Page 110 of Blue Jean Summer

“Yes.”

I worked my fingernails into a groove on the top slat of the fence. “But you haven’t said anything to me about it.”

Hayes peered down to where I was hunched over. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I hadn’t quite figured out how I felt just yet, but being outside helped. Having Hayes near helped. There was a magnetism that pulled me to him. It made me want to unpack everything with him.

“I thought you’d be happy about it,” Hayes said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Why would I be happy about it?” I scoffed. “I have no chance at a relationship with my dad now. Before everything came out, he and I could have gotten to know each other under the radar. But now…”

“Why would you want to get to know him?” Hayes pressed. “You know the kind of man he is. You know what he did. He’s hurt you repeatedly.”

“But—”

“What he got wasn’t nearly what he deserved,” Hayes snapped.

There was an anger there that I didn’t recognize.

“Hayes…”

He stared out at the horizon. “Voters might look past shit like that, but I don’t. Not when it comes to you.”

Hayes was too wound up, and Hayes was never wound up.

I reared back. “What did you do?”

“I simply arranged for him to experience the consequences of his actions,” he said coolly.

My hands tightened around the fence as the new cow sensed the energy shift and stared at us with distrust. My throat began to tighten in a knot. “So you ruined the only chance I had at having some semblance of a relationship with my father. And for what? A dick-measuring contest?”

“Catherine, he’s a piece of shit. He’s a lowlife who preys on women and feeds on the acquisition of power. He’s corrupt. You don’t need someone like that in your life, and I’m certainly not going to let someone near you who has done nothing but let you down.” I had heard the edge in his voice before, but it had never been aimed at me.

And it hurt.

“Who the hell do you think you are to make that decision for me?” I snapped, pointing a finger at him. “You don’t get to choose who gets a place in my life. Right now, you’re on very thin ice yourself.”

“How do you not see it?” Hayes asked with a caustic, exasperated laugh. “He’ll do exactly what he did to those women to you. He’ll figure out how he can use you, tease you with a relationship like a carrot on a stick, and then discard you when he’s done. The only difference is that he can’t use you for sex.”

“That wasn’t your choice to make!” I shouted as tears burned my eyes. “All I wanted was a shot at getting to know him and—”

“I do know, Catherine!” Hayes scrubbed his palm down his jaw in frustration. “Where do you think the recording came from that’s been playing all over the news today? Because I have the master copy if you don’t believe what they’re telling you.” Hayes radiated with anger and vengeance. “He hurt you, and I will not let that go as long as my ring is on your finger. No one hurts my wife and gets away with it.”

I clenched my jaw, nearly grinding my teeth down to nothing as I worked the wedding band off my finger. The engagement ring was in my room since I had been working outside all day and couldn’t bear the thought of damaging a family heirloom. “Well, you hurt me. So, congratulations.” I laughed sarcastically as tears spilled free and rolled down my cheeks. “You got your ring back. Now let me fight my own battles. I’m going to get ready for my interview.” I slapped the band into his hand before turning to stomp back to the house. “Enjoy sleeping alone, husband.”

Chapter 28

Hayes

“Trouble in paradise?”

I looked up from the blurring numbers on my computer screen as my headache let himself into the study.

“What do you want?” I groused.

Lewis grinned with all his teeth like a giddy chimpanzee. “Who? Me?”

I rubbed my eyes to try to ease the strain from looking at my computer and not sleeping. Really, it was just from not sleeping. “You’re the only one in here.”