“Details,” I mutter.
“Barnes won’t let his staff get laid off,” Sinclair says pompously. “I read an interview with him in the Post about it. He’s an articulate man.”
“He’s short-sighted and living in a fantasy land,” I snap, my temper getting the better of me as I watch his fingers stroking Megan’s upper arm.
“Well, if he’s loyal to his staff, that’s a good thing,” Megan pipes up, and I throw her a furious glare.
And what the fuck would you know about loyalty?
“Do you think a lot of people will lose their jobs with this merger?” my mom asks.
Her eyes are wide as she stares at me. She’s never understood private equity and hates the idea of anyone being laid off without cause.
“I’m going to try and retain as many as I can,” I say earnestly.
“Don’t be fooled, Elona, he’ll prioritize profits, like every other businessman out there.” Sinclair smirks at me, and I tighten my fingers around my fork.
My dad changes the subject, asking Charlie what he’s up to these days. It’s his thinly veiled attempt to tell my little brother to settle down and stop job-hopping.
I barely speak for the rest of the meal, feeling the kind of melancholy I haven’t felt in months. Being around Megan isn’t good for me, and seeing her happy pisses me off like nothing else.
As soon as we’re excused from the table, I escape to the balcony, looking out at the long garden behind my parents’ house. I’m enjoying a final glass of wine when the door opens behind me, and Megan walks out.
She’s a shimmering vision in a light blue skirt and blouse, her eyes shining in the moonlight.
“Hey stranger,” she whispers, as a knot forms between my shoulder blades.
“Hello Meg,” I say with as much acidity as I can manage. “Where’s Sinclair?”
“Oh, he’s talking shop with your dad. I wanted to come out and see you; it feels like forever since we’ve talked.”
“And what would we have to talk about?”
“Oh, come on, Lucas. You know, you and I were having problems before Sinclair and I... I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I would never do that.”
Her hand comes to rest on mine, and I feel an overwhelming urge to snatch it back.
“Look, Meg, we’re going to have to be civil to one another now that you’re with Sinclair. You certainly landed on your feet there. My mother has treated him like a son for most of his life, and shelovesyou. But civility is where it ends. Don’t try and crawl back into my good graces after I walked in on you bouncing on the guy’s dick.”
Megan recoils, her eyes widening at my tone. I’m rarely this sharp with her, but I’ve had three glasses of wine and she’s disturbing my solitude.
“I’d prefer it if we speak to each other as little as possible from now on,” I say.
“Lucas!” she says, a hand covering her chest. “You’re not being fair.”
“How am I not being fair?”
“We had barely seen each other for months when we split. I’d been trying to get you to evenlookat me for weeks.” Her voice is a vicious hiss. “I can see you’ve entrenched yourself in the victim role since I walked out, but it takes two people to end a relationship, Lucas, and I didn’t sleep with Sinclair until we wereover.”
“How chivalrous of you.”
“You’re being an asshole.”
“I thought you liked it when I was an asshole to you, sweetheart.”
Her pupils blow wide at that. Megan enjoyed it when I took control, something I have no doubt Sinclair is incapable of doing. He seems like the kind of guy who talks the talk, but when it comes to really showing a woman a good time, he wouldn’t have the first clue where to start.
I place my glass on the edge of the balcony behind me and move to walk past her, but she grabs my arm.
