“No,” I snap.
Shawn swings his attention to me. “No?”
“No. I’m not dragging anyone down. If you felt like that when we were together, that was all your own doing, you absolutely pathetic piece of work. You don’t have a leg to stand on. I know what you did.”
He scoffs. I hate his smug bravado.
“I cut the fat from my life.” He eyes me up and down with a sneer.
My jaw works as several responses fly up my throat at once. I bite them all back, taking a breath to remain calm and cool for once instead of feeling my emotions so acutely. I don’t want to make more of a scene than he already has in the middle of the coffee shop.
“You broke up with me so you could move your other girlfriend in.” A hollow laugh leaves me at his caught out expression. I narrow my eyes. “Yeah, I know you were cheating on me. Is that why you wrote out that wall of text explaining whyyou were breaking up with me out of the blue? Was I in the way? Did it take you all day to draft so you had it ready to send me at a moment’s notice?”
Cole stands by my side, allowing me to say what I need to. His jaw locks and his fists balls tight enough his knuckles turn white.
“It doesn’t matter because I’m not sitting up pining after you. Have a long, boring, terrible fucking life, Shawn. I’m glad I don’t have to be in it anymore because you’re a miserable person and a really shitty partner. A soul-suck. A gloomy poison that infects everyone around you until you eat away at their light and creativity and energy because all you know how to do is take.”
I’m proud of myself when my firm tone only shakes slightly.
“Damn,” Reagan murmurs somewhere behind me. “Tell him, girl.”
Shawn’s chest rises and falls for a few beats, then his face contorts with anger. “You bratty fuckingbitch!”
He manages to take one step toward me before Cole and the hockey guys move to protect me. Cole grabs him while Easton tugs me back until he’s blocking me. Cameron puts a hand on my shoulder and Theo hovers at my side, pausing his glare to throw me a wink.
My heart swells. I love these guys. Their bond as a group runs deep, and they treat me as if I’m part of their little family, too.
Cole wrenches Shawn by the unforgiving grip on his baggy hoodie, walking him back into the corner near the fireplace. He doesn’t raise his voice enough for us to hear. The line of his chiseled jaw is rigid as he scowls and speaks in Shawn’s ear. Shawn goes pale.
This fierce protectiveness charged with the barely contained threat of violence shouldn’t be a turn on, yet it is. It reminds me of how hot I found it when he’d check his opponents playing defense. I will my body to stop being such a thirsty disaster.
Shawn nods at what Cole is saying. He stumbles when he’s released, blurts an apology without looking me in the eye, and scrambles for the exit.
Cole watches until he leaves, then turns to me. He grasps my arms and dips his chin.
“Are you alright?” he mutters.
“Fine. Really,” I insist when he doesn’t buy it. “I swear, I’m good.”
“So,” Theo drawls. “Who’s still up for pizza?”
“Yeah, I’m gonna go,” I stammer. “Thanks for having my back guys. Cole.”
I meet his concerned gaze and a fresh wave of fire spreads in my cheeks. Before he says anything else, I grab my latte and half-eaten pastry from the coffee table and dash out of the cafe with a hasty goodbye.
The coffee shop by campus was crowded, but The Landmark is mostly dead during my shift later in the afternoon. It started snowing on my way in, dusting everything in Heston Lake.
I’d love to be hiding away in my apartment after the scene at Clocktower Brew House earlier, but unfortunately I need to make money to live. Who decided that? Rude.
I’m more humiliated than angry about running into Shawn. He showed his true colors in all their douchebag glory. Having Cole and half the hockey team jump to my defense is as heartwarming as it is embarrassing.
Mom and Dad are going to hear all about the incident. No doubt. Who knows how the story will be twisted by then.
I text Benson and ask him to help me out with damage control before the town’s gossip mill gets crazy. He respondswith a string of emojis I’m not bothering to decipher. I take the peace sign, heart hands, beer glass cheers, and laughing emojis to mean that he’s on it.
I’m braced to hear some version of it, but our usual regulars only talk hockey, hockey, and more hockey. I tune to the game on the flatscreens for them and they leave me be unless they want a refill.
It’s slow, but I have an eighty pound tan and white shadow with a wagging tail and humid dog breath ghosting at the back of my legs to keep me company while I pass the time. Hammy follows me when I’m on the move and leans against me when I’m not busy.
