But I pick up the phone and unlock it nonetheless.
And then I open the call log.
And I swear to heaven above, I will never doubt my gut again.
The call log has one name, and one name only.
JASPER.
The last call was outgoing, meaning he called her. And it was… yesterday. A few minutes after I left for the store.
What?
My palms grow clammy and I lock the phone, letting it fall to the desk with a thud. My heart hammers behind my ribs as the back of my neck gets hot, and sweat beads along my spine. The world spins around me, and I brace my hands on the desk to hold steady.
Landry is so genuine.
And yet.
He lied to me.
I sink into the desk chair even though I want more than anything to leave this room. I don’t want to be trapped in this space, but I can’t quite get my legs to move. My entire body is heavy and numb, and my mouth pools with saliva, the feeling of nausea stronger than ever as the back porch door swings open, then shut.
I hear Sadie and Landry, but I stay in the chair, staring at the phone.
He said he isn’t interested. Why did he call her? And worse, why did he wait to call her when I left? Nothing makes sense, even though a day ago, my whole world was right.
The office door creaks open, and somehow, I didn’t hear him coming. Landry stands in the doorway, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He adjusts his hat, his eyes not leaving mine. He doesn’t look at the phone, but he knows.
“Quinn,” he starts, and my name now all of a sudden sounds painful, the easing tone, the head tilt—I want to be sick.
I get to my feet and pretend my legs aren’t Jell-O, and that my heart isn’t about to jump up my throat and out my mouth. “When I got here, I told you that my boss cheated on me, right? I mean, you do remember me telling you that?”
Landry steps inside, partially closing the door, most likely to keep Sadie’s prying ears away from this conversation. I love Sadie, and that won’t ever change, so I keep my voice low to protect her.
“I told you that Devin cheated on me with a coworker,and I told you it happened toward the end of the film, and it caused me to lose focus and ruin my work.”
Still, he says nothing.
“Landry, I told you all of that, didn’t I?”
He nods. “Yes, you did.”
I nod, unable to calm the rage stirring in my belly. “And you asked me to marry you, as a favor to you, right?”
Another nod. “Yes.”
“And the first second I leave this house, you call another woman? A woman that I clearly expressed makes me uncomfortable. And you didn’t just call her the one time, did you?” I nudge the locked phone to him. “You called her all last week and God only knows how much more. Right?”
Landry makes a move toward me, a cautious and slow step, but I shake my head and step back, finding the edge of the desk with my hands.
“Quinn, it’s not— I just—” He can’t find the words, and my stomach plummets to the depths of my soul, landing right next to the pieces broken off of my heart. He comes to me, and I stay there and let him take my hands in his. “I promise, I just need you to trust me. Okay?” His eyes search mine, and I want more than anything to nod, to reach up to him and press my mouth to his and find solace and relief in his words.
But my gut brought me into this office. And I’d be a fool to stay. And I’ve been the fool before.
I take my hands out of his and the expression that washes over his face nearly makes me change my mind.
Nearly.
