Page 98 of Unhinged

She laughs. “Okay.”

They then whisper, and I say, “Don’t start rumors about me,” but they continue to chitchat. Whatever. I’m not that interesting.

When Candi returns to the bar, Amos leaves the lot, and his sigh is heavy and maddening. “Greg, this is the second time you’ve done this since I arrived in Durham.”

“Coincidence?”

“We need to talk when you’re sober.”

“Tell me now. I’m A-okay.”

“Very well. We’ll do this twice, then.”

“I don’t need you to swoop in and rescue me. I’m not a cocker spaniel. That word. Cocker. What the hell?”

“Candi told me you needed a ride home.”

“Tattletale. She just didn’t want to do it.”

“I heard Finn and Ricky were here earlier.”

I narrow my eyes at the dashboard. “So?”

“I imagine it’s hard because of your feelings for Hadley.”

I swing my head toward him too fast, and the seatbelt traps me like a fly in a spiderweb. As I wrestle with the chokehold, I argue, “I’m over it. Loving her was a massive fuck-up. Don’t lecture me.”

Amos nods. “I know, and I believe you know that now. You’ve finally looked away from the sun to see the beauty standing next to you.”

I try to process his words, but they’re like a pinwheel in a windstorm. “Huh? Why do you speak in riddles?”

“If you didn’t want Simone to go out with Ricky, then why didn’t you tell her?”

“I did! I told her last fall too! He’s a manwhore with probably five diseases. He won’t care about Simone after he’s done with her.”

“There’s more to Ricky than on the surface. Despite his bravado, he’s a lonely man with a broken heart. He’s just trying to cope—”

“Boo fucking hoo. Now you have a crush on him? I’m so sick of the bastard stealing—” Shit.

“First, I am not infatuated with Ricky. I’ve just taken the time to speak with him occasionally. Second, what has he stolen of yours?”

I practically pout, “Nothing.”

“If you’re referring to Simone, you two have a legal obligation to each other, but you have not entered into an actual relationship.”

“Stuff a bra, Vaughn. We have an…understanding. But our two weeks is almost over.”

“Two weeks? Your marriage must last a year before ending it.”

I roll my eyes, and it’s hard to stop them. “It’s separate.”

“I don’t follow.”

I blink at his doughy face. “Say what?”

“What kind of understanding do you have with Simone, aside from marriage?”

“We’re fucking until Saturday.” Amos jerks the car to a hard stop at a curb, and the seatbelt again traps me. “What the hell, Amos?”

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