Page 56 of When You're Gone
Rhett closed his eyes and hit his head against the door.
Fucking Fielding.
He knew it. He fucking knew it. His gut instinct, exhausted with fatigue from sounding off for months about that man’s intentions, was finally sated. But there was no joy in being right. Not in a situation like this. He opened his eyes and sighed, running a hand through his hair as he thought about Fielding and his wife.
Tori. She’d been in Virginia with him that morning. She’d been in his arms twelve hours ago.
“Tell me exactly what you saw. Leave nothing out.” His tone was hauntingly low; the command clear. He needed more information. He needed to know as much as possible so he could decide how to proceed. He balled his free hand into a fist before flexing his fingers, trying to temper the beast inside him that wanted to rush home to Hampton and punch Haas in the fucking face.
“Tori told me what happened in Virginia—that you had to work, that she was coming home. So we made plans to hang out in the hot tub, her, me, and Fielding. He had to work tonight… he was supposed to get off later than me… I have no idea why he was already at your house, honestly. The last time I talked to Tori was through text when she was still at the airport.”
Rhett nodded, appreciative of the play by play. “She texted me when she landed this afternoon, but I didn’t have a chance to respond to her. I was just walking in the door as you called.”
Jake continued. “I told her I’d get off early and bring margaritas. I texted her around eight when I was leaving The Oak, but the message went unread. I didn’t think anything of it. The plan was to meet at your house, so I just showed up. I walked around back to the sunroom. They didn’t hear me, didn’t know I was there. It looked like they were talking about something serious. Then I watched Tori move closer to Fielding. She was—fuck…”
“She waswhat?” Rhett urged through gritted teeth.
“She was sort of straddling him.”
Rhett bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. He tasted blood, but it hit like venom. He didn’t trust Fielding Haas one iota, but he had never in his life doubted Tori’s loyalty—Tori’s love. He’d rather die than find out she had broken their vows and betrayed their marriage. But he needed to know. Every cell in his body craved answers. He wouldn’t rest until he knew for sure.
“What the fuck does ‘sort of straddling’ mean?”
“Easy, bro. I’m not being evasive. I’m telling you exactly what I saw. They were in the hot tub, sitting super close, Tori sort of straddling him. She wasn’t centered in his lap. She wasn’t fully submerged in the water, either. She was just sort of hovering on one side. I don’t know if they were touching—I couldn’t see anything under the water.”
Rhett slammed his fist back against the door behind him as he tried to visualize the scene. He couldn’t bring himself to fully imagine the picture Jake was painting, the access that Fielding would have in that position…
“I interrupted them. I think Fielding heard me first. I saw his whole back tense up. Tori didn’t move right away, but then she jumped back as soon as she saw me standing there. I asked what was going on… she told Fielding to leave. Told me to leave, too, but I’m sitting in your sunroom right now, and I can hear her showering upstairs.”
He could barely bring himself to verbalize what he needed to ask next. “Were they…”
“No. They were both still in their suits. I’m positive. I looked. I fucking hate that my head went there… but I had to be sure, so I looked. No one had to put suits back on or adjust anything. I don’t think I caught them doing anything. But I don’t think what I saw was nothing, either.”
Rhett wished the sense of relief that washed over him was soothing in some way. He blew out a long breath as he decided what question to ask next.
“You said she’s upstairs in the shower? How is she?”
“She’s a fucking mess. She’s drunk and sobbing. She screamed at me to leave before she stormed up the stairs. Which I’m not going to do, of course. I’ll stay here all night just to make sure…”
Rhett barked out a laugh. It wasn’t funny. Nothing about this was funny. But he felt so on edge he couldn’t hold back his reaction. “How sad is it that you just offered to stay so you could babysit my wife?”
“Fuck. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“No. It’s not your fault. You have nothing to apologize for. You know I appreciate this call… I can’t thank you enough, bro. I just don’t know what to do right now.”
He was too exhausted to make it any farther into the apartment. He slumped back against the door and slid down until he was sitting.
Jake waited patiently on the other end of the line as he mulled over his options.
“Part of me wants to come home. No, not part of me… every fiber in my entire fucking being wants to be there. Now.”
“Tori said you had a work thing all weekend?”
“I do.” He sighed. There was nothing that would justify him skipping out on tomorrow’s golf outing. He had made so much progress with his team today. They had been focused and committed. Tomorrow was supposed to be the reward for all their hard work. Canceling or not showing up wasn’t the right call. Of that, he was sure.
“I feel like I need to come home. I need to talk to her. I need to figure out what all this means. But the earliest I can be there is tomorrow night.”
His jaw ticked as he worked over the inside of his cheek. He pulled his phone away from his ear to glance at the screen, confirming what he already knew. Tori hadn’t reached out. She had to know—or at least assume—that Jake would tell him everything. It irked him that she wasn’t trying to explain herself or calm his frantic, racing thoughts. What had she done? And what did it all mean?
