“No.Thank the universe.That would’ve been a different level of horribleness.I hope I never have to bail any of them out of jail, let alone all four at one time.”I take a fortifying sip of my iced tea.
“What did they do then?”
Instead of answering right away, I stare at his sandwich until he gets the hint and takes an obliging bite.
“They rented a billboard.”
“A billboard?Why … oh no.”
“Oh, yes.My brothers decided that the best way to get back at the guy was to rent a billboard across from his apartment building and to have a massive sign put up, proclaiming,Billy Arnold is a lying cheater who”—and I feel the mortified blush creep over my cheeks—“lost the best thing he ever had.”
“Well, at least it was accurate,” Warner offers.
“It washumiliating,” I moan, choosing to ignore the flutters his words set off in my stomach.“The whole thing was over.I’d broken it off with him, and that should’ve been the end of it.No one needed to know that he’d screwed me over.That I had been stupid enough to date a guy who cheated on me.”
“Whoa, Zoey, no.No way.That does not make you stupid.”
I finish my sandwich, staring off into the distance.“I know, logically, that it’s not my fault.But still.”I can’t help another sigh, all long and lonely.“It was so disheartening.”
“You loved him?”
My food is gone, and needing something to do with my hands, I reach into my bag to pull out my almost-finished hat.
“I was going to.”
“Going to?What does that mean?”Warner stares at me, eyes intense with an emotion I can’t interpret.Probably curiosity.
I know, sometimes, I can be odd and that people might find my reasoning weird.
I rack my brain, trying to figure out a way to explain.“I don’t seek people out.I tend to keep to myself.When I do make a friend or start dating someone, it’s inevitable that they mean a lot to me.Casual relationships aren’t really my bag.It’s all or nothing.So, if he hadn’t betrayed me, I definitely would’ve loved him.Just a matter of time.”
“Are you saying that if I keep showing up in your life, you’ll love me?”Warner smiles in a way that makes my heart clench and my lungs struggle for breath.
Yes.That’s the answer.No question.I might already be halfway there.
“I’m not looking to add to my love roster,” I warn him instead.
He doesn’t respond, but I get a sense he was hoping for another answer.Warner chews another bite of his sandwich, and I admire the way his jaw muscles tense with each movement.My fingers stay busy, hooking yarn, but I don’t need to watch my hands, which gives me continued permission to stare.
After a swallow of his drink, he speaks again.“The billboard drove you out of Denver?”
I grimace.“That, and the singing telegram they sent to his office.”
Warner chokes on something, and I feel bad that I keep almost killing him with my poorly timed comments.
As he coughs, I continue the humiliating story.
“My brothers are pretty talented when it comes to music.They play in a band together and everything.They composed an entire song about how Billy was a piece-of-shit cheater.Then, they paid a barbershop quartet to visit his office and serenade it to him.”
“That’s masterfully brutal.”
“Yeah.Objectively, it’s a good song.And the internet agreed.Someone in his office recorded it and posted it online.It went viral.Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if you’d seen it.”Now, I’m descending into petulant muttering, and I don’t like being in this frame of mind, especially when thinking about my brothers.Normally, I love them to distraction.But, hell, they screwed up this time.
“I agree.”
“That you should’ve seen it?”
“No.Although I’m tempted to look it up.”
