Page 31 of Love Under Protection

I grunt in response.

“Interesting.” He pauses to chew then adds, “I figure you’d know that her ex was evicting her from her place and being a complete shithead.”

The mouthful of beer I just took goes down the wrong hole, and I cough. Now I know I heard him wrong. “Run that by me again?”

“Oh. You really didn’t know.”

“Tell me what the hell happened, Jay.” Forget respecting boundaries, if she’s in trouble…

“Dad’s lawyer is trying to work it out. Long story, but Sawyer bought out the property management company that owns Raylynn’s apartment complex. Then he filed to evict her. Claims she’s broken the tenant agreement. It’s all Greek to me, sounds like the asshole is going to get away with it though.”

“Shit. What a fucker. What’s she doing about a place to live?”

“We’re going down this weekend to help her move into that tiny rental I’ve got in Leesburg. Offered for her to come here, but she said Georgia is home.”

I was ready to volunteer to go with him and help her move, right up until he mentions offering her to come here and how Georgia is her home. A stark reminder that I don’t have a place in her life.

Two different people with two different lives.

“I thought you knew,” Jameson repeats.

“Haven’t talked to her since we left Hawaii,” I confess.

“You didn’t break her heart, did you?” he asks in earnest.

“No, dickhead. It was a fling. Hell, if not for your wedding, we probably wouldn’t have seen each other again after that first night.”

“Didn’t seem that way. The way you two acted, I thought for sure you’d keep in touch. Guess my hint should have been when she said Georgia was home.”

I tip my beer bottle at him. “Bingo. My life’s here. Four years of college in the South was enough for me.”

“Damn. I’m really sorry, man.”

I shrug. “Is what it is. No harm, no foul.”

“You really want to sit here watching TV? We could hit the bar, get the hell out for a while. Maybe call up Cody and see if he wants to join us. Head up to the rooftop and see who’s hanging up there tonight?”

“I’m good right here, don’t let me stop you though.”

“If you’re good, I’m good.” He stands and takes both our plates and the empty beer bottles.

“Christ, you don’t have to clean up.” I laugh.

“Old habits.”

“No, more like domesticated.” I can’t help but poke.

Jameson has never been known to be a neat freak, but since he and Olivia made things official, he’s learned some manners. A fun little fact that I enjoy teasing him about every chance I get.

He comes back with two more beers. “Yeah, yeah. Who’s getting laid every day? Oh, that’s right.” He winks and I flip the beer cap at him.

Chapter 18

Raylynn

Almost everything I own is boxed up and ready to be moved this weekend. I didn’t think it was possible to ever feel so out of place somewhere, but I’m feeling it here. I’vebeenfeeling it, ever since I came back from the wedding. Recent events have only heightened it.

Sawyer has somehow managed to ruin any chance I have at getting a job here. Christ, I can’t even get an interview with most places. Those that do interview me never call back, and when I follow up, they tell me they hired someone else. I I’d suspected Sawyer had a hand in it, but when I got a call from one place telling me that my previous employer had some pretty serious concerns and told them I was fired for insubordination, I knew.

---