Page 99 of The Temptation of Truth
“Brady, it’s eleven in the morning.”
The asshole on the other end sighs, and I watch as Aurora chews on the inside of her cheek. If she weren’t holding the phone, I bet she’d be wringing her hands right now. Instead, she’s clutching the pendant on her necklace like a life preserver, and she’s holding the phone so tightly that her knuckles are turning white.
I’ve never wanted to hit a man so much in my life. And that’s saying something, considering I’m on tour with the Caveat boys, and I had to put up with Jonah in his pre-sobriety era.
“How am I supposed to know what those depraved rock stars have you doing? It seems like getting drunk at all hours of the day and blowing all your money is standard these days.”
Aurora drops her voice lower and her shoulders slump. She visibly shrinks into herself, and I get the distinct feeling she’s trying to hide.
From him? From me?
Maybe I should leave and give her some privacy. This is a personal conversation between spouses, and maybe it’s disrespectful for me to witness it.
But fuck that man.
I don’t owe him respect, and I’m not leaving her right now. I do, however, turn my attention to the ocean and hope that it makes her feel a little less uncomfortable. I’m a calming presence, not a gawker. I’ll just be here if she needs me.
“It was only thirty dollars. One drink. We talked about this.”
“Thirty dollars at a bar. One hundred dollars at some bullshit store in Melbourne. You’re being irresponsible, Aurora.”
This fucking bastard. Now the separate account makes sense. She’s here working, getting paid to be Brynn’s tutor, and he’s flipping out over one hundred and thirty dollars? I hate him.
“I already apologized for that. You don’t have to keep bringing it up.”
“You don’t belong there. You need to come home.”
I whip my head around, and I’m sure my anger is apparent on my face. Aurora flicks her eyes quickly to me, then back to the phone, but I don’t miss the slight shake of her head warning me not to interfere.
I grit my teeth and fist my hands, but I don’t turn back around. I glare at that phone and hope that he can feel it. He should be ashamed of himself.
“The tour isn’t over yet, Brady. I’m supposed to be?—”
“You’re supposed to be home. You’ve got responsibilities as my wife that you’re neglecting, and now that you’re not answering my calls?—”
“I was on a pla?—"
“Do not interrupt me!”
That’s it. I’ve heard enough. My feet launch me forward with zero thoughts in my head except to put a stop to this conversation. Aurora gapes at me, her lips parting on a small gasp, but the fuckhead on the other end doesn’t notice. He just keeps going, spewing verbal abuse like it’s as natural as breathing. Speaking to her like this is a common occurrence. It all makes fucking sense now.
“For fuck’s sake, Aurora, I have no idea what those assholes in The Hometown Heartless are doing to you, but you need to?—”
“Hey there!”
He flinches when I cut him off, and I take a second to study him. He looks just like how I thought he would. Like an entitled, tech bro douche. Blond hair, blue eyes, and a navy quilted vest over a blue checkered Oxford. I bet he’s wearing chinos, chukkas, and a mixed metal Rolex, too. And I bet he’s a “serious” golfer. He’s got that look. That pretentious, competitive asshole look.
“This is a private conversation,” he snaps in a tone so patronizing I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Instead, I smile brightly and speak with a sarcastic kind of cheer.
“You’re Brandy, right? I’m Mabel, one of the assholes in The Hometown Heartless you seem to think is corrupting Aurora. Listen, Brandy?—”
“It’s Bra?—”
“I’m speaking.”
Aurora’s hand digs into my forearm, but I don’t take my glare away from the moron on the screen. His mouth snaps shut, andhis face turns a delightful shade of puce. Good. Maybe he’ll have a heart attack and die.
“Exactly. Now what was I saying? Oh, right. So yeah, I am an asshole. So is most of my band. Apparently, so are you. You know who isn’t, though? Aurora. And she certainly doesn’t deserve the way you’re speaking to her right now.”
