Page 78 of Holiday on the Rocks
Evan walked over. “Who’s that?”
He gave me a look. “Oh buddy, you’re not going like this.”
It was then I glanced in Allie’s direction to find her frozen.
“What’s going on?” I asked Evan who seemed to be a fountain of knowledge.
Royce, who now stood by the sofa on my left, nodded. He walked toward the door where he and new guy had a weird man hug. Evan stepped closer to me. “Clint and Allie had a thing.”
My throat was suddenly as dry as the fucking Sahara. “Say again?” Please, for the love of anything good in the world, let me have misunderstood. “Had?”
Evan spoke in a hushed tone. “They were together about a year when she got the dream job on the East Coast.”
“So she dumped him?” Please.
“Not really, I guess they just put it all on hold because he was up for junior partner in his law firm and couldn’t really leave.”
My eyes landed on Royce who was all smiles as he spoke to Clint. Had he called the old boyfriend because I was there? WTF? I realized it was one of those days that might end with a torched body in the fire pit out back.
My heart was grinding like metal on metal. “So it’s basically over, is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. They put it on hold.”
There was a weird twitch at the base of my neck. “We all know that’s always bullshit. You’re either together or not. So they broke up. That’s what you’re saying.”
Evan shoved me. “I did not say that. Are you hearing me at all?”
“I have selective hearing. And you’re not selected.”
Allie stood to her feet, and I’d know her forced smiled anywhere.
“How long ago?”
“What?”
“How long since she and dickhead put it on hold?”
“Maybe six months.”
My windpipe pinched shut as he made his way over to Allie. His stupid toothpastey smile made me want to barf. I didn’t want to hurt him, just to be clear. I wanted to kill him.
Evan leaned in closer. “I’m just saying you need to relax.”
“Fun fact, I don’t care.”
Before she could do anything, Clint pulled her in for a hug as Lexi was literally beaming and clapping her hands.
WTF was happening?
I don't know what expression I wore, but Evan elbowed me. “Take a breath, man. Relax.”
Relax? Clearly Evan wasn't as smart as I'd given him credit for.
As I watched cockbag Clint hug her too long and too tight, rage was bubbling just below the surface. Me and bubbling rage don’t mix well. While I was an adult and used common sense almost every day, something about this situation was waking the “old me”. The one who went to great lengths to get what he wanted. The one who'd burn shit down to get what he wanted. What he needed.
I needed her.
I took a deep breath reminding myself they weren't really together anymore. And he wasn’t worth the jail time.
