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Duh, didn’t he hear me when I said I walked it?
“I’m aware, thank you.” I point to my feet.
He slowly sits again and lifts my ankles, setting my sock-covered feet in his lap. The movement makes me wince.
“Jesus. Got any other good news, Sunshine?”
“Sure do! It gets better. I tried to pay for a rideshare, hence the bus, but he deactivated all my cards—Oh! And I was fired.” My eyes burn with tears. “It’s been a hoot-and-a-half,” I say with a cracked voice.
“What?”His hands flex and jaw tics.
The sadness returns as I say the words aloud. I smile, but my eyes are filled to the brim. “I have no money, no job, nocar. I’m having a bad fucking day, Cam.” I shake my head, feeling the weight of the tears return.
Now, more than ever, I want to sabotage Bryan. One final,Fuck you. Love, Jordan.
My voice comes out scratchy and angry. “This is why they stay, isn’t it? How do women leave if they don’t have anyone? How the fuck do they do it?”
He peels the rolled-up socks off my feet and sucks in a breath.He should have seen them before, when they resembled hamburger meat.“Jesus—fucking—Christ.”
“Ya know what’s funny?” I tap my fork against my lips. “I always thought I was independent. I wasn’t. It was a ruse.” I treasure another gulp from the bottle, it’s mostly empty. “I was so stupid. Bryan’s had his claws in every part of my life. This whole time he’s been giving me the illusion of control, but it was simply a leash with a long lead. With the snap of his fingers, it was all taken away.”
I stab my fork into the pan of brownies, then stuff it in my mouth. I can’t imagine what I must look like. At least after today, I know Cam won’t be attracted to me anymore. Drunk, red swollen eyes, and hair I never bothered to brush after my shower. That’s one less problem on my plate.
“Have you talked to your parents?”
With my shoulders held back, I lock my eyes with him. “No. I’m fixing my own problems this time.”
“You’re not thinking about going back, are you?”
I think about the taunting text message I saw from Bryan that came through as I was shutting down my phone.“Ready to come home yet?”
“No.”
“Good . . . you know what you need?”
“To get laid?” I mumble into my mess of brownies.The pan looks like an excavation site, peppered with random holes.
“Oh, did you finally decide I’m your type? I was gonna say go for a ride, but we can do that too.”
I purse my lips and stare at him. “Is a ride on the back of your motorcycle going to help me get a job and avoid my ex?”
He sighs. “No, but it’ll take your mind off it for a little while. And afterward, once you’ve eaten some real food and not this shit”—he snatches my tray of brownies away—“and gotten a good night’s sleep, you might be able to look at the bright side.”
I bark out a laugh and reach for the brownie pan. “What bright side? Enlighten me.”
Ever so slowly, the corner of his mouth tips up. “That this is the best thing to ever fucking happen to you. He’s cutting you off.” He leans forward, and his intense hazel eyes bore into me. “Let him.”
Sitting back in my seat, I stare at him and consider his statement. I didn’t think about it that way. When I finally pull my gaze away, I press my palms to my eye sockets, surely smudging whatever mascara is left on my lashes.
“It’s like he’s trying to start a war,” I huff.
“As long as you don’t go back, he’ll never win. LikeBraveheart, ya know?” He breaks out the worst Scottish accent I’ve ever heard. “You can take our jobs, our credit cards, and our Lexuses, but you’ll never take our freedom!”
The corner of my mouth tips up. “Hm. I almost forgot about that time when thirteenth century Scotland went to battle for their luxury sedans and corporate careers. William Wallace and I are basically the same person.”
“You’re way hotter than William Wallace.”
I tip my bottle at him. “But am I hotter than Mel Gibson?” I try to take a sip but, sadly, it’s empty.
