Page 47 of Playing With Love

Her scowl was more of a death glare when she shook her head and rejected my directive.

“I’m going to Tennessee.”

“Yeah, with me, after we talk to Allyson and figure out our in.”

“Tucker—”

“Honest to fuck, woman, you think after I waited…no, wasted near on a decade, I find out you fucking love me, I’m just gonna let you walk away?”

She lost her scowl, but only because she rolled her lips inward. Out of all the reactions she could’ve had, panic wasn’t on the list I would’ve guessed. But it was there—unmistakable panic.

What the fuck?

“Lizzy—”

“No. I’m leaving,” she told the floor as she moved to her purse on the dresser.

I got there before she did and snatched it out of her reach.

“No, baby, we’re talking.”

“We’re not.”

Jesus fuck. Not this shit again.

“We damn well are.”

Without lifting her gaze she continued to speak to the carpet.

“Fine, we’ll talk. I messed up. I know I did. I screwed up with Arnie, I screwed you over, I lied to you then I⁠—”

“I don’t give the first fuck what you did to your douche bag ex. There’s nothing you could’ve done that would make him touching another woman okay. You’re unhappy in your relationship, in your marriage, you leave. End of story. You don’t fuck other women while you’ve got a wife at home. And we both messed up. We both lied to each other, denying how we felt. The result of that fuck-up we both gotta live with. Neither of us played that right. But we’re gonna talk it out.”

“I lied to you!” she snarled. “You hate liars.”

She wasn’t wrong. Liars were half a step below cheaters. But I didn’t understand the vehemence in her tone.

“Lizzy—”

“I heard you.”

“Heard me?”

She nodded.

“I don’t know who you were talking to but I heard.” Liza took a step back, blew out a breath, and whispered, “It’s all good or it will be when she’s gone.”

I knew she’d heard some of my conversation with Jason, I just didn’t know how much. Obviously she’d missed Jason reminding me I’d told him Liza was the woman of my dreams. And she missed when I told him, I thought with her being in Georgia, we’d finally have our time. Finally get our chance at a future.

“Yeah, Lizzy, I said that. After a week of you being close, me thinking you were lost to me, and me living in that hell. Me thinking I’d never get my chance after waiting a really long time, so, yeah, I told Jason I was all good. I also told him I’d be good once you left. Part of that was because I wanted the conversation to end. The bigger part of it was it hurt like hell talking about you after seeing you every day, you being distant and cold, knowing you were in the same building as I was and not being able to get to you.”

“I called you⁠—”

“Baby, you were drunk and slurring your words. It was late. I was pissed, hurt, and acted like a dick. But bottom line, you were drunk. I didn’t want to have an important conversation with you after you’d been drinking. Whatever you had to say to me, I wanted you sober. I didn’t want you to have another excuse. We both know you get chatty when you’re tipsy. I’ve never seen you drunk, but my guess is, you would’ve said more than you intended. And you would’ve used that to pull away.”

Clearly Liza wasn’t listening, or if she was she wasn’t comprehending what I was saying. Her gaze had glued to her purse I was holding just out of her reach. Panic had morphed into…nothing. Her eyes were blank, unfocused. Lost in her head. Something that I didn’t get, and it worried me.

“Liza?”