Page 41 of The Pretender

Damon nodded. “Right?”

“What was your text about?” The sooner Harris got an answer, the sooner he could track down a cup of coffee. He had a feeling this was going to be a multi-cup day.

“So... we have a problem.”

Harris knew those words would come out of his friend’s mouth. “I’m barely awake and I can name three.”

“Well, some of us didn’t get much sleep but I’m betting your night was more fun.”

Harris wasn’t the type to kiss and tell, but come on. “I can a hundred percent guarantee that.”

“Wren sent the security video. I now have a hookup and I’ve been going through the days since Gabby arrived on the island.”

It was the way Damon said it, all slow and calculating. As if he was trying to test Harris. If so, Harris was pretty sure he’d fail because he was too tired to school his reactions. “Okay.”

“Her late-night activities...” Damon hesitated. “Do you really not know where I’m going with this?”

The dramatic pause thing seemed extra annoying without coffee. “Spell it out.”

“She got up one night and dug a stone out of a wall. Acted pretty upset that there wasn’t something hidden there.” Damon set his mug down on the porch banister. “But I think you know all of that. See, the Harris I know wouldn’t miss a woman sliding out of bed. He’d hear it and follow her.”

Well, fuck. “You seemed to suggest a second ago I was slipping.”

“Look, I’m here to help you, asshole. I know you’ve got this new outlook where you cut me out and—”

“No.” Harris needed to shut this down right now. Needed to step up and own this part of the mess he created. He hadn’t hurt Tabitha. The way he mangled the crime scene had been half accident and half an attempt to cover his own ass. The latter would always haunt him. That guilt plagued him and he shut down. He ended up pushing away one of the people he’d always counted on and trusted.

It was a knee-jerk reaction. Having a mother in jail did that to a guy. Starting at age fifteen he’d seen up close and personal what that kind of ending did to a family. His father hadn’t said a decent thing about a woman since. He skulked around, ran through marriages and girlfriends and lived his life alone.

While that overreaction didn’t make sense to Harris, he did understand the need for caution. That wasn’t about women. It was about anyone. Trusting led to emotional destruction. He kept his circle of friends small and tight. And when it came to Harris, he’d blown it.

“I fucked up in not calling back, for taking legitimate jobs overseas and traveling in between work assignments so I was never in the same place. Running to fight off the urge to go back to my old ways.” Harris couldn’t find the right words so he went with the ones that came to him first. “You didn’t deserve that.”

“Are you agreeing about how you’re an asshole so I forget Gabby and the wall?”

Harris couldn’t help but smile at that. Damon was so practical, so to the point. “A little.”

Damon nodded. “It’s a good trick.”

“About us...”

“Don’t make it sound like we’re dating.” Damon’s smirk telegraphed how much he was enjoying this part of the conversation. “I just need you to recognize that I’m the absolute smartest, best-looking and most talented friend you have. You can even say your best friend, just so I can rub it in to Matthias and Wren.”

“I like how self-deprecating you are.”

Damon’s mood sobered. “I know the last fourteen months sucked. You got your ass handed to you here and went into a tailspin.” He stopped for a second then continued. “Next time, reach out or I’ll slam you into a wall.”

“Done.” With that, Harris knew they were all right. Damon didn’t hold a grudge. He’d aired his frustration, it was out, they’d dealt with it. Now Damon would move on.

Harris wished he had the move-on skill.

“Now back to your messed-up sex life,” Damon said.

“Let’s not do this.”

Damon snorted. “You once pissed all over me because you didn’t like the woman I was dating.”

“Dude, she stole from you. Like, four hundred dollars and a watch.” It was two years ago and the whole scene made Harris wonder if Damon had a sense of self-preservation when it came to women.

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