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“We’ve kissed and made out, but no, she and I have not had sex.”
Pointing in the direction he’d come from, I yelled, “Get off my property and outta my life!”
Ozzie’s once-even tone elevated to match mine. “You are so fucking annoying!”
“I’m not the one fucking everyone in Hume.”
“You would’ve slept with Shelton tonight if he hadn’t blown his load.”
I hopped to my feet, feeling at a disadvantage with his towering over me. “That’s neither here nor there. I didn’t. Your doing everything but the deed with Melodie doesn’t make shit better.”
He gasped before imitating my voice. “Oz, this is over. I don’t wanna see you ever again. Do you remember saying that?”
“That don’t even make no damn sense. We have to see one another. We share a daughter.”
“So, what is it, Dial? You don’t want me, but you don’t want anyone else to have me either?”
“I don’t give a fuck what you do or who you do.”
“You’re a bad liar, you’re a bad friend, and you’re a bad—”
I got right in his face. “Say it. I dare you to.” He thought I was a bad mother, everyone did, so he should just confirm what I already knew.
“Ex… there ain’t no fucking gotchas, ’cause I was gonna say you’re a bad ex.”
I hated myself for even thinking he’d accuse me of being a bad mother, because even at my lowest he’d never thought to utter those words. My face flushed hot and I wanted to hide out in a dark corner for a while.
“You could’ve ignored my text message.” Since I was too stubborn to flee, I had to continue to fight. “But no, you came running here sniffing around with your tongue wagging.”
Oz turned on his heels, heading back to his car. “Lose my number,” he called over his shoulder.
“I wish I could, but I have it memorized since junior high school.”
Ozzie stopped in his tracks and faced me. “You know what, I think you’re right. We’re toxic and bad for each other.”
I didn’t have a witty comeback. The reality that Oz could really be done with me left me gutted.
“I’m not gonna be your maintenance man anymore. I don’t want bits and pieces of you, Dial. This shit isn’t fair to me. You wanna be through, consider us done.”
Ozzie climbed in his truck and drove away.
10
Ozzie
Cyrus reached out and asked if I wanted to grab drinks. Usually, I was the one calling his secretary to get an audience with our beloved mayor. It had been three years, and I was still wrapping my head around his being mayor of Hume. I’d never expected the guy who crushed empty beer cans against his head to be running our little town.
Per usual, Cy was late, but I was extending him grace, because he’d put in the effort to make this happen. While I waited, I perused the menu at the Tipsy Owl. This was mostly out of habit, since I always ordered the same thing, the classic shandy, beer mixed with lemonade. Because the alcohol was cut by twenty-five percent, I could have way more glasses before feeling a buzz.
“What’s up?” Cy slapped my back before taking a seat.
“Fuck all. How’ve you been?”
“Busy.”
“You know, as mayor of a small town, you sure have a shit-ton to do. I thought Hume just kind of ran itself.”
“You’d think, but this town is stuck in its ways, and I’ve been working hard to move the needle.”
