Page 75 of Clashing
I groaned. “You too?”
Tammy folded her arms across her chest. “Did you have to bring Nat here in front of her? I’d be thinking of ten ways to castrate you if I were Scarlett. You may have rejected her feelings, but you didn’t have to flaunt your other fuck buddy in front of her.”
“I didn’t fuck Nat,” I snapped. “I helped her with something with her husband. God damn you two.”
“Oh.” Tammy’s shoulders lowered. “Yeah, it looked terrible. And Scar seemed really upset. I honestly don’t know how Danny didn’t pick up on it.”
Francis scoffed. “Danny’s been oblivious to these two since the beginning.”
Tammy lifted a shoulder. “Maybe he subconsciously knows and doesn’t want to think about it.”
“That’s enough.” I gulped my scotch and reveled in the burn down my throat. “Go away.”
Tammy cleaned out a glass. “You better hope she doesn’t hook up with Collin tonight.”
Francis tensed.
My blood simmered.Collin?“Who the fuck is that?”
“Some guy her friend was talking about when she picked her up,” Tammy said. “Her friend is weird, by the way. Cute, but weird. She said the dress Scarlett picked out was going to make Collin salivate over Scar more than he already does.”
“Uh-oh.” Francis looked up to the heavens, as if they could save this man if he touched my Scarlett.
“Do we know where they were going?”
Both shook their heads, and I gripped the glass tighter.
“You shouldn’t have taken so long to do something about her.” Tammy ground her teeth. “I love you, Ryker, I do. But you messed this up. She’s good for you and you pushed her away.”
“Stop being my shrink, Tammy.”
She rolled her eyes and strolled off, leaving me frustrated, irritation prickling the back of my neck. Scar wouldn’t hook up with someone else already, would she?
She might if she thinks I have.Fuck me.
Regardless, I stayed as late as possible, hoping she’d show. Tammy let me stay after closing while she cleaned but Scarlett didn’t come home. At three thirty in the morning, I finally left. I called her all night, but she never answered. I texted her but received no response.
Images of her with whoever Collin was played on repeat through my brain.Collin.Stupid fucking name. I didn’t doubt he’d salivate at whatever she wore because that damn girl could make a potato sack look good.
I went home, but the likelihood I’d sleep knowing she was out and possibly with a guy? Yeah, that wasn’t happening.
I tossed and turned all night, not falling asleep until the fucking sun rose. I’d never thought about a girl this much. That was the problem and for whatever reason, I’d decided I wanted to make it a bigger problem by keeping her in my life.My mind’s a mess.
I got up later than I wanted to after sleeping so long and took the dogs for a run before I left. By the time I got to the bar, the stupid NBA playoffs crowd was there. Thankfully, Tammy always kept my seat closed off.
As soon as I entered, I scanned the bar for Scarlett. My search ended at a corner table where she dropped off drinks. She had her hair in a loose bun and wore sinful booty shorts and a low top that fit her figure.God, I missed seeing her like that. It’d been ages since I’d seen her normal.
I made my way to my seat, and she turned with her empty tray, headed to the bar. She didn’t notice me at first but when she did, her lips pursed and she whipped her head away, not giving me a second glance.
I stretched over the bar as she passed. “Scar.”
Nothing. No acknowledgement.
Tammy patted me on the shoulder and left a drink in front of me but for the first time possibly ever, I was uninterested in it. Scarlett avoided passing me as she loaded drinks onto a tray and took them to another table. Then another.All right, fine. Ignore me.
She couldn’t do it all night. I bided my time until she had to linger by me to access the cash register.
Determined eyes remained glued on that register. She tapped the screen, posture tense while I leaned on my forearms over the bar.
