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Detrick rushes into my office, shutting the office door and gaping at me. “Thorin has a lunatic for an ex.”
“I’man ex.”
He waves my comment away. “Not in the crazy capacity. What does she think is going to happen if she runs off to the press? It’s not like it’s a crime to get married.”
Rubbing the spot between my eyebrows, I let out a long sigh. “I met Thorin in Vegas. We got hitched, as one does after drinking copious amounts and spending all your time together. King put in for an annulment.”
“Sounds like typical Vegas shenanigans.” He presses his lips together. “I suppose there’s more to the story?”
“Thorin was engaged to Jessica when he was in Vegas. I didn’t know anything about her. But she made it her job to know about me. Everyone harassed me constantly. I had to shut down my social media profiles, stop going to the Union for food during rush times, and overall just became a hermit.” I swivel my chair back towards my desk. “Now you know the whole sordid tale.”
There’s a long beat of silence before Detrick says, “She’s wrong. You’re not poisonous to Thorin. If anything, you bring out the best version of him from what Holly has told me.”
I scoff. Turning to look back at Detrick, I warn, “Don’t be fooled. Thorin’s mask is always firmly in place. He’s not the nice, good guy he likes to pretend he is. He’s as ruthless as the rest of his friends.”
“He’s nice to you.”
“Don’t you have work to do?” I scowl at him.
“I do.” He nods without moving his body out of my office. “But I’m curious how you can be willfully blind to the facts currently surrounding your life.”
Oh no. From the glint in his eyes, I can already tell he’s halfway through some imaginary concoction of a plan. “Don’t meddle.” My warning goes unheeded.
“He likes you.”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where this is going. “Thorin likes a lot of things. He’s grateful to me, Detrick. He doesn’t like me as anything other than a way to salvage his reputation in the hotelier world.”
“It’s more than that. Have you seen the news?” He clicks his tongue at me to stop my response. “Don’t answer that, I know you don’t see the news. You’re blowing up dear, as usual. People are interested in what charity you’re working with. Now they’re also interested in who keeps showing up to work alongside you.”
This conversation is pointless. Turning back towards my computer, I pointedly ignore Detrick’s existence for all of two minutes.
He leans over my shoulder, tossing his phone in front of me so I can see an article with a large picture showcasing Thorin and I standing close together outside of the charity. “He’s smitten.”
“He’s an asshole.”
“Hewasan asshole. People can change.”
“Cheaters don’t change.” Everyone knows that. It’s imprinted into every skull of every female in existence. Know your worth. Move on. Don’t let smooth words and a pretty face sway you into believing you’re an exception to the rule.
“But did he cheat because he wantedbothof you or because he wanted away from psycho Barbie and went about it in a spectacular fashion of demolishing his life?” Detrick asks. “Because it’s weird to me he would marry you, you get all the way back to campus believing everything is going fine, and then everyone’s world implodes. That’s something a cheater would think about. And before you say he’s a dumb cheater, I think we can all agree Thorin is not dumb.”
Maybe from the ivory tower Detrick is placing Thorin in he isn’t, but from the viewpoint I have he is an imbecile.
“You should tell him.”
Exasperation clouds my voice. “Tell him what? I’d rather forget this entire interaction happened.”
“If you don’t tell him, I will.”
I glare. “Who’s side are you on?”
“The side that gets you laid or at least a compliment or two.”
“Detrick.”
He waves away my tone as if I’m not his superior in the office. “That woman spouted more bullshit than I did to my parents about being straight when I was fourteen. Ignore her. Call Thorin, let him assure you that she’s bullshitting you. Hell, call King. But do not sit and ponder if that woman actually has any substance behind her words because she doesn’t.”
“Whatever. Can we get back to work now?”
