“Mm. How nice. You should have brought her over so I could meet her,” I said pointedly.
Looked likemyreplacement had already been replaced.
And I hadn’t missed that he called the poor woman afriendeven though he’d been hanging off her like the sun shined out of her ass just two minutes ago. Something told me she’d be surprised to hear that she was just hisfriend.
He let out an exasperated sigh. “Come on, Amy, don’t be like that. I didn’t want to make things awkward for either of you. Look, I’ve been thinking about you a lot. And I wonder if there’s any chance we could go out back and talk for a minute?”
I glanced over at his date. She’d wandered over to a table of men and was busy chatting with them. They were all laughing about something, and I got the impression she knew them.
She must be local.
Mary didn’t seem too bent out of shape to see the man she’d arrived with talking to another woman.
Against my better judgment, I told him, “Okay. But no more than five minutes, seriously. I don’t want you to be rude to yourdate.”
He guided me out of the bar, with his hand on the small of my back. “I told you she’s not my date. Just a friend.”
Outside, the temperature was frigid.
The bar had been so warm that I’d almost forgotten we were deep in winter.
Red Oak Mountain seemed to get chillier than Fernwood, and I wished belatedly for a jacket.
Now that we were outside, Chris gave me hisbestbedroom eyes. The ones that had always worked on me in the past. “I miss you. Don’t you miss me?”
I crossed my arms. “You just miss my pussy. And maybe my blowjobs.”
He looked so hurt, like I was wounding him. But I knew it was all part of his act. “No. We had something special together, Amy. No one I’ve dated since you has come close. I tried reaching out, but you weren’t very receptive. It hurt my feelings.”
It took everything in me not to roll my eyes at the man.
Chris had tried sliding back into my DMs a few times. Usually late at night when he was feeling lonely for a woman in his bed. But I’d shut that down fast.
“Seriously, Amy. Can we meet up later this week and have a talk? I’d really like to reconnect.”
Even as he said it, I saw his eyes flick behind me, and I knew he was checking out some woman walking by. And what a way to treat his date? I felt sorry for her.
I wonder if I should warn her?
But then, what if she thought I was trying to break them up to win him back myself? No, I’d better stay out of it. Hopefully, she’d be smart enough not to get too involved with him.
Shaking my head, I turned to go back inside. “Our time is done, Chris. You know it. I know it. You need to find yourself some new women to listen to your lines. Now go back to your date.”
When I made it back to the pool table I was lightly trembling. I told myself it was from the cold. But it was really from Chris reopening old wounds.
It’s not like he’dcheatedon me. He’d just beenverycavalier with the truth. And his eye hadneverstopped wandering. With a man like that, it was only a matter of time.
It still hurt, though.
Dee’s eyes were wide as she handed me my pool stick. “You’ve gotallthe men lining up for you tonight. Who wasthat?”
I told all the ladies at the table, “Trust me. He’s not worth the time.”
Dee pounced on the gossip, though. “That’s the ex who put you off men? You should go get that big, strong one who’s been looking at you all night to make him jealous.”
I couldn’t help glancing over at Dawson. Sure enough, he’d switched places with his buddy, and now he was facing the pool table watching us talk.
It would be just my luck if he could hear this conversation.
