Page 31 of Thinking It Over

His gaping mouth sent a slither of triumph through me. It was rare I was petty, but sometimes, a small win was welcome. “Penny—”

“What about Penny?”

“Well, she—”

“No.” I shut him down completely. “You shouldn’t be here. You should have left town. You know perfectly well you have no claim over my dog, and you need to stop trying to use her as a bargaining chip. So again, why are you here?”

Contempt shuttered his features. “Maybe if you dismiss the boy toy, the adults can sp—”

“Stop.” Anger threatened to rise from where it was steadily bubbling in my gut. “Jasper is here with me.” I wouldn’t even touch his ridiculous notion of adulthood. “There’s nothing here for you anymore, so I’m asking politely for you to let go of whatever this is and leave.”

Heat raced up his neck and across his cheeks. “Is that even allowed?” he spat, indicating between the two of us. Jasper stiffened at my side, and I squeezed his hand lightly, hoping to put him at ease. “He works for you, right? I can’t imagine the gover—”

My brows shot high. “Please tell me it wasn’t you. You wouldn’t stoop so low to achieve—” I shook my head,not quite sure what he could hope to gain. “Was it you who took a photo of a private moment between me and Jasper and then posted them at school?” While the thought had crossed my mind on Friday, I’d swept it aside, believing that there was no purpose for Rupert being involved.

“I don’t know what you mean.” His reaction was a little too steady, his voice a little too controlled.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Holy shit, it was you.” Disgust slammed into me, and mortified didn’t even come close to the level of betrayal. It was worse than me discovering he cheated on me.

My words scattered; I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“I think you should leave.” Jasper’s voice came out strong.

“This is my house—”

“No, it’s not,” Jasper answered before I had time to interject. “The sheriff’s department has already been informed about the images too, as has the school board.”

Disbelief looked almost comedic on Rupert, and I would have laughed if I wasn’t so damn angry.

“Rupert.” Billy’s rough voice took us all by surprise, and we all looked his way. “This may come as a surprise to you, but you’re a selfish, worthless prick. You get that, right?”

I tugged my cheeks between my molars and bit downhard. Billy had been the first to show his relief when I’d told him Rupert and I had separated.

I chanced a glance at Rupert, wondering how he would react. Fire-engine red was an interesting look on him. His fists were clenched, but I also knew there wasn’t a chance he would shout at Billy. He was too chickenshit for that.

“I have to agree with Austin’s man, Jasper, here”—Jasper gripped my hand so tight I was sure there’d be bruises, but I dared not look at him for fear of laughing at the soap opera that had become my life—“that you still being in town, trouble happening at his place of work, you entering his property illegally, it’s all enough for me to be pulling my phone out and hitting speed dial to Sheriff Barrett.”

My attention was solely on Rupert as he straightened his shoulders—I assumed grasping for dignity—before saying, “I was just heading back out anyway. This town is infested with inbreeds. It’s hardly like I want to stay.” His gaze traveled to Jasper, and his lip curled into a sneer. “There are better ways of getting a head start in a career. Getting on your knees is hardly dignified. The two of you together are ridiculous,” he spat. He abruptly turned as I took a step forward, only stopping because Jasper refused to let go.

“You know he’s not worth it.” Quiet words reachedme. The lack of emotion in them sent me turning in Jasper’s direction. Concern crashed into me. Sadness tainted his gaze, his voice sounding dejected.

“He’s not,” I said carefully, aware I could hear Rupert’s car engine but not caring enough to make sure he left, not when Jasper’s reaction had trepidation flaring to life in my chest. “You’re right. He’s also full of shit.”

Searching my eyes, he remained quiet. A small nod followed, but this whole nightmare that had played out had obliterated the happiness of our weekend. I didn’t like it one bit.

“Listen, I’d better go.”

“You don’t have to. I’d like you to stay, for coffee at least,” I said quickly.

Jasper shook his head. “I really need to prepare for classes.” He stepped away. “I’ll just grab your bag.”

A few moments later, my bag was in my hand and Jasper was in the wind. Meanwhile, I stood in the driveway wishing the past thirty minutes could be erased.

“Glad to be home?” Billy said from beside me, making me startle.

I scoffed. “Something like that.” I shook my head and angled toward him. “Thanks for what you said.”

“My absolute pleasure. It’s not the first time I’ve called him a prick, but it was just as satisfying.”

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