Page 123 of Forgot to Tell You Something

I don’t want to smile, but the visual is too much. “You look ridiculous.”

“What? I think I look fab.” He glances up at the smokers nearby. “Come on, Darlin, let’s move over here.”

“Why?”

He nods toward the group of people. “They’re smoking. It’s bad for you.”

Shit. He said it was bad forme, not us. “Smoking is bad for everyone.”

That stormy gaze meets mine, searching my face for answers I’m not willing to divulge. “I have a better idea. Let me buy you a beer. No, let’s go do a shot.”

Double shit. “I’m sticking with water.”

“Are you driving?”

“No.”

“Still have that incredibly rare stomach virus?”

“Are you prying?”

“Yes.”

I guffaw at his brashness. “No, the stomach virus is gone.”

“But you’re not drinking?”

“Some might think that’s a good thing.”

Owen’s phone rings and I know the second he glances at it, who’s on the other end.

“Don’t you have to take that?” I wonder now if it was Charlotte calling on our first date. At this point, everything is muddy and unclear.

“I can speak to her later.”

My anger returns with a vengeance. Later is reserved for Charlotte. How much more of Owen’s time will be usurped by this woman he claims is part of his past?

“By all means, don’t let me stop you.” I stalk back inside, pulling up a barstool and shooting Dan a warning look.Don’t even ask.

“What are you mad about now?” Owen demands, swinging around the barstool so I’m facing him. “I can’t stop Charlotte from calling me.”

“Actually, you can. You can kick her out of your life, but you won’t. Instead, you expect me to understand your situation. To understand your needs.” The anger that simmered in the back of my brain surges to the front. “How many more lies do you plan on spinning, Owen?”

His fist hits the bar, making the glasses jump and earning a warning glare from Dan. “I never lied about my situation with Charlotte.”

“You never told the full truth, either.”

“You want to talk about the truth? Let’s talk about truth.”

Oh, crap.

“Anything you want to tell me, Tally?”

He knows. He knows.“Not right now, no.” It’s true. This is not the time nor place to discuss Nugget.

“Which means you are keeping something from me.”

Now we’re in a standoff. One of us has to back down first, and it’s not going to be me.

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