Page 66 of Unbossly Manners

“Selena finally got her place back. I’m gonna move in with her,” I said.

“Kat’s not moving back in with me,” Jackson said.

“What? What happened?” My stomach clenched, delight melding with sorrow for the pain he must be experiencing.

He took a swig of beer. “Evie put her foot down. She’s worried we’ll break up again. Things are precarious between Kat and me, so we’ve put a pause on getting back together. It’s not fair to confuse Evie.”

I pressed my lips together. A pause wasn’t a period.

“So if you want to…” His eyes slid to mine, hopeful. “We could continue our arrangement.”

His shoulder was close to mine, heat radiating off his skin through the thin material of his shirt. I swallowed, fighting the urge to trace my finger over his bicep.

“We finished. You said it yourself.” I banged my beer down harder than I meant. “You can’t toss me aside, arrangement or not, and then ask me to come back because your ego is bruised.”

“Peyton. That’s not—”

“I have to go.” My sandals echoed on the stairs as I descended to the lower level where the bathrooms were located. I flung the door open.

“Ouch!”

I poked my head behind the door. Brody stood against the wall, holding his forehead.

“Crap. I’m sorry, Brody.”

His face was splotchy, his cheeks wet.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“You slammed a door in my face.”

“You’ve been crying,” I said.

He wiped his face with a paper towel.

“Is this about Isaac? I know I brushed you off a few weeks ago but… do you want to talk?”

He glared, but then shrugged as if deciding I was better than nothing. “No. It’s not about that. I just…”

“What?”

He swiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. “Sorry. I’m a bit drunk. I shouldn’t be talking to you.” He ran the tap and splashed his face with water.

“You sure this isn’t about Isaac?” I asked.

He laughed but it was more of a snort. “That hadn’t been part of the plan.”

“What plan?” I asked

He chucked the towel into the trash and flung the door open. “Nothing. Forget it.”

I stepped out after him, and he hurried away, passing Derrick who’d come out of the stairwell.

“Everything okay?” he asked, his eyes where Brody had passed him.

“He was upset about personal stuff.” I slipped my arm in his. “Let’s go back to the party.”

We found a table under an umbrella and Derrick went to the bar to get me another beer.

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