Page 122 of You Found Me
“Screw you,” she spat. “It’s the same thing, you asshole.”
“Shhh,” he hissed.
“Don’t youdareshush me.” She stepped into him so she could direct her venom straight at his face. “You should have told me. Sam asked me about it, and I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t prepared. I sounded like an idiot! And how dare you manufacture a fight with Piper of all people. Do you have any idea how hard I worked to repair my relationship with my sisters? Especially Piper.”
He stared at her like she and hard work didn’t belong in the same zip code.
She shoved him. “It took me years.Years.We just got back to a good place and you could have ruined it all! I was right here. Why didn’t you check with me?"
“What would you have said?”
She could tell by his tone that he didn’t think it would have made any difference at all. “I’d have said to use something else. I’d have given you gossip about an ex-lover. Everybody would have expected that, and the stalker would have been pissed. Oryou could have said I had a fight with my manager. She wouldn’t have given a shit. Or you could have said any one of a million other things. Anything that didn’t involve my sisters would have worked.”
A tiny ripple of what might have been guilt flew across his face, then vanished. “It’s done. We can’t change it. There’s no point arguing about it.” He took her arm. “We have to get back. Game’s starting.”
She ripped her arm out of his grasp. “I want to talk to her. Now.”
“No.”
“Give me your phone.” She held out her hand. “I want her to know this wasn’t me.”
“Not. Now.” He glanced around. “This isn’t the time or the place.”
“Dammit.” She pushed at his chest. He didn’t move. “How would you feel if someone spread a rumor about you and Mason and you couldn’t tell him it was bullshit? How do you think he’d take it after the way you’ve treated him the last few years? He would be hurt and confused and pissed as hell, and he might never talk to you again. Would you even care? You…are such…a selfish…self-centered…jackass!”
She went to shove him again, but he caught her wrists and held on. “You’re right.”
“Who the hell do you think you are? You’re just…” She stopped struggling. “What?”
“You’re right.” He said it so quietly that she would have missed it if she hadn’t been laser focused on him.
“Oh.” She pulled her hands away. He let her go. “Damn right I’m right.”
“Yes.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Just to be clear, I’m right about what?”
“I should have told you. I shouldn’t have let you get caught off guard.”
His words took the bite out of her anger. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“A secret shared isn’t a secret.” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I should have asked for your input on a story that affected you. It won’t happen again.”
“Good.” She crossed her arms, suddenly cold after the heat of the moment. “That doesn’t fix this. Piper’s out there fuming. I can feel it.”
“I’ll have Spencer get word to Piper. She’ll know it wasn’t your fault. I doubt she’s seen the story yet. It’s the middle of the night in Greece.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. My sister has alerts and notifications. She knows. Believe me.” Della rubbed her face. “So now what? He caught your lie, and he seemed pretty pissed off. What does that mean?”
“It means he’s getting sloppy. He’s already made one mistake. He’ll make more. Especially now that his back is up. We’re one step closer to catching him.”
The rest of her anger puddled in the pit of her stomach. A hollow kind of unhappiness flooded into the space it left behind. “So this will all be over soon?”
He took her hand, and they started walking back to the bleachers. “Can’t promise that.”
“No. I suppose not.” She heard an announcer saying something about a fundraiser. “So…we still get to watch the game?”
He glanced at her. “You’re in no danger here. Remember that. Remember who you are. That gossip story has nothing to do with Lucy.”