Shit.My shoulders dropped, and I fell back against the sofa cushion. “I’m sorry. That was unnecessary. I’m a bit all over the place at the moment. I’ll call in a day or two.”
“Yes, do,” she said in a quiet voice that dripped of regret. “And think about what I said. I know you think I was weak for staying with your father, but I was only trying to protect you. Divorce is hard on children.”
“I never thought you were weak,” I assured her. “I know you really loved Dad and that he let you down. I know you wanted desperately to believe he would change. But I’m not prepared to wait and see if Judd will, Mum. Mostly, I don’t care anymore. And I think that speaks volumes about the truth of my feelings for him versus what I wanted to believe.”
After a long, awkward moment, my mother sighed. “Okay. No more talk about Judd. But I will miss him. He made me laugh.”
He made me cry,I wanted to argue, but instead I rolled my eyes at the screen and hung up.
The tow trucktook a couple of hours to arrive, giving me time to get my clothes out of the wash and onto Ryder’s clothesline in the backyard. EvenIknew that putting my suit pants into the dryer was asking for trouble.
That done, I rummaged through the drawer in the coffee table for a phone charger and plugged it in. Then I worked on my laptop, answering emails and telling people I was on holiday for a couple of weeks and to contact Phillip if they needed something.
Then I phoned Hank, my lawyer, who was shocked by my request that he email me options for either buying Phillip out or selling my share in the company to him or someone else. I cited irreconcilable differences of the lying, cheating bastard variety, and sounding remarkably like my mother, Hank discouraged me from making any hasty decisions.
What was it with people wanting to give cheaters the benefit of the doubt?
I briefly considered texting Judd to say he’d better have moved all his stuff out of my apartment but then thought,fuck it. I really didn’t want to open the door to another session of back-and-forth texting. The idea made me physically sick.
Instead, I emailed Phillip a to-do list to ensure our clients weren’t left in the lurch. It wasn’t their fault I had a cheating ex and a deceitful best friend. In that sense, Phillip had been right. Contracts deserved to be delivered, and if I wanted the ability to move on, I couldn’t afford to tank the company.
I also let Phillip know I’d spoken to my lawyer, would discuss options when I had them, and had talked with my mother. I conveniently omitted to mention the exact details of that particular conversation so as to keep him guessing—but said I expected him to keep to his agreement and not contact her.
I read through the email a second time and then fired it off and fell back against the cushions. I replayed the morning’s events in my head: from being caught sleeping in Ryder’s shed, to breakfasting with the man, to facing off a bulldozer, and finally being ensconced in the house of a man I barely knew while wearing his clothes and canoodling with his dog.
Not my usual morning, for sure. Then again, yesterday hadn’t been either.
Which brought me back to the question of why I hadn’t told Ryder that the apartment I’d shared with Judd was actually mine lock, stock, and barrel and that I really had no need of his hospitality. I had a home to go to. I could return at any time. I just didn’t want to.
That had been omission number one. Omission number two was even more concerning, given whose house I was sitting in. My company, T.G. Inc. and its looming bid for the Elosand cooling system software contract. A contract worth a great deal of money for a development that would see Ryder forced from his home.
I slid my phone back onto the coffee table and looked through the bifold doors to Ryder’s garden beyond. I hated the idea of hiding my involvement, especially since he’d been so kind. Then again, was there any point in telling him? I’d be gone by the next day, and I was only a very small piece in that particular puzzle after all.
Ifmycompany didn’t develop this software, another would. Ryder’s fight was with the council approving the development, not me. And given the current turn of events, both the companyand me were going to need that money if I bought Phillip out. More to the point, I’d known Ryder Nelson for all of half a day. You couldn’t even call us friends. No matter how intriguing or sexy the landscaper was, I had a life to rebuild and a company to reclaim. That had to be my number one priority.
But you could just fuck him.The ridiculous idea popped into my head.It doesn’t have to be complicated. You’re never gonna see him again. You could at least have a bit of fun before you leave.The idea wasn’t without merit and I mulled it over before filing it away underhas potential.
When my phone dinged with a text, I prayed it wasn’t Phillip. It wasn’t. It was the tow truck driver who said he was twenty minutes away, just enough time for one final call.
“Thad!” JB all but shouted in my ear. “Are you okay? Oh my God, that lying, cheating arsehole of a pissant. I thought about calling when I heard, but I figured you’d be with Phillip and likely drunk off your arse.”
I blinked. “You know?”
“Of course I bloody know.” He sounded almost annoyed at the question. “Some of us do risky things like leave our computer screens and have friends who actually talk to us. To be honest, I’m surprised to hear from you so quickly. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, I figured you must’ve died.”
“Shut up.” Although he wasn’t wrong. I’d known JB since my university days. Personality-wise, we were opposites. Casual, irreverent, and the life and soul of the party, JB came from a welcoming, vibrant Maori family who had embraced his bisexuality as easily as they did his ever-changing hairstyles. Just being with him could lift my spirits. But JB’s instant dislike of Judd had been mutual, and JB and I hadn’t seen nearly as much of each other as we had before Judd came into my life. “I’m sorry for being MIA,” I said, truly meaning it.
JB huffed. “So, you damn well should be, but I’ll forgive you. Judd hated the fact I saw straight through him, and I can imagine he put pressure on you.” His words were flippant, but I caught the edge of hurt in his tone.
I swallowed hard. “The blame lies totally with me. I didn’t fight to keep you in my life, and I should’ve.”
JB huffed. “Damn right.”
Suitably chastised, I asked, “Can I ask who told you?”
He groaned. “Promise you won’t yell?”
“No.”
