Marcus saw red. He didn’t know what it was about this situation that immediately had his hackles rising. It could be the fact that Jake had been her tormentor, and yet he still thoughthe was good enough for someone like Wynter. It could be that Wynter had disappeared from the one person who cared about her when she’d first moved here.
Or it could be the tumultuous feelings swirling in his chest over knowing what it felt like to kiss someone like Wynter Delaney and knowing she didn’t want anything more.
Either way, Marcus was a slave to the tightness in his chest, to the rage simmering beneath the surface, and to the utter disgust at having to witness any of this.
He stepped between Wynter and Jake before Wynter had a chance to give her answer. “I think it’s time for you to leave, Jake.”
The man chuckled. “What?” He tilted to the side and gestured to Marcus. “Are you just going to let him?—”
Marcus gave him a shove. “Don’t talk to her.”
Jake scoffed. “And what are you going to do about it?”
He shoved him again. “Final warning, Decker. Walk away.”
“Marcus,” Wynter snapped.
He ignored her. “Now.”
Jake’s dark eyes darted from Marcus to Wynter. “Doesn’t look like Wynter wants me to go.”
She managed to step out from behind Marcus. “Thanks for the invitation, Jake, but I’ll have to pass.”
“Why? Because of Marcus?”
“No,” she said icily. “I don’t owe you an explanation, but since I’m feeling generous, I’ll tell you.” She folded her arms, and her eyes swept over him with derision. “You treated everyone you thought beneath you like crap. I was no exception. I value my sanity enough to keep people like you out of my life. It was nice catching up.” With that, she gripped Marcus by the upper arm and marched out of the café.
“Nice,” Marcus murmured.
“Oh, be quiet,” she said. And despite her irritation, he couldn’t fight the grin that spread from ear to ear.
8
WYNTER
“Don’t take me home,” Wynter said as they got off the freeway.
Marcus’s head snapped around to stare at her, but she didn’t meet his gaze. “What? Why? Where do you need to go?”
“I’m planning on meeting a friend in town.” Wynter needed a break from Marcus after the interaction between him and Jake. It had been major déjà vu seeing him stand up for her, but she wasn’t a kid anymore and had grown a backbone. She didn’t need anyone’s help. More than that, she’d found ways to never have to lean on people again.
“Who? What friends?”
She whipped her gaze to him. “I’m sorry? Did you actually just say that?”
He winced and grabbed at the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just… You never really hung out with people when we were in high school. I didn’t realize you knew verymany people in town. Especially since you’ve been gone for so long.”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but we connected at Cornell. Small world, huh?”
“Who?”
“Rose Taylor and Morgan Meyers. I don’t know if you know them, but they’re locals. I guess they have deep roots in Copper Creek.”
Marcus glanced at her, and she could almost read the questions he had brewing. Questions like how could she befriend other people and leave him in the dust? How could she move on and start a different life when he’d been such a big part of it?
She blew out a breath. “Look, it’s not a big deal. I just want to get out of the house for a little while. Can you drop me off in town? There’s a café that has recently opened up. That’s where they want to meet.”
“Yeah, okay.” Marcus was quiet as he navigated the snow-covered roads. He was practically throttling the steering wheel, but Wynter refused to draw attention to his attitude.
