Page 35 of Austen Persuaded

“Me? Not a chance.” I laughed. “I should back up. In the past weeks, some things have happened … kind of a lot.”

He nodded as though he understood that feeling. I wondered again what was going on with him, but I could try to wring it out of him later. No distractions now.

“Some good things, like Rafael getting engaged. But some not so good.” I drew in a deep breath. “So, this is a little bit mortifying, but it must be said. The short version is this: Brandon turned out to be a cheating jerk. So I had to quit Bolder. Now I’m, well, I guess you could say I’m exploring my options. I think … no, IknowI don’t want to look for another editing job.”

His eyes widened. “That is a lot. And from the look on your face, I can tell it’s not even the half of it. I have to say … well, never mind. It’s not my place. Let’s talk about the career move—”

“Wait, Jack. You can say anything to me.”

His blue eyes stared into mine, and he gave me an earnest smile. “I was going to say Brandon didn’t deserve you. I will admit I’m alittle surprised. He did seem decent, unlike his friend Greg. I knewhewas a jerk from the start. I only wish Vivi had seen it sooner.”

The very last thing I wanted to talk about was anything adjacent to my falling out with Viviana, but the look on his face contained such anguish that I couldn’t just bypass the subject. “Jack, what … happened?”

“You don’t know?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t been in touch with her or with Brandon. Didn’t Viv mention we had a huge fight? Probably my fault.”

“If she did, it was vague,” Jack said, his brows furrowed. “Sorry, I can’t recall the details.”

I bit my lip. It wasn’t really relevant right now, was it? “It doesn’t matter. Suffice to say, we fought, bitterly. And haven’t talked since. I need to call her, but … I haven’t yet. I have been going through a lot of other stuff, I guess, is my only excuse.”

His face was full of sympathy. “It’s all right, Annie. You don’t need an excuse for me.”

I wanted to hug him, but we weren’t that close. “Thanks, Jack. That means a lot. It’s been a hell of a week. Or two weeks. I’ve lost track. Anyway … I feel bad about Viv, but I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve never been awesome at friendships with other women, for some reason.AndI don’t know why I’m telling you that.” I laughed self-consciously and took a sip of water to distract from my embarrassment.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Hey, not sure if it’s your thing, but Jenn and Kieran are having one of their board game nights on Sunday. Vivi usually comes. Might be a low-key way to break the ice. Interested?”

I glanced up, surprised, and then I winced. I’d been invited a few times in the past but had always declined because, well, board games. Not my thing. So they’d given up on inviting me at least a year ago. “Well, I—”

Jack put his forkful of salad down and raised a hand. “No pressure, Annie. None at all. I was just throwing that out there. In fact, don’t even answer. Just think on it.”

I nodded slowly and smiled. “Thank you, Jack. That’s really nice of you. You’re right, it’s not really an interest of mine, but … I will at least think about it.” I chewed some grapes and then frowned. “But will you tell me what happened with Greg? Did he hurt her? I’ll kill him.”

“I’ve contemplated bodily harm to him myself.” Jack grimaced. He was the furthest thing from a violent person I’d ever met. The idea was laughable, except that this must mean that Gregory had been really awful to Viviana. “I don’t want to share a lot of personal details that aren’t my business to share, but basically he was using her to get information about her father. And she found out in a pretty awful way, overhearing him talking about her to Brandon.”

My heart rate quickened, and I felt the flames of fury rise. I couldn’t even think of Brandon with sadness or humiliation anymore; I felt only loathing.

He knew.

The bastard had been in on Gregory’s scheme this whole time.

How could I have been so oblivious?

I was so angry I could barely speak. “So, in addition to playing me, all the while he was supporting some sick goal of Gregory’s to exploit Viviana and her father? Brandonhadto have known the whole time. Maybe dating me was even part of the plan. Either that or I was just a fun way to pass the time,” I said, feeling the heat on my face as rage mounted.

Jack lowered his lids for a moment before looking up with a pained expression. “I’m so sorry you were part of this whole betrayal too. I blame myself in part. I knew Gregory was no good. I had no evidence, but I knew. Yet I stood by … I should’ve been more vocal about it.”

“Do you think she would’ve listened?” My voice rose. “No, Jack. I’m at fault. I saw them together quite a bit. I saw how he treated her … and even how he talked about her if I asked when she wasn’t around. I wanted it to work out between them, maybe for selfish reasons. I wanted to see Viviana happy, and the moments where Gregwasn’tbeing a jerk, she did seem happy.”

Jack made a face but nodded slightly in acknowledgement. “I know what you mean. I suppose that’s why I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to ruin her happiness or her excitement.”

“She seemed to really like him, at times. I hoped … well, I should’ve known it wouldn’t go anywhere with someone like him. But I wanted that for her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her truly in love before.” I sighed. “For that matter, I don’t think I’ve seenyouin love before either, Jack.”

He paused momentarily in chewing what appeared to be a homemade trail mix. The pause was very brief, and I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t been watching him carefully. When he finished chewing, he folded his hands in front of him and looked at them for several long seconds. Finally, he looked up with a slight smile. “We’re not here to talk about me, are we?”

I laughed, feeling some of the earlier anger and tension dissipating. “Fair enough, Jack. Though I do want to hear about your work. Tell me everything you know about book publishing, book sales, anything adjacent to that.”

Appearing relieved, he sat back with ease, popping another handful of raisins and nuts in his mouth. “That I can do. Anything I can emphasize in particular?”

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