Page 53 of Decoded
“And why the fuck not?”
“All her stuff is there. That’s why I came here.” I wave down Kalli to let her know my glass of bourbon is empty and she shakes her head, denying me more of the sweet liquid.
“Please, Kalli. Just one more?” I plead, but her face is all scrunched up at me. She walks down the bar and stands there with her arms crossed. “Oh, no. Are you mad? Did someone here say something? Did I say something? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Wanna tell me why you’re drinking like it’s your last day on this earth?”
I snort. “Nope. I’m fine.”
“When people say they’re fine that means they’re anything but. Pretty sure you’re working your way to polishing off an entire bottle all by yourself. So try again.”
I don’t want to share my pain, but the words slip from my lips regardless, “Broken heart, Kal. Broken heart.”
“Get the fuck over yourself,” Lincoln growls.
“Stop being mean to me. I’m sad and drunk.”
“If you would just talk to her, you might not need to be in this state right now.” Camden tries to convince me. I could have sworn he wasn’t here just a minute ago. In fact, he entered the bar with us and then poof. It’s like he disappeared. Maybe I have had too much to drink.
“Where the hell did you come from?” I ask.
“I had to make a quick phone call. He can have one more, Kalli. Give him one more pour and then we’re taking him home.”
My favorite bartender fills up my glass again and I smile at my baby brother. “I knew I always liked you the best.”
A hand reaches up and slaps the back of my head. I turn to look at Lincoln. “That just further proves why Cam is the better brother.”
He snorts a “whatever” at me and focuses back on the game. I pull out my phone. If my brothers want me to talk to Anna, then I’ll talk to Anna.
Keaton
you are so preety
Keaton
i love you so flucking much
Keaton
but nknowing that he know you that way hurts
Keaton
and i dont think i wanna love you nymore
Chapter thirty-seven
Anna
“S
pill,” Amanda demands.
She had brought me to her home after calling Camden like Keaton had requested. I assumed I was no longer welcome at Keaton’s place, and even if I were, I didn’t have a way to get there since I rode with him, and he had the keys.
“When I was between jobs, my dad recommended that I go to work for his best friend, Daniel. I was his executive assistant and for the first few weeks or so things were going really well. Then he started sending me texts. Nothing inappropriate, not yet anyway, but little messages here and there. Things like ‘I miss you’ and ‘You look so pretty today,’ but it was almost every single day. I told myself it was in my head. I said, he’s just being friendly. But then they became even more frequent. And that’s when they became more suggestive.
“Soon after the messages started, he began finding little ways to touch me in the office. A hand on my hip. Brushing an imaginary piece of fuzz off my shoulder. Swiping away an eyelash from my cheek. Again, I just thought maybe he was atouchy-feely kinda guy, and I tried not to read into things. He has been involved with my family for so long, and he had always hugged me before, so I thought I was making a big deal out of nothing. He wasn’t making advances. He was just comfortable.
