Page 82 of Myself

I push some strands back from her face. “I’ll go and leave you girls alone.” I stand.

“Wait,” she says, standing as well. She walks over to her nightstand and picks up a key card. “I thought you needed a key,” she says, handing it over to me.

I smile as I take it from her. I have a key to Ryder’s apartment; that’s how I’m able to get up here. The elevator requires one to even move.

**

I walk into O’Kane’s, and the first person I see is Kelly. She looks at me and then looks away quickly. Making my way down the hallway, I knock on Timothy’s door. “Come in,” he announces. I walk in, and he gestures for me to sit. “Hello, Mr. Barnett.”

“Do you have a moment?” I ask as I take a seat.

He nods but runs a hand through his hair. “I have a few.”

“I just left Becca’s, and she informed me that she was here today and overheard you talking to your wife.”

His jaw sharpens. “So she heard we’re getting a divorce?”

“What?” My eyes widen. “She didn’t mention that.”

He sighs. “Well, we are. It’s a long time coming.” I just stare at him. “What did she say she overheard?”

“That Ryder was buying Talia’s.”

He sits back in his seat and lets out a long breath. “It’s in the works.”

“She was pretty upset about it. She said she stormed into Ryder’s office and pretty much told him to go to hell.”

“It’s just business,” he says.

“I understand that. But I really thought that Ryder felt for Ashlyn what I feel for Becca. But I guess I was wrong.”

“You got all that from him buying a business?” he asks. “This has been in the works long before Ashlyn got that job,” he states.

“Well, it just looks worse now,” I say.

“And how’s that?” he asks.

“They broke up.”

“What? When?” he asks surprised.

Shit! He didn’t know. Was I supposed to keep that a secret? “Yesterday.”

“Did this have to do with my wife?’

I shake my head. “No, just Ryder being an ass.”

“Is that why he looks like shit today?” he asks, and I nod. “I knew something was up.” He sighs and stands from his chair. He turns to face the windows, placing his hands in his pockets. “That’s fucking great. Now, his work is gonna go to shit.”

“Among other things,” I say truthfully.

He turns around to face me, hands still in his pockets. “So what do you expect me to do about it?”

“Nothing.” I shrug. “Just thought that you should know what Becca overheard, and she’s mad at Ryder. It’s just one less thing she needs to be dealing with right now.”

“What else is she dealing with?” he asks, his brows pulling in confusion.

“Well, some shit went down on the boat Saturday night ...”

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