“Aren’t you the trail guy?”
I exhaled slowly, ignoring the question. “Don’t talk about her like that,” I said instead, coming to stand in front of him. “Like she’s just some line on your balance sheet.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He snorted, unconcerned, lifting his cigar to his lips again. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“It does,” I said. “Because she’s my friend and you’re out here bragging about how you’re going to benefit from marrying her when what you should be doing is talking about how much you love her.”
His expression sharpened, and my fist twitched with the need to hit him. “You think that’s how this works?”
Something in his voice stilled my hand. “I know enough.”
“You don’t know anything.” He shook his head with a chuckle, dismissing me.
“I know you can’t possibly love her if you’re talking about her like that.”
He turned back to me, a smug smile on his face. “Love?” He sneered. “This isn’t a movie, buddy.”
His friend laughed awkwardly and took a step back, suddenly very interested in his cigar.
“Jess isn’t an idiot,” Trevor continued. “She understands the arrangement.”
His word choice hit hard.
Arrangement.
“You’re marrying her tomorrow,” I said, as if he didn’t already know. “She deserves better.”
Trevor stepped closer, just enough to invade my space. Cigar smoke curled up between us, choking me. “Jess is a big girl. She knows what she’s doing.”
I opened my mouth to object, but something stopped me.
Didshe know? Did she understand thearrangementor whatever it was, the way Trevor said?
“Go home, trail guy,” he said before I could protest. “Like it or not, I don’t care. Because we’re getting married tomorrow.” He snorted and turned away, dismissing me again.
For one final moment, I considered the shock on his face if I punched him. Ultimately, I tucked my hand into my pocket and turned away.
Summit padded along next to me as I walked away. The sounds of laughter and music from the restaurant carried through the night as I turned down into the alley behind the plaza, eager to put as much distance as I could between the asshole and myself before I changed my mind about decking him.
She understands the arrangement.
Did she? I couldn’t believe it. Jess was smarter than that. She wouldn’t marry such an asshole as part of a business deal.Would she?
No.
I didn’t believe it.
But what I did believe was that she deserved better than that asshole. She deserved more than a man who spoke about her as if she were just a deal he needed to sign off on.
She deserved?—
Jess
“Jess?”
My head snapped up at the sound of my name. I’d slipped out the back door of the restaurant, desperately needing some fresh air and a break from everyone talking about howradiantI looked or how I was going to be abeautiful bride.
The whole thing was making me claustrophobic, but even outside, it seemed I couldn’t get away from my life.
