Page 23 of Dirty Fighter

“And then he told you you’d be hearing from his legal team and left, taking all the hotness with him. Sad.” Jill clucks her tongue. “What’d your mom say about it?”

“So, two things. First, I haven’t told her yet.”

“Wait, what? Marsha doesn’t know that Public Enemy Numero Uno dared to set foot on her turf? Girl, it’s been nice knowing you. I’ll tell the authorities to look for a shallow grave.”

I only wish my bestie was blowing this out of proportion. But sadly? Ugh.

“I’m going to tell her!” Obviously, I’ll tell her.

If I didn’t and she somehow found out he’d been here? Rational or not, she would consider it the most grievous of betrayals. And when my mother feels betrayed… God help everyone. “It’s just… why upset her more than necessary now, right? Maybe it’s better if I wait until Jason hears from his lawyer. Then I can give her a heads-up on what kind of pushback to expect… If any, you know?”

“Why? It’ll just torque her off when she finds out that you waited. And what’s it going to matter whether she knows now or later if he’s not even—” The silence is actually worse than if she’d gasped. “Rowan.”

I stare down at the path beneath my feet. “That’s the second thing. He’s not leaving without an answer. And I’m like ninety percent sure the lawyer took a long weekend.”

She coughs. “Monday? You’re okay with that?”

“I wasn’t.” Not after the way last night unraveled and the mantrum that resulted in us having to share a bed. “But today, I just can’t stop thinking about how much he’s lost already. And to find out about the cabin like this?”

I hate it for him.

I hate knowing how much Ed would hate what’s happening right now, because there is no way this is what he wanted to happen. He must have thought he’d have more time. Something.

But as it stands? “Ed would have wanted his son to be able to say goodbye. To take what he wanted and maybe help me decide what happens to the rest.”

“And for him to have that chance, you can’t let Marsha know he’s there.”

“Nope.” I wasn’t exaggerating last night. “She’d have the local sheriff over here to escort him off the property. Heck, she’d probably get the press involved to make sure he felt the threat to his career and stayed away.”

She wouldn’t be able to see what he was losing. She wouldn’t care.

All she’d see is an adversary, and she’d come at him with everything she had.

“Damn, your mom is…”

Jill trails off, probably trying to talk herself out of saying something hurtful about my only living family member. But she doesn’t have to.

“Yep. I know.” I know who my mother is and how vindictive she can be. How dangerous.

What I don’t know is why my mother is built the way she is. To her, people fall into one of three categories: pawns, rivals, and prizes.

Ed was a prize. And from the minute he put his ring on her finger, she started to see his son as a rival with the potential to make it come off.

I round the curve, and more of the island’s shoreline comes into view. It’s bigger than it looked from the boat, stretching back to a bluff with a rocky beach beneath. It’s beautiful and rugged, like the man who’s losing it.

“Rowan, what you’re doing for this guy is a big deal. It would have meant a lot to Ed. I hope his son appreciates it.”

Until he’s talked to his people and understands what’s actually happening here, I don’t think he really can. But so long as we can respectfully coexist in the interim, I don’t need him to.

We talk as I follow the looping path deeper through the woods, stopping here and there to examine a rotted log or pretty stone. To look out over the water and watch the waves.

I wanted to give Jason a few minutes to himself, but we need to talk. So when Jill finishes telling me about the guy she won’t be going on a second date with, but how his brother is pretty cute… I have to cut her off.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I want to hear, but I’m almost back at the cabin.”

“Eesh, you’ve got a few things to sort out, huh.”

“Like what this weekend is going to look like if we’re both here.” He really did seem reasonable this morning. Not like the reactive guy losing his shit last night, but more like the kinder sixteen-year-old version he was that night we met… when he was the guy who wouldn’t leave me alone at the baseball park when my mom hadn’t come to pick me up.