Page 55 of Until Tomorrow
At least that’s how Logan classified him, considering he’d been arrested several times over the last ten years for getting into bar fights. But there was a reason for this time. I had to believe there was a reason for all the other times.
And why exactly did I care?That was an excellent question.
The man fascinated me. Who just stepped into someone else’s conversation and punched a guy over a comment like that? That was like something right out of a movie. My tired brain struggled to process it.
Instead of even trying, I just let my brain run rampant as I sat on a bench and watched the cars pass.For hours.Just how long did it take to get someone out of jail? The urge to just call a cab and go home for the night was strong.
But when the door opened and he walked out, I sat a little straighter.And anything I wanted to say flew right out of my head.I really needed sleep. Middle-of-the-night conversations weren’t my forte. What could I even say?Thanks for punching my dick of a date? Sorry, you got arrested? Hope my husband got you a good deal?
And when he started walking my way, I scooted over as if half a bench wasn’t enough for him to sit down. He dropped into the farthest corner of the bench, legs stretched out and arms crossed.
“Are you the reason he dropped the charges?” Rhett asked gruffly. That slight twang in his voice made it clear he wasn’t from Boston. No one from here talked like that. Granted, I wasn’t even from here, so I noticed more.
“My husband is, yes,” I said.
“Your husband,” he replied, the words slow and drawn out as he nodded. “Right.”
“I could’ve handled him, you know.” I decided to change the topic instead of pursuing whatever line of judgment was rolling through his head. “I would’ve.”
“And it wouldn’t have done a damn thing.”
“You don’t know that.”
“You aren’t the first woman he’s tried to manipulate, and you won’t be the last,” Rhett stated. “At least now that crooked fucking nose of his will remind him of his stupidity.”
“And do you really think that will make a difference?” I asked.
“Not a chance in hell. But it sure as fuck made me feel better,” he said. Was that a red flag? That probably should’ve been a red flag.A little red flag—that was less significant than a big one.
Good God. What was wrong with me? I was over here trying to make excuses for a man I’d probably never see again.And one I certainly didn’t care about.
“Tell your husband I said thank you.” He stood and shoved his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. “I’m assuming he has the incident report. Tell him to come to my shop and I’ll pay him what I owe him.”
“Okay.” Because what else was I going to say?
“Maybe it’s not my fucking place to say,” Rhett began as he turned back to face me, “but it’s fucking twisted that you go out on a date with some guy and then get your husband to bail me out. Does he even know what happened tonight? What you were actually out doing? Fuck, you know what? I don’t want to know. You have a good life.”
As I tried to come up with the best way to respond, he walked away. I scowled.Screw Rhett Carson and his judgmental self.
Chapter 32
Logan
Drummingmyfingersalongmy desk at home, I stared at the police report about the night’s events. The words swam on the page, making it hard to focus. Of all the outcomes I’d imagined for my wife dating, blackmailing my wife’s date into not pressing charges against the man who knocked him out wasn’t on that list. My brain struggled to process it.
These were usually the moments I reached out to Elliot or talked to Eva for clarity. I couldn’t talk to Elliot for obvious reasons, and I had no desire to tell Eva that the reason the whole thing had been dropped was because I blackmailed Nathan Whittaker into dropping the charges. The woman who ran the art gallery where he worked was a body-positive activist. Many of her most successful shows revolved around body positivity and celebration. She would’ve been appalled at his comments, and, considering she was a client of my firm, it would’ve been easy to let her know. Nathan kept his job, Rhett was released, and all it cost me was bail money and one night of sleep.
My wife deserved better. That was the fact I couldn’t handle about this polyamory thing. With Eva’s history, I hated seeing her get hurt. But I couldn’t protect her. I trusted her, even if I didn’t trust them. I debated whether that meant we shouldn’t be pursuing this. The reality was that if she found someone or even multiple someones who made her happy, I wantedthat for her. I just genuinely hated how the road to those people was paved with assholes like Nathan Whittaker.
Unable to fall asleep, I holed up in my office. I wanted to say I’d work, but curiosity got the better of me. Instead, I grabbed my phone and thumbed throughTumble.
Athletic and ready to mingle… no.
Only looking for Asian guys… no.
Married looking for a third… no.
Must love sports… maybe.I’d come back to that.It didn’t help that he didn’t saywhatsports must be loved.
