cups.
“So why does Wheeler think we slept together?” Fielding asked. She could picture the smirk on his face even through the phone.
“I… may have said some things to try and make him mad.”
