Page 19 of A Little Jaded
Assholes.
Pressing the bag of frozen peas to my jaw, I stretch my legs out on the couch as exhaustion spreads through me. I can’t erase the image of Raine walking away. The way she got in the car without a word. Not like a coward. Like a survivor. It’s messing with my head.
The cushion dips beside me when Griffin takes a seat and rests his forearms on his knees. “Any idea what that was about?”
“I’ll tell you what it was about,” Reeves interjects from the kitchen. “It was about a possessive motherfucker who didn’tlike you being locked in the bathroom with his girlfriend. Is she or is she not your client?”
Scrubbing my hand over my face, I mutter, “Not.”
“Why not?” Griffin asks.
“Because she’s scared,” Reeves answers for me. “I’ve seen it too many times. She got cold feet and figured hiring help wasn’t worth rocking the boat.”
“Okay, then why’d he come here if she isn’t working with Ev?” Griff questions. “Or was it her idea?”
I shake my head. “She didn’t know this was our place.”
Rounding the center island, Reeves steps over a broken lamp and sits on the sofa opposite ours. “So, it was his idea. Why’d he come here, Ev?”
I exhale slowly. “I went to see her a few days ago.”
“What do you mean you went to see her?” Reeves demands.
“At her job,” I clarify. “She works at a tattoo shop, and I stopped by.”
Kicking his feet up on the coffee table separating us, Reeves laces his fingers behind his head. “How’d you find out where she works if she never hired you?”
It’s a good question, one I don’t want to answer, but I have a feeling the guys won’t drop it until I do.
“I wanted to give Raine my number in case she needs anything,” I admit.
Exchanging a look with Reeves, Griffin points out, “You didn’t exactly answer him.”
“Fine. I did some digging. Used Drake’s name. Recruited Finley’s online stalking and figured out where Raine works.”
“Should’ve known it was your baby sister who helped,” Griff grumbles under his breath.
Leaning closer, Reeves prods, “Do you think Raine told Drake you came to see her?”
I shake my head. “I doubt it. She was pretty adamant Ileave, but she did mention how Cedar Springs is a small town and word would get around I was there.”
“So he knew you were sniffing around, and he decided to return the favor,” Griffin acknowledges, motioning to the broken glass littering the floor from tonight’s fight. “Well, look how it all turned out.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna go with not good,” Reeves says with a laugh. “Your parents are gonna kill you guys if you don’t clean up the place.”
“You’re the one who wanted to throw a party,” I remind him.
“And it definitely didn’t disappoint.” He flexes his hand. “Haven’t been in a fight like that since before Dylan.” Snapping his fingers, his grin widens. “Actually, since Homecoming. Man, I bet Drake’s feeling your fists right about now. I know I did when I was in his shoes.”
I almost crack a smile at the memory, grateful I was able to work shit out with Reeves and come out the other side as actual friends instead of the fake bullshit we’d endured since he flaked before last season’s playoffs, and we lost.
My phone rings. I frown when I pull it out of my front pocket. The number’s unknown. Curious, I slide my thumb across the screen and answer. “Hello?”
A soft sniffle cuts through the silence, and I cock my head, waiting.
“Everett?”
I sit up a little straighter, ignoring my friends’ curious stares. “Raine?”