“Twisted up?” I repeated, my voice dangerously low. “You think I’m twisted up?”
“Yeah, I do. Look at you. You’re a mess. You haven’t slept. You’re making terrible decisions. All because of some chick. There are millions of women out there. You don’t need that one.”
“Don’t you dare.”
Keith held up his hands. “I’m just saying, if you’d been honest with her from the beginning instead of playing games, maybe this wouldn’t have blown up in your face.”
“You’re right,” I said, and watched surprise flicker across his face. “I should have been honest. I should have told her how I felt instead of trying to protect myself. I should have trusted her instead of panicking when you showed up threatening to destroy everything.”
“I wasn’t threatening to destroy anything.” Keith smiled like I might still believe him. “I was trying to save you from yourself.”
“Bull fucking shit.” I came around the desk. “You were jealous and it made you petty.”
“So what if I was? She’s attractive. I would have taken her to dinner, shown her a good time.”
“You couldn’t even get her name right!” The words exploded out of me. “You called her Ava. Multiple times. You were only interested in her for one thing, and we both know what that is.”
Keith’s jaw tightened. “That’s not fair.”
“It’s completely fair. You’ve never respected any woman in this office. You see them as conquests, not people. And when I instituted the no-dating policy because HR was drowning in complaints about your behavior, you got pissed. This isn’t about protecting me or the company. This is about you being angry that you can’t have what you want.”
“You’re delusional.” He scoffed.
“Am I? Because from where I’m standing, you saw that I cared about someone and you decided to blow it up. Youcouldn’t stand that I was happy. You were pissed I found something real while you’re still getting rejected by most of the women in this city.”
Keith took a step toward me, his hands clenched into fists. I mirrored his movement, my own anger making my vision narrow.
“Okay, that’s enough!” Lucas appeared between us, physically pushing us apart with his hands on our chests. “Both of you need to calm down, or I’ll beat both your asses.”
“Stay out of this, Lucas,” Keith growled.
“Not a chance.” Lucas looked at me. “Dane. Get your coat. We’re going for a walk.”
“I don’t need a walk. I’m not a fucking dog.”
“Now, Dane.” Lucas’s voice was firm in a way I rarely heard. “Keith, you can leave. Actually, you should probably work from home for the rest of the week.”
“I don’t report to you.”
“No, but I’m pretty sure if you stay here, Dane is going to knock out some of your teeth. You two need a break. You’ve been friends too long to let this destroy it.”
Lucas might be right, but I had a feeling that friendship was already irrevocably damaged. Still, I grabbed my coat.
“Great, Dane,” Lucas said, grinning at me. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 35
INA
Iwas sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of bitter coffee, when Abby stumbled in.
“You’re here,” she said.
“Where else would I be? I’m unemployed, unloved, and unhinged.”
“Exactly.” She walked over to the coffeemaker and poured herself a cup before sliding into the other chair at our tiny little table. “I thought maybe you’d be out slashing Dane’s tires or spray-painting obscenities on his building.”
“I don’t slash tires,” I said.
