AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It won’t.” I grabbed the plate out of the microwave and sat down to eat quickly. Hiram and I needed to get on the trail soon if we were going to get where we needed to before nightfall. “Gotta go, babe.”
There was a pause and a sigh. “I miss you, Boone,” he said, that wistful nostalgia in his voice once again.
Oscar lived a damned good life surrounded by beautiful people. He shined like a vibrant star, and everyone gathered around him to bask in his warmth. But he was always giving of himself to others, and I wondered if anyone was filling him back up. I resolved to be a better, more present friend.
“Let’s try harder to keep in touch,” I told him.
“You never could get enough of me.”
I chuckled. “Gotta go,” I repeated. “Someone has to do a real day’s work around here, and it’s not gonna be you.”
“So true. Later, Ranch Daddy,” he said in a flirty tone.
I hung up laughing, but my smile didn’t last long. When I got out to the stable, I found Hiram doubled over by a giant trash barrel, puking his guts out.
Jed looked at me with a shake of his head. “Lower-right pain, boss. Looks like maybe his appendix. Better get him to the hospital.”
While I commiserated with the man, I seriously didn’t have time for this shit. I gritted my teeth and pulled my phone back out.
Fine, I texted Oscar. You win. I’ll hire Richard. Get him out here. After a few seconds, I added, I’m going to regret this aren’t I?
Oscar’s response was immediate and did nothing to ease my doubts. I’m not sure you’ll regret it. Richard on the other hand…
2
RICHARD
I stepped into the Thirsty Dragon, spotted my ex, and immediately turned on my heel to leave.
“Richard!” James’s voice shouted over the din of the evening crowd. “Over here.”
I squeezed my eyes closed and sighed. Could I pretend I hadn’t heard him? It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see James. I did. I always did. He was one of the best men I knew. But that was also why I didn’t actually want to see him. No one made me feel like a good-for-nothing piece of shit more than my perfect sweetheart of an ex.
“Dick!” a second familiar, but much less welcome, voice called with fake glee. “Just the man I wanted to see.”
Correction. There was one person who made me feel even shittier about myself, and that was James’s friend (and onetime boyfriend) Oscar. Normally I didn’t give a shit what people thought about me, but Oscar managed to get under my skin. The whole time James and I had been dating, Oscar had made it clear that he thought James deserved better. And even though James and I were no longer together, I still felt like I needed to prove myself to him.
Now that I’d quit working for my father and my bank account was dangerously close to double digits, I wasn’t in much of a position to prove anything to anyone, but Oscar’s presence was still enough to make me suck in a breath and force myself to turn back around.
I wouldn’t give Oscar Overton the satisfaction of watching me slink away like a coward. Over my cold, dead body.
“Hey, guys,” I said, forcing a radiant smile. “I’m just here picking up some takeout.” I gestured to the bar like I was going to grab my food and go, but James waved me over and stood to hold his arms out for a hug.
If there was one thing I needed more than my cheat-day bacon-and-cheddar burger, it was a hug from a friend. I wove my way through the overflowing tables and walked into James’s arms. I held on tightly. The familiar scent of his cologne wrapped around me, and the strong, sturdy feel of him almost made my eyes smart.
Damn James for being so perfect I’d had no choice but to remain friends with him even after we broke up.
I reluctantly pulled away before I begged him to take me home with him and hold me all night—something I wasn’t sure his boyfriend would appreciate.
“Where’s Sawyer?” I asked, plastering on a flirty grin. “I thought the two of you were inseparable these days.”
At the mention of his man, James went all soft-eyed. “He’s back on the Cape dealing with some construction issues, as usual. The Sea Sprite is set to open in May. I came to the city to finalize some legal paperwork on the house.” He held out a chair at their table. “Join us. I thought you were in Capri?”
I glanced over to the bar, which was noticeably empty of my to-go order. It would be awkward and rude for me to decline James’s offer just to then go stand at the bar alone to wait.
