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He could see the truth in my face, so there was no point in lying. “Okay, yes, but—”
Flynn held up a hand to stop me. “So you lied.” The look of betrayal on his face was so horrible, I wanted to vomit.
“I didn’t lie!” I argued. “I just… you assumed, and I…” I was digging the hole deeper, I knew it. I raked my fingers through my hair. “I wanted to tell you later. When the time was right.”
He let out an ugly half laugh. “You mean after you made sure I lost Brew Fest?”
“What?” I demanded. “No! God. I wouldnever. Flynn, come on! You know I… Flynn! Get back here and talk to me!”
But it was too late. Flynn had disappeared through the kitchen to his office. I raced after him.
“Let me explain,” I said a split second before he slammed the office door closed behind him.
And locked it.
“Don’tdothis,” I insisted, pounding my palm on the door. “Flynn, I know what you’re doing right now. You’re afraid, and you’re hurt, and you don’t want to hear my explanation because it’s easier to be mad, but I—”
He flung the door open wide, sucking the air from the hallway behind me through the doorway and rustling some loose papers on his desk. “You think this is easier, Jonathan? Do you? And what’s the fuckingproperway to react when you find out that the guy you…” He swallowed hard, and tears filled those gorgeous green eyes. “…the guy you’refuckinghad an agenda he never shared with you and let you believe that business wasn’t on the table anymore, when he was secretly… what? Planning to manipulate me into a contract after all?”
“No.No. No manipulation. I wanted to give you choices. I wanted to respect your boundaries.” I winced as I heard the words come out of my mouth, and Flynn made a derisive noise. “I mean… your boundaries about thetermsof the contract. See, I—”
Flynn held up a hand. “No. You know, Dan warned me you were just using me to get the business, and I told him he was wrong. That he didn’t know you. That you would never do that to me. But I guess I’m the wrong one. I’m the one who didn’t know you. I’m the sucker who thought…” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. I stepped forward and reached out to touch him, but he slapped my hand away. “Don’t fucking touch me. If you care about me at all, you will go away and leave me the fuck alone. The most important event of my career is a week from today, and the last thing I need right now is this… this…drama. Fuck off, JT. Go back to New York and find another sucker.”
He slammed the door closed again.
I leaned my forehead against the smooth, cool wood. The faint sounds of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” slithered through the sound system from the Tavern, mocking me.
“JT,” Castor said softly from behind me.
I turned my head against the door to find Cas, Dan, and Reagan, all standing in the hallway, watching me. Cas looked hesitant, Reagan sympathetic, and Dan had his arms crossed over his chest.
“I need to talk to him,” I told Castor. “This is a misunderstanding. Our whole relationship is littered with them. I need to explain.”
Cas shook his head. “He needs to cool off first. He’s not in a place to listen right now.”
Castor meant well, but he was wrong. So wrong. “You don’t get it. That’s the mistake I’ve made in the past. I’ve left him without explaining. Last time—” I hesitated. I didn’t know if Flynn had told anyone about what happened after Horace died. I wasn’t sure he’d want me to tell them now.
Sweet Cas huffed out a breath and rolled his eyes. “I think there’s a middle ground between giving Flynn space to collect his thoughts so that he’s not speaking to you with embarrassed cry-eyes—which is only going to make him more likely to hold a grudge, FYI—and fucking off to New York for three years.” He threw up his hands in exasperation. “Andyes,” he said, raising his voice so that Flynn could hear him through the closed door, “I knew that you two were together years ago. Who do you think made sure everyone left you alone that night? Ifcertain peoplewanted to keep it a secret, destroying the second floor of the Tavern minutes after JT left town was probably not the most subtle way to go about it.” He blew out a breath and made a sweeping motion toward the Tavern like a game show host. “Go on. Get out of here. Maybe use this time to figure out exactly what you’re gonna say.” He gave me a hard look. “And make itgood.”
Reagan lifted both eyebrows. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Castor upset before. I wasn’t sure I’d heard him swear before, even.
I took a deep breath and steeled myself against the pain that was lodged in my chest and throat. Then I turned around and trudged back down the hall.
Reagan squeezed my shoulder as I passed, then turned and walked out with me.
Flynn Honeycutt had asked me for space, so I’d give him space.
For now.
* * *
It took me about eight hours before I caved and tried again.
“Fuck Flynn Honeycutt, and fuck his space,” I told Reagan before I stormed out of Wellbridge House.
“JT, when Castor suggested we come up with something eloquent for you to say, I’m pretty sure he was thinking of something a little more flowery than that,” he called from the doorway. “Maybe more like—”
I shut the door to my Porsche and reversed down the driveway, cutting off the rest of his advice.
