Page 59 of Pretty Lies

Luis.

Della.

The motive.

“Something just isn’t right with this,” Cory said out loud.

Frankie brought his cup up to his lips, muttering, “Hard to find what isn’t right when everyone knows something is wrong and might want to take advantage. Loose lips. Sinking ships. That whole bit. Think about it.”

Cory was.

Too much.

•••

Cory considered his conversation with Frankie after he stepped out of the private section and leaned against the wall of the hallway. He needed a moment to understand what it might mean for Della—not to mention, his job here. He didn’t get much time to think about anything before the rear exit door opened slightly. The conversation from familiar voices traveled down to his spot.

He stilled at the words he heard.

“Just, shit … hey, I’m not trying to be an ass, you know?” J said.

Della let out a hard sigh. “Aren’t you?”

“Or you could see it as me looking out for you. Don’t see this as me trying to pry into your business—you offered. I’m only voicing an opinion. And it’s not like anything I said was untrue, Della. You don’t have the greatest history with guys. You tell me you jumped into bed with—”

“That’s enough.”

“Look, I’m sorry. Okay?”

Cory’s gaze stayed trained on the wall across from him, but from the side he could see how Della’s hand around the side of the exit door loosened. So much so that the door closed a bit. Not enough to shut out the conversation, unfortunately.

“I know, okay. I do,” Della told her brother. “I just don’t need everybody else to point it out to me, too. Jesus, I just got out of a relationship with a raging asshole and shocker, he just happens to be an old friend of Cory’s. To top it all off. Men like that aren’t worth shit. I don’t need you to tell me. I already know. Don’t worry, J, I’m not about to make the same mistakes again with Cory Rossi.”

Ouch.

Cory didn’t have long to acknowledge the ache that spread in his chest or just how much Della’s words stung. Frankly, he wasn’t even sure he had a right to feel anything about it at all when the two of them barely knew each other, right? She was his current job—he’d said it himself that this was just fun.

Except it wasn’t that which hurt. It was her assumptions. Because she didn’t know shit, not about him.

A couple of seconds later, Cory straightened up from the wall just as Della pulled open the exit door and stepped inside with J following close behind.

“Your father said you were welcome to join him for breakfast—both of you,” Cory told the siblings.

If the two knew he had overheard their conversation, they didn’t act like it. Neither did he. Everybody seemed fine like that.

Just perfect.

“What else?” Della asked, walking closer.

“Cory,” J greeted, passing him by.

“J,” he returned.

“Mind the things you handle, yeah?”

Cory met the man’s gaze, murmuring, “Always do, J.”

It was all about the unspoken words.