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Bobby Jay had an unfortunate condition where he didn’t produce any sperm. They’d been foster parents from time to time, but it never resulted in them being able to adopt.
“She never even gave me a chance before she went running off with Eugene Farnsworth.”
I shook my head. “Old Eugene Farnsworth, the widower who owned the barbershop?”
“That would be him.” Bobby Jay’s lip twitched a bit. “Can you believe she was having an affair with him?”
I thought about that old leather face with hardly a hair to comb and his missing back teeth. “Why?” I asked in disgust.
“She said he appreciated her for the woman she is now, not the girl she used to be,” he growled. “I did love that girl who captured my fifteen-year-old heart, but not as much as I loved the woman who made me into a man.” His voice cracked.
I touched his arm that was about ready to bulge out of the sleeve. Not from muscle, mind you. Bobby Jay had never come to terms with the fact that he wasn’t as fit as he used to be. He was still buying the same shirt size from his glory days. “I’m sorry, Bobby Jay, I know how difficult it is when the person you love betrays you.”
Bobby Jay’s eyes widened. “Point me in the loser’s direction and I’ll kick his a—.” He gave me a crooked grin. “Pardon me, I forgot who I was talking to, Miss Shelby.” He and Ryder always teased me because I didn’t like it when they swore. At least at first. After a while, I found it endearing and realized it was a part of who they were.
But who cared about proper language at the moment? I leaned away from him, more than confused. Didn’t he realize it was his cousin who would be the recipient of his retribution?
Bobby Jay gave me the once-over with his eyes. “Any man who would cheat on you is a fool. Does he live around here?”
“As a matter of a fact he does.”
“Like I said, point me in his direction. Though I gotta say, you moved on mighty fast after Ryder. You women.” He shook his head.
Us women? Now my ire was up. I pulled my shoulders back. “Did Ryder tell you why I left?”
“Well of course he did. Not that it was a surprise. I mean, no offense, Shelby, but we all told Ryder your worlds would never mix, especially the way your momma and daddy hated him. You probably did both of you a favor leaving the way you did. Ryder’s still mad as hell about it, though.”
He was mad? The nerve. I stood and started pacing. The anger was accentuated with each click and clack of my heel against the hardwood floor. I had a mind to go right outside and slap Ryder’s face. Not only was he blaming me, but he didn’t even have the decency to have anything more than a fling with the woman in the pictures. Surely Bobby Jay would have mentioned her already. Ryder was big on his girlfriends meeting his family. Ryder really did want to have his cake and eat it too. Which brought me to . . . I stopped abruptly and whipped my head toward Bobby. “Why did he come here?”
Bobby Jay’s eyes lit up. “You’re a smart woman. I would have thought it was crystal clear why.”
“Enlighten me.”
“Isn’t it obvious, darlin’? He wants to prove to you he’s as good as you are.”
“I never thought I was better than him.” Until he cheated on me, that is.
“The problem is, I don’t think he ever thought he was good enough for you.”
“That would be the first thing he was ever right about.”
Bobby’s brows hit his hairline.
“What makes him so sure now that he’s better than me?” I asked, still pacing.
“I never said better, only equal.” His smile said this conversation and my reactions amused him.
“Fine. Equal, then.”
“Not sure he’ll ever be equal to you—you are too fine of a lady—but I think he’ll settle for as rich as you. Girl, he’s come into a lot of money.”
“So he came to taunt me? Well, you can tell him I never cared about how little or much money he made, and for his information,” I smoothed out my skirt while staring him down, “my parents have cut me off.”
Bobby Jay whistled low. “What did you do this time? Did you get yourself engaged to another commoner?”
I hated when he said things like that. I never thought of him or Ryder as commoners. I bit my lip thinking about how to put it into words. “I decided to become my own person, which is far worse to them. But that’s neither here nor there. Tell me about this business you’re both involved in.”
Bobby Jay rubbed his large hands together. “Ryder is a genius of a man. Do you remember that app idea he had a few years back?”
