AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I could fall for her. And I don’t want to.”
“It’s worth it,” Jason volunteers. Andrew is nodding next to him. “You know I didn’t want love, and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
My insides are a tangled knot as I glance between my friends. “Your priorities change, though. I can’t deal with that.” I go to run a hand through my hair, then remember the glove.
“They change for the better.” Andrew’s voice is confident, knowing. “Change isn’t always bad.”
I look back at Miles, the one of our little group who has always been the steadiest. “I agree.” He considers me for a moment, those clear gray eyes seeing straight into me. “I say go for it.”
“I do too.” Jason is looking at me with sympathy. He and I are so similar. Do I trust him? Do I trust Callie not to betray me?
“Be sure.” This from Andrew, who might be more level-headed than both of my insane friends. “Go for it. But be sure. Otherwise you’ll hurt her.”
My chest seizes at the thought of hurting Callie more than I already have. Be sure. But I’m not sure. The only constants in my life are my work and my revenge. What would it look like to add a third constant to that? It could be so good.
“Come on.” Miles claps me on the shoulder. “Let’s show Andrew the bar downstairs.”
“You promised me a fight,” Andrew says lightly. “I barely got bruised.”
“Yeah, well now Margo won’t yell at you,” Jason says.
“Oh no, she doesn’t yell. She’d just kiss my bruises and bandage me up.” His tone makes it clear that more than just kissing is happening. Jason and he laugh as we pack our bags.
I want that. I want Callie’s soft hands on me, skimming over my skin. She’d be serious about the bandaging, I know she would. I’d have to coax her to stop worrying about me. Fuck, that could be fun. We ride the elevator down and I’m halfway to pulling out my phone and texting her to meet me. Be sure. I put it away before I dive headfirst into something stupid.
“Are you sure we can go in there like this?” Andrew asks, when we reach the interior door that leads into the bar.
“Most definitely.” Miles grins. “You’ll see.”
“It’s good to be them,” Jason adds.
We nod at the bartender, Matt, as we pass through the bar. Heads turn in our direction. My skin prickles with discomfort at the attention, and I tuck my chin into my hoodie.
“What’s with all the staring?” Andrew asks. We push open the door in the back of the bar and into the plush space of the back room. Andrew lets out a surprised breath when the wall sconces light up, illuminating the massive wood and velvet table and chairs.
“They’re famous,” Jason says shortly. “It gets old really fast.”
Miles snorts. “Tell me about it. The paparazzi have been hounding Lane ever since our relationship went public.”
My jaw clenches. “Fucking photographers.”
Jason slides me a look as we sink into the seats. A bottle of whiskey and four glasses are already on the table, along with sparkling water and bar snacks. “Isn’t Callie one of them?”
“Yep.” I pour a finger of whiskey and knock it back.
“Bit of a conflict of interest, don’t you think?” This from Andrew, who is pouring himself some water. Jason mentioned that Andrew doesn’t drink much. Must be nice. I intend to get drunk enough to stop my thoughts from running toward Callie every two minutes.
“I hate it,” I say in a low voice. Even though I know why she did it, and I understand her reasons. They’re the same as my own motivations––protecting my family. Guilt and anger and sympathy are an unsettling combination. Maybe liquor can help with that too.
“Jonah has some ah, hang-ups, when it comes to reporters and paparazzi,” Jason adds. That’s putting it mildly. But I’m grateful that no one asks me to elaborate.
“You think she’d ever give it up?” Miles asks.
I think back to the passion in her voice when she talked about the changes she wanted to make to the paper, the way she fiercely defended it all the times I derided her.
“No.” I turn my glass in my hands, watching the amber liquid sparkle in the dim lighting. “She loves it too much. She would never give it up. Even though it’s failing, she’ll do anything to save it.” Even sell herself to me. The guilt is back. I knock back more liquor.
“Oof.” Andrew winces. “That’s tough.”
