Page 26 of Disorderly

“Want to watch a movie tonight or hit up Strönds with the guys?” With my vision back to normal, from the corner of my eye, I watched as Peter walked to the sink, turned on the water and began to wash the brush used to spread the sauce on the pork chops while they’d cooked.

“Movie.” I closed the fridge door and walked to the pantry. If I was lucky, Peter would have made a mess there that I could clean up. Putting something in order would help me to regain control. And that was why there was no way I would be able to sit still in the microbrewery pub. Not with all the noise and activity occurring on a busy Friday night. It would only serve to increase the adrenalin running through my veins, making it that much harder to calm down.

When he finished with the brush, placing it in the drying rack, he pulled out a couple of beers from the fridge. “While you’re in there, grab us some snacks while I go start the movie.”

“Sure.” My heart sank as I glanced around the small room. Every can, jar, or box was all lined up in straight rows, labels facing forward, making them easy to read. Other items were placed neatly in their storage containers. Even the open bag of chips was clipped closed and in the chip basket. I tapped my toes on the wood floor as I bit my lip. I needed a mess or a job to do. Anything to occupy my mind.

Knowing that Peter would question me if I took too long, I grabbed the chips, some candies, and some leftover brownies that Katy made for us. I made sure to have enough for her as she stopped by most evenings if her mom was at work. And after the week she’d suffered through, I doubted that she’d want to spend her evening alone.

“Here you go.” I dropped all the items on the coffee table. “You can start the movie. I’m just going to go put on a load of laundry.”

He cocked his head, giving me a questioning look, but didn’t say a word. Yet even as I walked into the bedroom, I could feel his gaze on me, examining me as he tried to figure out what triggered my need to clean.

Once the laundry was on, I ran out of excuses, flopping onto the couch beside him. I tried to focus on the movie, but not even all the explosions could hold my concentration. And as the time dragged on, I began to worry about Katy. She hadn’t arrived yet. I knew she’d gone to help a Mrs. Stittson, but it hadn’t sounded like something that would last this late. Yet what did I know? I knew nothing about babies and toddlers. Katy had been the only young child I’d been around, and she’d been close to seven when I first met her. Even then, I knew she hadn’t been a normal child, acting a lot older or more mature than someone her age.

But when the movie ended, I played with my phone, trying to talk myself out of phoning her. We may have been living in a small town, but it was dark outside. If she was still at the Stittson’s, I’d offer to pick her up and drive her home.

“What are you doing?” Peter leaned into me, checking out my phone screen.

“Nothing.” For some reason, I didn’t want to tell him. Talking about Katy would be another one of those topics that would lead back to what happened this afternoon.

As I moved to place my phone back, it rang. And the moment I saw Jason’s name I knew we’d fucked up.

I hit the speaker button. “Hey, Jason. How are things going?”

His voice came through loud and clear, making sure we didn’t misunderstand him. “What the fuck were you boneheads thinking? If you wanted to tell people that you were fucking, you should have told Katy first instead of blindsiding her.”

Oh shit! I was right. We had fucked up… royally.

Chapter Eighteen

Jason

What the fuckhad Peter been thinking? Because without a doubt, this was all Peter’s idea. And one that wasn’t well thought out. I slipped on my runners and grabbed my jacket, wallet, keys, and phone before stepping outside my room. I smacked the next door. “Randy,” I called out. “I have to make an emergency trip back home. Will you be okay without me?”

The door flew open. “We’ll be fine.” His gaze hardened as he examined my face. Randy was one of my longest employees. He could easily have been my second-in-command, but he’d told me that he didn’t want to deal with all the paperwork and playing nice to the customers. Instead he opted to be the head of one of my smaller crews, filling in for me as needed by telling the crew what to do and ensuring they did it correctly and to our standards. But when a client tried to speak to them, he nodded and told them to contact me. “Somebody injured?”

My grin turned feral. “Not yet, but once I get my hands on him… no promises.”

He chuckled. “Go. Take care of what you need to. I know the plan for the weekend and will keep us on track.”

“Thanks, man.” I squeezed his shoulder before storming down the few stairs and crossing the parking lot. With each step, I cursed Peter and his ability to act without thinking. But all it did was to ramp up my anger at the situation I was now forced to deal with. I couldn’t think past it.

The door to my truck slammed shut behind me, knocking me out of my head. I needed to calm down, to get my head screwed on right before I drove home. Getting into an accident wouldn’t help the situation.

I took a deep breath. And then another and another. A vision of Katy, skin flushed, and lips swollen popped into my brain, further calming me down. That was until I remembered the hurt and betrayal in her voice. How quiet she’d become on the call as if she was questioning everything she knew about us. And unfortunately, I understood it. We had been keeping a major secret from her. Mine not so much since she knew I was bisexual, but the guys, that would have been a giant surprise. Then to know that they were involved together… mind blown. It meant that I needed to come clean with her as well. I needed to tell her about how I was with them, too. That is if I was still part of their relationship.

“Fuck!” I slammed my hands against the steering. The loud crack had me biting my lip. “Fuck. Calm the fuck down, Jason. You won’t be getting home if you break the wheel.”

After another couple of deep breaths, I put the truck into drive and raced out of the gravel parking lot. My thoughts spiralled as I drove down the empty roads in the dark. Had things changed so dramatically with them while I was gone that they considered themselves a couple? What had I missed by being away? They hadn’t appeared different between them when I was back three weeks ago, but then again, everything had been a little different. Enough that I might not have noticed it. None with the tension between Peter and me.

During that weekend, Jarrod and I had had a long talk. He’d told me that he knew what happened with Peter and that chick Debbie, how it had resulted in leaving Katy alone two times when she’d needed him the most. And he understood why I was upset with Peter. But he assured me that Peter was trying to change. That he hadn’t slept with a single woman since then.

Even Peter had taken me aside to tell me the same thing. He’d also told me about how he’d apologised to Katy—something she’d already told me along with Jarrod. It had taken guts for him to do that. It was something I’d always admired in Peter. When he fucked up, he owned and tried to make it better.

But had he gone too far this time? I needed to know.

It took almost fifteen minutes of driving before I felt calm enough to call Jarrod. Jarrod, not Peter Not that I wouldn’t talk to Peter because I knew Jarrod would put the call on speaker if Peter was there. But I was still too worked up to talk calmly with Peter. With Jarrod, I’d be able to keep my cool.

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