Page 43 of Before We Were Us

I bite my lip and focus on my breathing.

“He’s not the villain.” This time it's Jenna. “Jensen is not the monster in this story, Chrissy is. I know right now you're angry and he’s probably the last person you want to see or talk to. But when that anger starts to weaken and you can find it in your heart to let him explain, please give him that chance.”

“It was really nice to see you both.” I push through the door and walk across the restaurant with purpose. As I join Taylor and Marco at the table and see I’ve got a new drink already waiting, I grab it and drink half in one gulp.

Marco mumbles something and I take a deep breath and look at him and Tay. “I spent a few minutes in the restroom chatting with not one but both of Jensen’s sisters.”

“Oh,” Marco says but neither of them argue when I finish the rest of my drink and motion to our waitress for another. Complete oblivion could not come soon enough.

twenty-six

. . .

Jensen

“I was hoping I could see Ms. Brynn Webster.”

The woman on the opposite side of the desk looks at me like I’ve got a third eye in the center of my forehead.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“I don’t.” The idea of flashing my badge crosses my mind. “Could you call her, buzz her, whatever you need to do, please?”

“I’m sorry sir, but Ms. Webster is fully booked up today and is currently in a meeting across town.”

I push back from the desk, glancing toward the elevator contemplating making a dash for them. I’m figuring at this point Brynn has probably given everyone in this place that stands between her and I a picture. Don’t allow this guy through, no matter what.

“What are the chances of you squeezing me in there somewhere? Need five minutes.” All she does is stare at me. “It’s important.”

“It always is.” Yep, I’ve been blacklisted.

“What’s going on here?” I spin around to find Gerald Webster standing a few feet away. He’s looking between me and the lady at the desk.

“This gentleman was hoping to get a meeting with Brynnlee today.” The second she says the words his brows furrow.

“Is that so?” Fuck, first Sebastian and now her father. I’m making friends everywhere I go.

“I’m Detective Jen?—”

“I know who you are,” he interrupts. “I’m thinking if my daughter wanted to talk to you, she’d be reaching out.”

“Listen.” I take a step toward him. “I’m not going to stand here and pretend that I didn’t screw up.” I don’t like to air my dirty laundry and I know we have an audience. It’s bad enough that I’m about to have this conversation with Brynn’s father. It's her I need to say these things to, but in order to gain that chance, I’m going to have to give a little.

“Is there somewhere we could go to talk?”

“I don’t know what it is you and I have to talk about.” Stubbornness obviously runs within the Webster bloodline.

“I hurt your daughter without meaning to. It was never my intention and the position I’m in now, I have no one else to blame but myself. But the idea of me standing here in the middle of the lobby where anyone that walks in gets a front row seat to my humiliation is something I’d like to avoid if at all possible.”

Mr. Webster doesn’t say anything, only watches me for a few seconds before he turns and walks across the lobby to a solid door. Twisting the knob, he pushes it open and looks over at me. “You have five minutes. Less if I feel you are wasting my time.”

The man is a hard man. But I would be too if I had a daughter and was face to face with a man that hurt her.

With a calming breath I move in his direction and stop inside of the small empty room. Only a single desk and chair are there.

When I hear the door click behind me and turn to face him I find that he is watching me with his arms crossed over his chest.

“I was married for less than three months when I found out that my wife had been unfaithful.” His brows furrow, but he remains exactly as he was, his face still hard. “I should have left then, but she blamed me and my job. Said that she felt abandoned and things happened. Everyone told me that I shouldn’t forgive her, and now looking back I wish more than anything I would have listened.”

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