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Johnson ended the call before Toby could get another word out.

A second later, he realized the meeting had gone silent and everyone was staring at him.

He shut his mouth and swallowed, then said, “I’ve just been sacked.”

“Oh, Toby, I’m so sorry,” Rebecca said. She was already at the edge of tears, and Toby’s news tipped her over.

“This is outrageous,” Rhys called out as both of his brothers on the phones tried to talk over each other with noise Toby didn’t hear. “Who does Duckworth think he is to come after us like this?”

Toby’s heart sank to a level even lower than it had been the day before, with Duckie’s initial blow. He’d been sacked. That affected more than just him. That affected his mum and her medical problems. It affected Gerry being able to stay home and raise the kids instead of working. It definitely affected his plans to buy them all a bigger house so they could spread out more.

“I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

As he dropped his hand, he touched his lip ring. He’d never fit in at Johnson, Johnson, and Inez. He’d never fit in anywhere. Trying to hold onto himself had meant he would only ever be as good as where he’d come from.

“This is all my fault,” he said, feeling like he might vomit. “I’m so sorry.”

He turned and strode for the door. Maybe if he broke with the Hawthorne family and called Duckie to suck dick and beg for mercy, the Hawthornes would be spared. What he wanted, his pride, didn’t matter if the people who had been so kind to him could be saved.

“Toby!”

He jerked to a stop and turned around to find Robbie had followed him out of the meeting room, a look of deep concern on his face.

“This is not your fault,” Robbie went on, walking quickly to catch up to him.

“Oh, but it is,” Toby said, shaking his head and walking on.

“Toby, stop!” Robbie called after him, reaching for his arm.

Toby did stop, but not because of Robbie. Keith had just walked around the corner and had broke into a smile at the sight of Robbie.

“There you are,” he said, looking straight past Toby, as if he didn’t exist. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Are we still on for lunch today?”

Toby’s blood froze. He knew the look in Keith’s eyes. He knew that smile and what it meant.

He turned to Robbie, only to find a confused, anxious look on Robbie’s face as he stared back at Keith. Whatever feelings Robbie had after the break-up, clearly, he wasn’t entirely over Keith. In fact, everything he and Robbie had shared the night before suddenly felt like tawdry rebound sex.

“Perfect,” Toby said, fury boiling up in him. He glared at Robbie. “What was that last night, a pity fuck? You felt sorry for me so you thought you’d make it better?”

“Toby, no,” Robbie said, stepping toward him.

Toby jerked away. Sense told him to think things through, but he’d just lost his job, his mentor, who now hated him, had exploded the family he cared about, and his entire life was in jeopardy. He couldn’t think straight, let alone sit politely and hash out what was going on with Robbie and Keith.

“I need to get out of here,” he said, his voice thin and harsh, then strode down the hall, past Keith, and around the corner, desperate to get away.

SEVENTEEN

Quick reaction timeshad never been Robbie’s strong suit, but he’d never regretted it more than when he stood in the hall outside the family meeting room, watching Toby march away from him, frozen and unable to think.

“What’s gotten into him?” Keith asked, shifting to stand by Robbie’s side and to glance down the hall at Toby’s retreating back. The gesture felt like Keith was making some sort of physical statement of togetherness with Robbie.

Robbie still couldn’t think. His heart pounded too hard, and his brain was scattered with everything that had collapsed around him. The family was under attack. Duckworth was trying to force them to sell everything. But that almost paled in comparison to the crushing sense of loss he felt over things between him and Toby breaking.

Except they hadn’t broken yet.

“Babe, you look really upset,” Keith said, resting a hand on Robbie’s arm and slipping even closer to him once Toby was out of sight. “Did that little punk say something to upset you?”

That was what did it.

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