AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What happened with them?” I ask him. “Why’d they break up?”
“Pippa says he cheated on her, but she doesn’t know details.”
I look out the window again, thinking about her, before I unlock my phone and pull up our chat.
I’m serious about teaching you to skate, I text her.
Her response pops up a moment later.Fuck no.I only said yes because Connor tried and I didn’t want to.
That was the wrong thing to say, because now I want to be the one to teach her even more. My phone buzzes with a text from Streicher. I send him a curious glance but open the link he sent.
Ember Yoga. Spark your love of movement.
“Hartley’s online yoga classes?”
He cuts me a side-long look. “Don’t tell her I sent you that.”
Yoga in an inclusive, encouraging environment. All body types, ages, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, genders, and sexual orientations warmly welcomed.
I know exactly what I’m doing tonight.
CHAPTER11
RORY
After dinner,I’m unpacking in the hotel room when McKinnon enters. I pull the framed photo of Hartley out of my bag and set it on the nightstand. It’s a zoomed in version of the photo from the engagement party, with me cropped out.
“You don’t mind, right?” I ask McKinnon.
His lip curls at the picture, and I fuckingknowhe’s thinking about the other night at the bar, when I told everyone Hartley liked me while they were together.
“I don’t give a shit.” He turns away from me, pulling protein powder out of his bag and scooping it into his mixer cup.
“Good.” I take a seat at the desk, swiveling back and forth as he mixes his drink.
“Especially,” he adds, “because when you fuck up, I’ll be here.” He glances over his shoulder, wearing his own smug smirk, and mine drops a fraction.
A possessive feeling ricochets through me. “What the fuck does that mean?”
He leans against the counter as he takes a drink. “You think I don’t know you’ve always had a thing for Hartley? She might be having fun with younow,” he lets the last word linger, “but I had her first.” His smile turns cruel and cold, and rage bleeds through me as he shrugs. “Hazel and I aren’t done yet.”
“McKinnon, this is just sad.” My tone is condescending, but my heart pounds with protective anger.
“We’ll see.”
We stare each other down, but my phone alarm goes off, interrupting. I hit the button to silence it and send him an apologetic look that’s clearly fake.
“Now that I know you’re pining after my girlfriend, this is going to be awkward.” I wake my laptop up, pop my earbuds in, and join the Zoom call.
A moment later, Hartley’s face fills my screen.
“Hi,” she says into my earbuds, giving me a welcoming smile until it falls abruptly. “You’reBert Randy? I knew that name sounded fake.”
I chuckle, leaning back in the desk chair, aware that McKinnon is watching over my shoulder. “I miss you, too. Send me more nudes like that one you sent last night.”
“Miller,” she says, horrified. “I’m working. Go away.”
“I’m going to be so good for you, baby.” I nudge my laptop so she can see McKinnon behind me. “And I’ll keep my shirt on so you don’t get distracted.”
