Page 75 of Make Me Yours

I spread my fingers wide. “You don’t have to deal with me. I’m perfectly capable of dealing with myself, but we do need to talk.”

She shakes her head, rage burning in her eyes even as they begin to shine. “No, we don’t. I need caffeine in my system, and then I need to get back to the hospital to see Gramps before morning visitor hours are over. That’s all I need to do right now.”

“I’ll drive you,” I offer. “We can talk on the way.”

She exhales a sharp breath. “Are you hard of hearing? I said I don’t want to talk to you right now. Honestly, I’d be good with never talking to you again.”

“Why?” I ask, my own temper smoldering to life. “What on earth have I done except do my best to support you? You couldhave at least texted to let me know you were okay and wouldn’t be joining me at the hotel.”

“Sorry, I was too busy learning you put my cousin in jail for trespassing on your boat, even though Mark was the one who invited him on board.”

My brows shoot up and hope whispers through my blood, cooling my anger. “Is that what he told you? That isn’t what happened, Sully. I arrived to find your cousin and several other people pouring beer over everything, carving up the deck, and ripping open the furniture. I didn’t go below, but the sheriff’s deputy who came to the scene last night, documented extensive damage to the furniture down there, as well. They did tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage.”

She blinks, her gaze darting over my shoulder to where I’m sure the rest of the café is eavesdropping on our conversation, before she whispers, “I didn’t know that.”

“Well, that’s what happened.”

A frown claws into her forehead again. “But that still doesn’t excuse having Chris arrested and no one else. That’s not fair.”

“I didn’t have Chris arrested. A deputy went to question him and he assaulted an officer of the law. That’s why he ended up in jail.”

“It’s true,” a voice calls out from the other side of the café. “My brother’s the one he punched. Dumb move. Kid should’ve known better.”

“Oh,” Sully mutters. “That’s…not what I heard.”

“And I’m pressing charges against everyone who was on board,” I continue, grateful that at least a few people in town seem to be willing to back me up when it comes to speaking the truth. “And that includes my nephew. I’m not in the business of sparing idiots’ consequences, even if I happen to be related to them.”

She nibbles at her bottom lip, looking conflicted, but the righteous indignation is gone.

In hopes of further easing her mind, I ask, “Can we go somewhere private to finish this, please? I haven’t looked behind me yet, but we’re obviously causing a scene.”

“Huge scene,” Sully’s friend, Elaina, says from behind the counter, her voice cheery. “But please feel free to stay We haven’t had a show this good in a long time. The cats are cute, but the gossip isn’t nearly as juicy.”

Sully sighs as she pushes to her feet. “Can we go upstairs to your place?”

“Sure,” Elaina chirps. “Just be sure to yell loud enough that we can hear everything, please. I’ll turn down the music so we don’t miss any of the good stuff.”

Sully rolls her eyes before starting toward a stairwell marked with a “Do Not Enter” sign. She steps easily over the low rope blocking the door and starts up the stairs, not pausing to see if I’m behind her.

But, of course, I am.

I’m going to chase after her as long as it takes to prove that I’m never going to hurt her or betray her. I’m loyal to the fucking marrow, unlike the liars in her family.

It makes me hope Chris spends as much time as possible in jail. He must have been the one to tell her the false story of what happened yesterday.

God knows what else he said, but hopefully I can set that record straight as easily as I did the first one.

And hopefully Sully and I will be leaving here together.

Truly together, in a way that no bullshit story will ever be able to tear apart.

chapter 26

GERTIE

There’sno good way to start a conversation like this.

That’s why I’d planned onnever havingthis conversation.

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