Page 40 of Love Unwritten
“Are you kidding? I give it an hour before everyone in town knows I was fired.”
“An hour? More like thirty minutes.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Rafael
“I can’t believe you convinced me to come here.” Julian huffs under his breath while trying to get the bartender’s attention. Last Call is packed with everyone who attended the game, so most of the employees are busy serving other patrons.
I lean against the counter. “You would’ve looked like a sore loser if you ignored Lorenzo’s invitation.”
“That’s because I am one.”
“Only because you lost to him of all people.”
Julian and Lorenzo have had an antagonistic relationship ever since the casino heir tried to buy up properties around the lake. Lorenzo makes Julian wary, and while I agree that there is something off about the guy, I don’t care enough to feel any sort of way about him.
If he wants to become mayor, let him. So long as I’m left unbothered and my donations to the town are responsibly spent, I couldn’t care less about Lake Wisteria politics.
The only reason I wanted to attend today’s celebratory happy hour at Last Call was because I overheard someone saying Ellie was coming. After she hung up on me the other night and then refused to hear me out today, this might be my best chance to speak with her, and I’m not about to blow it because of Julian’s bruised ego.
Getting Ellie to work for me is an inevitability, so the quicker she gets on board, the sooner Nico and I can move past this hiccup and begin repairing our damaged relationship. It’s not going to be easy—not by a long shot, especially with how affected Nico has been by my own problems—but Nico is worth the effort.
My son is the best part of my life, and I will slay every single one of my demons to make sure he doesn’t have any of his own.
Julian’s frown becomes more pronounced as he points between us. “We lost, no thanks to you, by the way.”
“I told you that I didn’t want to play.”
“Doesn’t mean you needed to let the other team win.”
My teeth grind together. “I didn’t.”
“Then explain why you always let Ellie steal an extra base while you stood around looking like you had never seen a woman before.”
“I was…distracted.”
“By what? Her ass?”
With an impressive burst of speed, I punch him in the arm hard enough to make him wince. “Cállate.” I look around to make sure no one heard him.
I didn’t intend to get distracted by Ellie, but her ass stole my attention every time she ran by me with a look of sheer concentration on her face.
Julian rubs his bicep with a frown. “Fuck. How much are you lifting now?”
“Enough to make you question bringing up Ellie’s ass again.”
The smile on Julian’s face sends warning bells ringing in my head. “No need to get defensive. Ellie is a single, good—” He cuts himself off when I pull my fist back. “I was going to say good-hearted, pinche pendejo.”
I ignore the urge to punch him while he focuses on catching the bartender’s attention again.
“I’ll be right back,” I say before heading past a group of people waiting for an open spot near the bar. I do a quick search for Ellie but come up empty, although I do notice two people I never expected to be seen together.
Lorenzo is whispering something into Lily’s ear that has her nostrils flaring and her cheeks turning red. I know she can hold her own when it comes to men, but my protective instincts rear their ugly head.
Before I have a chance to interfere, she shoves at Lorenzo’s chest, which only makes him laugh. He reaches for the hand that pushed him and plants a kiss across her knuckles.
Cállate: Shut up.