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What was he about to say before Beth interrupted us?
Did he mean what he said about not judging me? Because it seems impossible after I ended up dating his roommate, whom he once considered a friend.
And what would have happened if I had confessed that he isn’t the only one who regrets his actions, because I do too?
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Julian
The thought of going back to my empty house is about as enticing as a root canal without anesthesia, so I head toward Last Call after dropping Dahlia off at her house. The bar is pretty empty, with only a few Sunday stragglers taking up the stools and surrounding high-top tables. I nod toward a few locals before picking my usual spot at the end of the bar.
“Modelo?” Henry, the older bartender, places a napkin in front of me. I nod, and he sets down a bottle of my favorite beer.
“Open a tab for me.” I throw my Amex on the counter and chug half of my drink in one go.
“Rough day?” A guy a few stools down from me speaks up.
“You could say that.” I try to make out his face, but his ball cap casts a dark shadow.
“Work problems?”
I silently take another sip.
“Family issues.”
My eyes remain focused on the shelf of alcohol in front of me.
“Woman trouble.”
My fingers tighten around the bottle.
“Ahh. I see.” He looks up at me with those dark, beady eyes I would recognize anywhere.
Lorenzo Vittori.
He takes a long sip from his highball glass before placing it on the bar top. “Julian Lopez, right?”
My muscles tighten beneath my shirt. “Yes.”
“I’d say it’s nice to finally see the man who has made the last year incredibly difficult for me, but then I’d be lying.”
I remain silent. Competing against Lorenzo’s house offers was easy, especially with my deep connections to everyone in town.
People in town might dislike that I’m buying up older properties only to tear them down, but they trust me more than Lorenzo, who only lived here until his parents died.
His grin doesn’t reach his dead eyes. “Not much of a talker?”
I take a long sip of my beer instead. Most people in town consider me shy. Reserved.Quiet. What was once a weakness has become my biggest strength, especially when dealing with antagonistic tools like Lorenzo.
He lets out a long, exaggerated sigh. “Are you typically a bore, or do you save the quiet, stoic stereotype for me?”
Henry snorts.
I glare.
Lorenzo holds up his empty glass with a smirk. “How about another round for my friend and me here?”
“We’re not friends.” I keep my voice detached despite my annoyance.
