She ate half of the bowl before pushing it away because any more of it and she’d be sick. It had been a hell of a day.
She walked over to the window and peered out. Then she felt her heart plummet to the bottom of her toes when she spied Gus’s truck. He was home.
She hated that she felt so uncertain. Hated that he mattered that much.
Faith wasn’t sure how long she stared out the window, but it was long enough for her vision to blur and for Taco to whine andprance near the door. With a sigh, she grabbed a bag from the box on the counter and his leash.
Quietly, she let herself out and made her way downstairs without so much as a peek toward Gus’s apartment. She headed down Cedar and took Taco for a brisk twenty-minute walk, and when she returned, she felt no different. She was still angry and confused, and as she reached the landing at the top of the stairs, she decided it was time to do something about it.
She let Taco inside, then turned and marched her butt across the hall. Without pause, she knocked. Then took a step back because . . . was she really doing this? Was she going to expose herself and cause a scene?
No, she thought.I’m not that girl.
She should have left — should have disappeared into the safety of her own space, except the door opened, and Gus stood there, shirtless, shorts hung low on his hips, hair a mess like he’d just woken up or . . . she sniffed the air.
“You’ve been drinking.”
“No hello?” His smile was sloppy.
“You smell like a brewery.”
“That’s because of the drinking.” His sloppy smile disappeared, and there were shadows around his eyes.
For a moment, she didn’t quite know how to proceed. She’d never seen him like this. Obviously drunk and more than a little dark.
“Are you alone?”
He frowned and rubbed his temple. “Who else would be here?”
“Maybe the lady you bought roses for?”
“The lady I . . .” His frown deepened. “How do you know about Misha?”
She had a name. Her heart sank.
“I was there. Downtown. I saw you in the flower shop.” Faith tried to keep her cool, but for him to outright name the woman was too much. Anger, the kind that leaves a trail of heat and bad decisions rolled over her, and she took a step forward. “We had a deal.” Faith thumped him on the chest. “No other women.”
His nostrils flared, his eyes glittered.
“You think I’ve been seeing another woman.”
“Who is Misha?”
“Christ,” he muttered. “She’s not someone you need to be concerned about.”
“I’ll decide what and who I need to be concerned with.”
“I don’t have the energy for this, Faith. Not tonight.”
His attitude, his words, pushed every single button she owned.
“We had plans. I waited for you.” God, she sounded pathetic.
She saw the confusion and didn’t know what was worse. That he’d been with another woman or that he’d forgotten about their plans, which meant he’d forgotten about her. Incensed, she fisted her hands together. “You’re such an asshole,” she ground out.
“Then why are you here?” he shot back.
“I don’t know.” The words fell like stones. “Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment. Maybe I’m lonely. Maybe I want to fight.”
