Page 32 of False Play
Anderson shifted his gaze from me to Joe, his expression unreadable. “Sorry, can’t say I remember,” he said flatly. “Guess you’ve got one of those forgettable faces.” The bored lilt in his voice made my body tingle. This attitude of his was what usually annoyed me, but knowing Joe was on the receiving endbrought a sense of glee. And to be quite honest? I found it hot. Andthatwas a serious problem.
Joe’s eyes narrowed as he shot me a pointed glance, irritation practically rolling off him in waves. It was a rare and satisfying sight. If there was one thing Joe despised, it was being dismissed like he didn’t matter. “So, you and Anderson?”
I froze as I tried to form a coherent response, and I probably looked like a gaping fish. Anderson’s hand tightened around my waist in a silent warning. This was a terrible idea. Not the kind of ammo I wanted to give to Joe. But what other option did I have?
All I managed to say was a casual, “Yup.”
Joe snorted a bitter laugh. “No wonder you loved your job so much,” he muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
The comment was like a cold slap to my face.
I stared at him, stunned. How dare he insinuate something soawful? I was nothing but faithful during our relationship, even considering the lack thereof.
Another flare of annoyance gripped me and I was ready to snap a response, but Anderson stepped to the side, set his coffee in the cart holder, and squared his shoulders as he folded his arms across his broad, muscled chest. “What exactly are you implying?” He bit out the question through gritted teeth.
Joe stumbled back a step, his hands lifting in defense. “Whoa, hey. Why don’t we all calm down?” It almost made me laugh to see him folding so quickly. Joe had always been all words, no bite. Some things truly never changed.
Anderson took a menacing step forward. He closed the distance between him and Joe and easily towered over Joe’s five-foot-nine height. “I’m perfectly calm. You’re the one sputtering bullshit out of your mouth right now.”
Joe shifted his eyes between us and then settled his gaze onme. “You’re going to let him talk to me like this? After everything?”
A smirk played on my lips, and I gave a lazy shrug. “Works for me.”
Was this petty?Absolutely. But the number of times Joe’s family and friends made jokes and inappropriate comments at my expense, and not once did he care enough to defend me, was too many to count. So, forgive me if I wasn’t eager to stop Anderson from putting him in his place.
I considered it well-deserved karma.
Joe stared at me in disbelief. “Real classy getting with a jock, K.”
“Donotfucking call her K. She doesn’t like it,” Anderson snapped.
I stared at him, stunned.How did he even know that?
Joe darted his tongue against his cheek with a clipped nod. “If this is how you wanna play it, fine. You’ve got until the end of next month to pick up your shit. After that, it’s all going in the trash.”
“How kind of you,” I fired back.
Anderson took a step back and draped an arm around my shoulder protectively. “Don’t worry, baby. We’ll go on one of our days off and pick up your stuff, okay?”
“Perfect.” Joe’s nostrils flared as his gaze bounced between Anderson and me. “Guess you’ve got it all figured out.”
Anderson’s lips twitched into a smirk. “You bet.”
A charged silence fell between us, and Joe’s jaw tightened as he met my stare. “You’ve changed, you know that?”
I tilted my head, forcing a cool smile even though my heart wanted to sputter out of my chest. “Yeah, I have. And trust me, it’s been long overdue.” The lie easily slipped out of my lips.
He didn’t deserve the truth. He didn’t deserve to know I was stuck in time, not knowing where to go or who I was. But ifhe thought I was changing,great. It meant I was doing an excellent job at faking it.
Without a word and a clipped nod, he finally stormed off.
Once he was out of sight, I inhaled a deep breath. My lungs were eager for air, but the tightness in my chest made it difficult. I didn’t think it was going to push me over the asthma attack territory, but to be safe, I opened my purse and grabbed my inhaler. Anderson followed my movements with curious eyes, his brows furrowing when he saw me take two quick puffs.
My heart sank.Damn. I had done a great job of not letting anyone know this part of me. The last thing I wanted was to see Anderson’s pity, so I instantly dropped my gaze, and once my chest started to lighten, I dropped the inhaler back into my purse without a word.
The delicious-looking iced caramel macchiato with oat milk stared back at me, and I let out a wistful sigh. I was looking forward to it, but drinking caffeine after a huge spike of anxiety was out of the question.
Anderson stood in front of me, his facial expression softening as he placed one of his calloused hands on my cheek. “You okay?” His tone was gentle, with a low gruffness.
