Ford didn’t move. Shoulders knotted, his hands in fists, he continued to face the door. “You would have faced that asshole alone.”
She had no idea what to say to him. She couldn’t think with her heart punching so hard inside her chest. “I could have handled it.”
“And you would have, if I’d kept on being a dipshit.”
Should she explain about Clyde? Could she explain?
No! She and Ford were friendly, but they weren’t in any way close. Despite his being here now, she didn’t owe him explanations.
Audibly inhaling and slowly exhaling, Ford pivoted to her with a good-natured smile as if all was fine and dandy in his world. “Well, good riddance. You were right about him. Definitely a nuisance. I’m glad my friends heckled me and that I came over.”
Her thoughts scrambling this way and that, Skye struggled to make sense of his reaction. Had he really been furious, or just feigning that reaction for Clyde? No, looking into his eyes, she knew his anger hadn’t been a sham. He was putting on a good show for her now.
She tried to think of how to respond, but all she could manage was a quiet, “Thank you. I appreciate the help.”
“What are neighbors for, if not a little heavy lifting?”
Great attitude, but she couldn’t let it go at that. “For the record, I didn’t expect Clyde’s reaction. Reluctance on his part, sure. But not”—she flapped her hand—“whatever that was.”
“That was a guy who didn’t want to take no for an answer.”
Obviously, she hadn’t known Clyde as well as she’d thought. “I didn’t mean to drag you into anything violent.”
“Not sure you could. I mean, I’m twice your size. Remember the difficulty you had with that large limb? I’d be even tougher to drag.”
Humor was nowhere in reach, so she only met his gaze and waited.
“Skye.” Getting real, he said, “Not a big deal, okay? Bozos are everywhere, believe me. I’ve dealt with my fair share.”
“You practically challenged him.”
Still looking very calm, he said, “You have no idea how badly I wanted to. Bullies infuriate me. But hey, I’ll survive the disappointment of letting him off easy.”
See,that. Clearly, he assumed he’d have come out the victor, but how in the world could he think it would be that easy? “I’ve never seen Clyde so aggressive before. I swear, it wasn’t what I expected.”
“Some guys aren’t great with rejection, and believe me, finding me here sharpened the sensation for him. He wanted you alone, he hoped to convince you, but he’ll get over it.”
This was all such a mess. She looked away, wishing she hadn’t bothered him, wishing she hadn’t opened the door to Clyde—wishing she’d never made the ridiculous arrangement with Clyde in the first place.
Touching her chin, Ford brought her gaze back to his. “Whatever you’re dealing with in your life, it’s your business.Clyde was an ass for trying to embarrass you.” Releasing her, he held out his arms. “Look, this is me, unimpressed with him. You should be unimpressed, too.”
Briefly, she closed her eyes, but she wasn’t a coward. “Right. He can only bother me if I let him.”
“True to a point. Emotionally, anyway. The thing is, I don’t think he’s going to back off completely. If you really want him to—”
“I do!” Surely, he didn’t still doubt that. They’d just seen Clyde at his worst. “The shine wore off that friendship weeks ago, and that was before he acted like an obnoxious ape.”
“Then could I make a suggestion?”
Guessing what he’d say, she went to her couch and sat down. “I can’t involve the cops.”
“Okay.”
She chewed her bottom lip. “I should avoid the restaurant and skip the party.” Even though she’d made those plans ages ago, and even though the party was part of her job, it was still—
“Wrong move,” he said. “At least in my opinion.” Taking a seat next to her, he got close, but didn’t touch her. “You should never give in to bullies. They see it as encouragement and things get worse.”
Recognizing the sincerity in his eyes, she nodded. “Okay. Then what?”
