Page 36 of Indescribable
“Definitely. I need a beer after hearing our nephew use the word cougar and threesome in one night.”
He chuckles and we walk across the street to our favorite little bar. The name is The Pub but it’s just a little hole-in-the-wall bar. Tons of local beers on tap and typically full of locals.
Unfortunately, one of those locals happens to be Wyatt. And from the looks of it, he’s not alone. There’s a brunette hanging on his arm but his glaring eyes are on me.
“Ignore him,” Cash whispers as we take a seat after grabbing a couple of pints from the bartender, Mikey.
“He’s such a jackass.”
“That he is,” he agrees, taking a big swig and watching the TV hanging from the ceiling in the corner.
“I still can’t believe she finally left him.”
“I can. He cheated like a million times.”
I stare at Cash and watch as he slowly lowers his glass down to the table in front of us and the color drains from his face.
“What did you just say?”
“Shit. Shit. Shit. I wasn’t… pretend you didn’t hear that?” he begs.
“Not a chance. He cheated? On Naomi?”
He sighs and sits back in his seat. “So you aren’t going to pretend you didn’t hear it, huh?” He looks at his glass and glares, pointing an accusatory finger at the beer. “I blame you. Damn, I hadn’t even had a full glass yet and I already spilled the secret.”
Cash is notorious for saying things he shouldn’t say when he’s been drinking. Right now, though, I want to ply him with about twelve more beers to get him to tell me everything he knows about Wyatt – the ass – cheating on the best girl in the universe.
“I don’t understand… why? And how? With who? I’ve never used this word before but I’m actually befuddled right now. Did she know? Is that why they divorced? Why do you know and I don’t?”
“Easy, easy,” he says, using his hand in a calming motion and shushing me. Apparently I was starting to yell.
“I need more information.”
“Corbin told me a few months ago. I think she just needed to get it off her chest because he came home one nightwitha girl. He was so trashed that he could barely remember his address and the girl didn’t know that he was separated from his wife but still crashing at her house. She thought she was just going to get him home safely. Then he introduced Naomi as his wife and the girl bounced. Fast. She apologized to Naomi. That’s the short version. Corbin has the longer version that she uses with all her ‘naughty words’,” he says, adding finger quotes around naughty words.
“What the hell?”
“Yeah. It was pretty bad, I guess. I mean, it wasn’t his first time cheating, but it was the first time that Naomi knew of that he brought the girl to her home. She was already set on getting the divorce but this cinched the deal, I think. She’d had enough. The next day she made sure she had everything lined up so that when she gave him the actual divorce papers, she was ready. That night was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.”
“What an asshole.”
He nods, lifts his glass in the air, and takes a drink. “That’s about it.”
“I didn’t think I could hate him more.”
“I wouldn’t put that into the world. Who knows what other stupid shit he can get himself into? I’m glad she got rid of him finally. Cheating once is bad. Really bad. But repeatedly? Nah. She was always too good for him and he knew it.”
I chug my beer and motion to Mikey for another. He gives me a curt nod.
“I wish I would have known, but I’m glad I didn’t.”
“Naomi wanted to be the one to tell you,” Cash explains. “Trust me, it killed me not to, but I had to respect Naomi’s wishes. She didn’t want you finding out from anyone but her so… I don’t know if it’s at all possible, but pretend you don’t know. At least to her. Bitch to me if you need to. Or Stone, for that matter.”
“Stone knows?”
“No, but he’s better to talk to than anyone.”
It’s true. Our stepdad is the best. We might have gotten screwed over in the dad department, but we won big time when Mom married Stone Montgomery. He calls us his kids, treats us like his kids, and we think of him as our dad, too.