Page 46 of Dump and Chase

“So you’re really going to hand the house over to her?” Jeremy asked. The guy was all dolled up for the night, looking to land any hot girl who wanted to spend the night with him. His dark hair was slicked back, and he’d shaved and put on enough cologne that you could smell him three blocks away.

“It’s easier that way,” I said. “I move on and I’m done with this.”

Ryan pffted. “Let me get this straight. Tangi dumps you and you do everything in your power to fight for her. We both remember, right Jer?” he said.

Jeremy nodded.

“You did it all, and I gotta say, I wouldn’t have put half the effort in, even for someone as great as Tangi,” Ryan continued. “You basically did everything except what she wanted. Because you were a bonehead. Right? Am I right, Jer?”

“Totally right,” Jeremy said, checking out a brunette who was checking him out right back.

I mumbled an agreement as I finished my beer.

“Okay, so she doesn’t take you back, because come on, you’re an ass for not giving in. Then you meet Brandi, what, a year ago?”

“About that,” I said, waving down the server and pointing to my empty beer.

“And poof. Six months later you get engaged. You’re a bonehead. I think I can speak for Jer when I say that we were fucking shocked. Mr. No Commitment was suddenly going to settle down? And not only that, with a girl who was totally wrong for him. But we didn’t say anything because you’ve got to make your own mistakes. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

“Not really. You guys thought she was wrong for me?”

“Totally fucking wrong,” Jeremy said, finally looking at me and Ryan. “As wrong as you could get.”

I was so confused. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“Like you’d listen,” Jeremy said. “You would’ve blown us off. Besides, I don’t get involved in other people’s drama like that.”

Ryan rocked the table with his huge hands to get our attention. “I wasn’t finished.”

We stopped and let him continue.

“You’re a chump. Tangi was awesome, we all loved her, she made people laugh, she kept you in line. Brandi? She was hot. That’s it. She didn’t give any of us the time of day. You were a trophy on her arm. That makes you a chump. And a massive bonehead.”

Jeremy decided to pile on next. “Look, you could have put up a fight to get Brandi back. You didn’t, and I think we all know why. You want Tangi back. You’ve got a perfect opportunity to get her back now. You’re living with her and she’s having your baby. So what are you waiting for? If you don’t move in fast, she’s going to have that baby and land some other guy because she’s hot.”

The server mercifully brought me another beer. “Can’t I just relax for a bit? I just got out of an engagement that cost me a house. I’m not ready to do anything. Not only that, but Tang made it clear that she doesn’t want to get back together. She even said we shouldn’t bring the people we’re dating around for sleepovers while I’m staying with her.”

Jeremy smiled at a blonde passing our table, then focused back on me. “She’s full of shit and you don’t have time to fuck around.”

I had no idea what he was talking about. “What does that mean?”

“I’ve heard some things,” Jeremy said.

I waited for him to elaborate, but he was too busy checking out the ladies. So I pressed. “What things? You just going to leave me hanging?”

“Right, right,” he said, when I punched him in the arm to get his attention. “Leclair told me that Rosseau told him that Warde has been friendly with Tangi.”

I mulled that over for a moment. Rosseau played with the Ravens last year with one call-up to the Kodiaks. He was friends with Leclair, and the two played junior together back in the day. But could that information be reliable? Warde had a history of being friendly with no one.

“How reliable is this info?”

“He saw them smiling at each other. Also said Jim confirmed it.”

Shit. This sounded legit. And then I remembered that Tangi had asked me about Warde. I was so lost in my thoughts that I barely noticed the server setting down our dinners. She was asking me if I needed ketchup. That brought me back to reality.

“If Jim confirmed it…”

“Exactly,” Jeremy said, diving into his burger. “We all know Jim doesn’t lie. But I’m not sure Jim knows Warde all that well either.”

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