Page 30 of The Rules
Kath exhales, the sound raw and ragged. Heat crawls up her neck, settling beneath her skin like a brand.
"Yep." The admission hangs there, heavier than she expected.
For half a second, Tammy is frozen, shock written across her face. Then she fractures, dissolving into peals of uncontrolled laughter that draw stares from nearby tables.
"Oh my God." She slaps the table, eyes watering. Leans in, dropping her voice to a scandalized whisper—one that still carries way too far. "You gave Sinclair a private dance?"
Kath rolls her eyes, but a slow smirk betrays her amusement.
"Let's just say..." She lets the silence stretch, savoring it. Then—smirking, triumphant: "I made him suffer."
Tammy gasps, mock scandalized, her eyes sparkling with delight. "You pretty little devil."
Kath hesitates, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup. Then, her voice drops lower, more serious. "He—he didn't know it was me."
The amusement flickers in Tammy's expression, replaced by a hint of surprise.
"He had no clue," Kath adds, her tone even, but something unreadable lingers beneath it.
Tammy shakes her head, eyes wide with disbelief.
“That is gold. Absolute gold." She exhales a half-laugh, still reeling. Then her gaze sharpens, head tilting like a cat who’s just scented something very interesting.
“So what’s the plan, Femme Fatale?" she purrs, far too amused. “You gonna disappear into the shadows, never to be seen again?"
Kath shrugs, trying for nonchalance. “It’s done. No more sessions. It got too close."
Tammy hums, unconvinced. “Mhm. And does he know that?" Her voice is slow, syrupy with smug delight. “Or is that just what you’ve told yourself?"
Katherine opens her mouth, a denial half-formed—but it stalls, snagging on something raw. Her silence says everything.
Tammy leans back like royalty settling into her throne, lifting her coffee with both hands. She sips once, then smiles—wicked, triumphant.
“Mmm,” she says, eyes glittering. “Thought so.”
Katherine lets out a breath, half a laugh, half an attempt to ground herself. She leans back, fingers still curled loosely around her coffee cup.
“What about you?” she asks, voice a bit quieter now.
“How’s Drake?”
Tammy’s expression softens immediately, that wicked glint dimming into something warmer. “He’s good,” she says, smiling into her cup. “Busy, as usual. He’s doing some advanced training thing right now—nerdy tech shit I barely understand.”
She shrugs, the affection obvious in her tone.
“But we’ve got a weekend away planned. Just the two of us. Somewhere quiet. Maybe a cabin. Maybe just a hotel with room service and a giant bed.”
She winks, voice dipping into a teasing lilt. “You know. Romantic stuff. The whole disgusting package.”
Katherine snorts, lips twitching despite herself. Tammy just grins wider.
“You need something like that too,” she says, all faux-serious. “A break. A bed. Someone to tell you to stop spiraling.”
Katherine laughs under her breath, but the words stay.
They follow her home like smoke.
Tammy’s voice won’t let go.“Does he know it’s over?
