Page 94 of While You're There
He stared down at his phone, seething. They had fought last night. Or more like he got distracted and emotionally triggered by the mention of her having an ultrasound, then inadvertently pissed her off by bringing up Fielding as he floundered to save face. Again. Why did he keep doing that? Why did he double down on the one trigger that pissed her off the most?
He reread her reply. She hadn’t actually told him where she was. She also hadn’t given him a time when she’d be home. The sun was just starting to set. Was she going to be out for another hour or another three? Had she really given him the option to sleep with her tonight or not—was that a thing now?
Why the fuck did he catch the early evening flight back from Virginia if she was just going to make him sit around and wait for her to make an appearance?
A car honked and startled him out of his racing thoughts. He hit the gas and went straight through the intersection toward downtown instead of turning toward their neighborhood. Maybe Jake was working. And if not, a drink wouldn’t hurt. He could find a way to stay busy until she decided he was worth her time.
It was only his second time walking into The Oak Barrel Tavern, but the place already felt familiar. That had to be due to do all the Archway Prep memorabilia on the walls, and not because the bar—any bar—was starting to feel like his real home.
“Wheeler! Hey, man!” Cole greeted him with a genuine smile as Rhett sat down at the long, natural-wood bar. At least someone was happy to see him tonight.
“Hey, Cole. How’s it going?”
“Good, really good. We’ve been open for less than a week, and we’ve been packed every night.”
“I can see that.” Rhett nodded as he glanced around the establishment. It wasn’t even nine p.m., and the place was almost full. “Jake in tonight?”
“Nope. This is his first night off since we opened. He had something to do with Tori, and he told us not to bother him unless shit was on fire.” Cole smirked at the joke before his smile faltered slightly. Rhett watched through squinted eyes as the other man realized what he had just said.
Keep talking, buddy, he silently commanded.I want to know everything you know about where my wife is tonight.
“Yo! Wheeler!” Dempsey called out as he approached them. Dempsey clasped his fellow bartender on the shoulder before Cole turned around and slinked away without another word. “Are you looking for Jake?”
Rhett had always thought he and Dem were similar in a lot of ways. They’d both gone to school for business, and Dempsey had graduated from an Ivy League college. It was disconcerting to see him dressed down in jeans and a T-shirt, working behind a bar.
That was one of the things he liked least about the Haas twins: They just did whatever the hell they wanted. They were unpredictable, spontaneous. They both seemed satisfied to just hang around Hampton, working odd jobs and living off their trust funds. They had no sense of discipline. They were totally untamed.
“Yeah, I was. Cole said he’s off tonight, though.”
Dempsey nodded. “Want me to text him for you?”
Rhett grimaced at the offer. He didn’t need someone else texting Jake on his behalf. Jake washisbest friend, after all.
“Nah, thanks anyways, I heard he’s busy. I’ll just hang out here for a bit.”
“Yeah, I was shocked he actually took the night off. It’s the first time he hasn’t been here from open to last call. But you know my brother. When he gets an idea in his head…” Dempsey trailed off and shook his head with a smirk. The guy had no idea what he’d just revealed or why it mattered.
Tori wasn’t home, and she wouldn’t tell him where she was.
But now it was confirmed that Tori was with Jake, and apparently Fielding was, too.
Tori would rather be with Fielding than with him tonight.
Rhett didn’t have it in him to react. There was absolutely nothing he could do to channel the rage coursing through him. He wouldn’t allow his doubt to fester or his fear to grow. Instead, he relished in the pain, letting everything he’d just learned transform his flurry of emotions into a silent, coiled anger.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Dempsey offered.
Rhett didn’t know if he was actually making a choice or just giving in to the inevitable. He felt so far removed from his own body that he didn’t really care either way.
“Double Jameson, on the rocks.”
It was going to be a long night.
“I liked you a whole lot better in high school,” Rhett slurred as he glared at his second least favorite Haas twin.
“Sorry, man. Bar rules. Three or more drinks gets an automatic Uber around here.”
“You only served me two drinks,” Rhett countered. That was true. The Oak had been busy tonight, and the bartenders had been going nonstop for the last three hours. He had used that to his advantage, making sure to alternate who he asked for each new round.
