Page 91 of Never the Best

“I will,” I promised.

Maddie joined our hug, and we held each other as the sun set on another Savannah summer day.

CHAPTER 31

Rhett

Ididnotwant to meet Josie in public, but then I didn’t want to see her in private, either. I didn’t want to see her,period. But I had been engaged to this woman and almost had a child with her, so I felt I, at least, owed her a meeting.

The café Josie chose was pretentious as fuck, where everything from the decor to the drink names screamed,trying too hard. I’d barely stepped inside before I wanted to turn around and leave. The scent of lavender lattes and artisanal toast filled the air, and the clinking of overpriced China punctuated the low hum of chatter. It was the kind of place that felt curated, just like everything Josie did. How had I not noticed that before? I knew the answer to that because that was the kind of life I was living as well.

I knew Pearl thought she was the damaged one in our relationship and that I was somehow doing her a favor by being with her. What she didn’t understand—despite metelling her more than once—was thatIwas the damaged one, andshemade me a better person. She inspired me to become a better version of myself, one I was proud of. I knew that a life with Pearl wouldn’t just begood—it would begreat. And I wouldn’t have to compromise my values to have it.

Josie was already seated at a table at the back. She wore a crisp white dress that most definitely had a designer label. It made her look like the elegant socialite she wanted to be perceived as. Her blonde hair was coiffed to perfection, not a strand out of place, and her lips were painted signature Savannah red, which society women seemed to be born wearing. She looked immaculate and, like the café we were meeting in, screamed,trying too hard.

When she saw me, she got up, gave me her practiced smile, and then went on tiptoe to kiss me. I moved away.

“Whoa,” I reacted.

“Come on, Rhett, we can hug and?—”

“We did that when we were engaged. We’re not any longer.”

But, since you couldn’t take the South out of the boy, I held my hand toward her seat and waited for her to sit before I took my place across from her.

She sat primly, her nails painted the same color as her lipstick. She was always so coordinated. Pearl got her nails done and all that, but she was never this precise in her appearance. I preferred Pearl’s business style…well, mostly, I kept wanting to peel her suit off of her—there was something immensely seductive about seeing her go from business serious to sensuous.

Okay, stop thinking about Pearl naked, or Josie will think you’re hard for her.

“Thanks for meeting me,” she said, and her voice made sure that whatever blood had just flowed into my dick made a hasty exit.

“Of course. What did you want to see me about?” I inquired politely.

Her smile faltered slightly, but she recovered quickly, sitting up straighter. “I wanted to talk. Clear the air.”

“Okay.” I waited, not sure what was coming my way.

Before she could speak, a perky server came by and, out of no fault of hers, irritated the hell out of me. “Coffee, black,” I barked, and then added, “please.”

“Oh, sure. And you, Josie, are you good?”

Josie was obviously a regular here.

“I’m fine with my matcha latte.” Josie pointed to her milky-green drink.

The perky server left to get my coffee.

“We haven’t talked since you…,” she paused for effect, “left me. Rhett, you just dumped me in a restaurant, and then…that was it.”

Was there any good way of ending an engagement? Maybe I should’ve googled it.

“You gave me no choice when you decided to behave like I hadn’t ended our engagement,” I pointed out.

“I could hardly believe it.” She pouted. “Can you blame me?”

“I was as explicit as I could be, Josie,” I replied softly.

“But Rhett, we’re so good together. There is so much between us. Can’t you see that?” she pleaded, her eyes moist.

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