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“Fine. But not here.” I’d come up with an excuse once we weren’t in the fishbowl of the restaurant and had some privacy. Maybe I could tell her the more extensive background check had already revealed new information. The question was what? I wasn’t a liar, but I refused to hurt her feelings by revealing the cruel words he’d said about her potential desperation.
I followed her to the front of the restaurant where Malorie was talking with Craig. She came up and hugged her cousin.
“I’m so sorry Tate was an asshole and talked about you the way he did. You deserve better.”
Fucking hell. I watched as Addison pulled away, her eyes widening. “What do you mean?”
My glare toward Craig made him cringe. He shuffled his feet. “She’s had a few to drink. I didn’t think when I told her what we overheard.”
Malorie wasn’t finished. “Of course I’m going to tell her. Craig and Leo were worried, so they followed your date to the back and overheard him bragging—”
“That’s enough.” I was trying to save Addison the embarrassment, but she wasn’t having it.
“I’ll say when it’s enough. What else?” Addison demanded.
Malorie sighed. “He said because you were chubby it might make you desperate enough to get his dick wet in the parking lot. Then he said he’d go to some party after to get more pussy—a double header.”
I cursed under my breath as I watched Addison absorb the cruel words.
“Leo put him up against the wall and threatened to end him if he breathed in your direction again. And then Craig told him he was lucky to be able to walk out of here.”
Even in the dim lighting of the restaurant lobby, I could see Addy’s entire face turned red. “I see.”
ChapterThirteen
ADDISON
Because it wasn’t humiliating enough to discover Leo and Craig had overheard my date talk about me that way, I also had to withstand their sorry-for-you faces in the restaurant entryway.
“Addy, don’t let it get to you. You’re beautiful,” Malorie murmured, touching my cheek.
Dammit, my chin started to wobble. I needed to get out of here before I further embarrassed myself by breaking down in tears.
“I guess thanks are in order.” I turned toward Leo and Craig but could barely make eye contact with either of them.
“You can do much better, Addy,” Craig said, in a voice I was sure he reserved for puppies and small children.
“It would appear so. I’m heading home.”
“Why don’t you join us for dinner instead?” Malorie suggested. “Leo, you could come too.”
Somewhere inside of me there was a woman putting on big-girl panties and bucking up, but she wouldn’t do it tonight. And not with Leo watching. “Appreciate the offer, but I’m not in the mood.”
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Leo offered, following me out of the restaurant.
“Don’t suppose me protesting would convince you to let me walk by myself?”
“It would not.”
In that case, fail me not, heels. What I didn’t need was to trip on my face and complete the spiral of shame.
Once I arrived at my Civic, I turned toward my unwanted bodyguard. “Good night.”
I was about to get into my car, but he suddenly asked, “How about we get something to eat?”
“No, thanks.” After being called desperate chubby girl, I wasn’t exactly anxious to shove food in my face. I’d be over it tomorrow, but for tonight, I needed to lick my wounds and have a pity party.
He stepped forward, crowding my space, and lifted my chin, until I was forced to meet his eyes. My breath caught at the intensity I saw there.
