Page 16 of Those Heartbreak Scars

“He’s my best friend’s ex,” I say at the same time, sounding a teensy bit bitter.

Everett’s grin falls. He wraps his hands around my upper arms and uses his wide back to shield me from Gray so that he can ask, “Is this going to be a problem?”

I study the gorgeous man in front of me, his usually happy-go-lucky expression suddenly far too serious for me to be comfortable. He thinks I’m upset about Gray and Indy’s break up, and I let him believe that. He called me his girlfriend, but I'mnot sure I’m ready to be. I’m also not ready to tell him that I was in love with Gray for years and years.

I glance at Gray around Everett’s shoulder. He was the best agent at his company back home. He’s good at what he does. And he doesn’t seem to have noticed that I wouldn’t mind stabbing him with one of the many forks on the table.

If he’s back in the game, he’s exactly who Everett should sign with. I can’t let my personal problems get in the way of that, especially when I don’t know if what Everett and I have will last the distance. “No. He’s the best. You want him on your team.”

“All right. Let’s sit down and hear him out then, yeah?”

I take a deep cleansing breath. I won’t ruin this for Everett. “Yes.”

He pulls a chair out for me to sit.

“You look good, America,” Gray says as Everett takes a seat next to me. “What has it been since the last time we caught up? Four months?”

“Three.” I narrow my gaze. Surely, he knows.

“Damn. I should have realized that.” He stares me down. “I promised I’d be a better friend, didn’t I? But I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a chance to keep up with everyone. I swear EJ is going to kill me if I don’t message him back soon.”

“Sounds like EJ.” We are so not talking about EJ. He’s reminding me of all the text messages he sent that I haven’t responded to. I turn to Everett who is watching the bouncing ball between us with questions burning in his eyes. “EJ is my cousin and Gray’s best friend. We’re all a bit close knit.”

“Some would say as close as family,” Gray says.

“Well, I’m glad to have met someone America classifies as family.” Everett places his hand on my knee.

“Shall we get down to business?” I straighten the cutlery.

“We can put that on the backburner if you two want to catch up instead,” Everett says.

“Trust me, that’s not necessary.” I lean over and kiss his cheek and Gray’s eyes darken with his scowl. “We’re here to talk about you. Which you know is my favorite subject.”

“You’re twisting my arm.” Everett chuckles before turning to Gray. “Talk to me, Grayson Ford. Tell me what you’re going to do for me.”

They talk in detail about what Gray can do for Everett. From sponsorships to helping him land a spot on a team in the States. I sit there like a good WAG, growing more irritated every time Gray’s focus drifts to me. Each time it does, he seems to get more agitated too.

“There are plenty of teams looking to bring in international talent,” Gray tells Everett while I prod the perfectly cooked piece of salmon on my plate. “Something wrong with the fish?”

“Nope.” Only the way he keeps staring at me like he wants to say something, when he said everything there was to say to EJ that morning. Then he makes a dig at me because I choose to ignore his texts? The nerve.

“Are you sure?” Everett asks. “I can order you something else.”

Gray raises his hand and gestures to the waiter. “Can you bring us a menu? The fish is subpar. We’d like to order something else.”

“It’s not the fish,” I say, trying so hard not to give away how angry and upset I really am while Gray acts like he has no clue.

“The salad then?” Gray says.

“It’s not the food.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Everett asks at the same time Gray says, “Then what is it?”

“If you’ll excuse me.” I rise, pushing my chair back and picking up my clutch. I bend to kiss Everett’s cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

I cannot walk away from the table, and Gray, fast enough. The bathroom is empty when I enter, and I take a few breaths while I wash my hands.

I don’t know what I expected seeing him again would be like, but I did think he would be less concerned with my lack of communication. More aloof. I figured I would be able to handle it better than this.

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