Page 20 of Tender
Obviously, Emmett had spoken to Selene and gotten her version of the events. Considering the way he and Cosimo had behaved at lunch, he was confident enough to believe they didn’t buy her bullshit. If she bothered trying to sell any. She seemed utterly and completely unashamed of the truth.
“I’m okay,” he answered.
“But you’re calling us,” Emmett said.
Miles squeezed his eyes shut, embarrassed. “Mhm. Yep. Sorry, if you’re busy…”
“Not even a little bit. We spoke to Selene and she said you had a fight.”
His laugh felt painful against the back of his throat. “If you want to call it a fight, yeah. It’s over.”
“Listen,” Emmett said.“I know Mo and I fucked up really, really badly with her. And we should have said something at the restaurant. We shouldn’t have let you leave like that.” He paused, and though Miles couldn’t hear his deep breath, he had a feeling he was taking one or two. “We can’t fix what she’s become, but we want to help you.She told us you left.”
“I did, yeah,” he confirmed.“She’s been sleeping around this whole time.”
“We know,” Emmett said.In spite of the tinny voice, Miles could tell he was tired. “I want to come get you.”
Miles blinked in surprise. “Uh.”
“Please. Even if it’s just to talk,” Emmett said. “Today was a mess, and I don’t mean to sound like an asshole, but I know you don’t have anywhere to go right now. So just…will you tell me where you are? Please?”
Miles swallowed heavily. In for a penny, he decided. He was all out of pride, so what more did he have to lose? “I’m still at the apartment, the next building over, near the garage.”
“Don’t go anywhere. I can be there in ten minutes. Okay?”
Miles hesitated a beat, then nodded in spite of the fact that Emmett couldn’t see him. “Yeah. Yes. Okay.”
“Okay.”
And then the line went dead.
His phone rang again almost exactly ten minutes later, and he saw it was a FaceTime. He picked up, startled to see Emmett’s face—mostly dark from the road, but still very much him.
“I’m at the apartment building now, but I don’t see you.Did you leave?”
“I’m still at the building next door,” he said in spite of himself. He both did and didn’t want to do this. “I’m kind of behind the row of bushes. I didn’t want Selene to see me if she left. Or if…if Jake,” he choked on the man’s name, “came over to see her. I didn’t want to know.”
Emmett hummed, a low rumble that crawled under Miles’s skin in an oddly good way.“I understand. Let me just…Ah, I see you.Stay right there.”
Miles was pretty sure he couldn’t have moved even if he’d wanted to.He felt pinned to the step, his phone still in his hand even after Emmett ended the call.A beat later, and he saw a shadowy figure approaching.Miles managed to unfreeze his limbs and stand by the time Emmett appeared under the fading evening light.
“You look awful,” Emmett said.
In spite of himself, Miles snorted a laugh.“Thanks.”
Emmett just grinned and held out his hand, and when Miles didn’t react, he reached forward and grabbed the handle of his suitcase.“I’m parked in the guest spot, so we should hurry.”
Miles blinked at him, not following.“Um. Where?”
Emmett’s turned around, his brow furrowed.“Please. I’m over at Selene’s building.”
Pressing his hand to his forehead, Miles closed his eyes.“No.Where are you taking me?Because I’m still trying tofigure out what I’m going to do, and I don’t have cash for a hotel, so…”
Emmett turned back around and walked forward, stopping only when he was inches away from Miles.His hand touched his chin, drawing his gaze up, and Miles wanted to cry at the kindness he saw in the man’s eyes.
“We have a pool house.It’s not anything fancy, but it’s fully furnished, and it’s got a tub and a shower so you can soak and relax.Mo and I have no problem with you using the kitchen for anything you want, and it’s not that far from town if you have work.”
“I uh…I don’t have work right this second. I teach a couple of summer courses,” Miles said, his voice a soft, ragged mess of emotions.“But I don’t start until the first week of June.”
