Page 134 of Ripped & Shipped
Chris
My phone rings.I look down. It’s Ella Mae.
I put my finger up to let the guys know I’ll be right back, then I walk out of the restaurant to take Ella Mae’s call.
“Hey, Boots. What’s up?”
“I hope nothing,” she says.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. I just thought you should know I got a message from ImSOBeefy this afternoon saying he was looking forward to seeing me this evening for dinner. I didn’t answer him, of course. I had some errands to run, so I figured I’d tell you about it later. But then he just unfollowed me. It’s kind of freaking me out.”
“That he unfollowed you?”
“The whole thing. Why would he say he was seeing me this evening? And then why, right after that, would he unfollow me?”
Maybe I should have told Ella Mae about our plan and what we were doing. I didn’t want her to worry—or worse, insist on coming and end up having to be face to face with Raymond. Who knows what he would have done if he saw her in person.
I never thought Ella Mae would get a message from him saying he was looking forward to meeting her.
“We set him up.”
“Who set him up? ImSOBeefy?”
“Yeah. Aiden and I sent him a message that led him to believe he was meeting you out here at the Big Boy. We came instead of you. I told him you were my girlfriend, and then I asked him nicely to unfollow you.”
“You did what?!”
“We met the guy. I told him to unfollow you and leave you alone from now on. He unfollowed you. He’s out of your hair now.”
I expect a thank you.
“Chris.” She sighs a long, loud sigh, like she’s at the end of her rope. “I told you I don’t need you to be my bodyguard, or to go out on some vigilante mission to defend my honor.”
“He was escalating again. You saw his most recent comments.”
“I know. I did see those.”
“I thought you’d be grateful. We handled this guy.”
She sighs so loudly I feel like she’s going to hyperventilate.
“You are so unnerving, Soldier. I mean, yes. On one hand, I’m grateful.”
She’s quiet, but I know she’s not finished talking. No one says, on the one hand, without having something to say about the other hand.
And, just as I thought, she continues. “On the other hand, no. Just no. I told you not to get involved. You don’t listen to me. This is my life. I get to choose my followers and how I handle them when they get out of hand.”
“I know you said that. And, believe me, I think you are the baddest, most impressive influencer. I know you know how to handle yourself and your business.”
I run my hand through my hair. I get that I shouldn’t have overstepped, but then again, she’s my girlfriend. Don’t I get to protect her?
“I just want you to be safe,” I explain.
She’s quiet. I don’t know if she’s mad, or sad, or plotting my death.
“Thank you,” she finally says. “I wish you would have come to me first, but I do appreciate you looking out for me.”
