Page 65 of Play the Last Track
Fuck, he looks awful.
Flynn squeezes my hand, letting me go as he moves to stand behind me, his chest against my back and his hand on my hip. He’s letting me handle it, but not alone.
“Everyone okay?” I call out, and my staff all look up, relieved.
A few of the chefs nod. Doug and his friends hold their pints up, still half full of beer, in greeting. Why he’s still here, I have no idea. Well, I do. The man’s the biggest gossip I know. Justin races around the bar and comes over, stepping carefully over the glass. “Sorry about the mess, Katie. I tried to clean it, but every time wegot close, he started up again. Thought it best to just leave it until you got here.”
“That’s okay.” I glance at Justin. His face is as white as a ghost. “Roscoe?” I call out to my head chef. “Will you take Justin for some food out back? And a drink, yeah?”
“Sure, boss.” Roscoe, my tattooed, six-foot, forty-year-old chef, nods and motions for Justin to follow him. The rest of the kitchen staff turn and face Maria, who’s been a bartender here for years.
“Grant?” I ask, taking a small step toward the booth he’s sitting in. “What are you doing here?”
“You won’t answer any of my calls. Had to come. Had to see you.”
“It’s been months, Grant. We’re over.”
“I never wanted that.” He shakes his head, still swaying in his seat. “I never wanted to be over. You walked out without giving me a chance.”
“I gave you four years,” I say carefully.
“What do you want? Do you want a ring? You want to get married like your friend? I’ll get you a ring,” Grant slurs.
“You know that isn’t what I meant.”
“I didn’t do anything to deserve you leaving me.”
I take a deep breath. Suddenly, I wish I’d asked everyone to leave, not just Justin and Roscoe. “You cheated on me. Multiple times. I’m not sure what else you expected me to do.”
“You forgave me.”
“I was wrong to do that.” I feel Flynn’s hand tighten on my hip. “I should have walked away the first time I found out.”
Grant gets to his feet, shuffling uneasily our way. He points his finger at me. “You told me you loved me.”
“I did.” It was true. I did love him. Just not in the right way, and not anymore.
“I miss you,” he slurs. “Please give me another chance.” He takes another few uneasy steps and gets too close for Flynn’s liking.
“That’s close enough,” he growls, tugging me back. He takes a step back but stays behind me. As if he only just notices I’m not alone, Grant’s eyes flash, anger firing up in them as he stares at Flynn.
“Stay out of this.”
“Then stay back. You can have a conversation without getting in her face.”
Grant’s gaze lands back on me, his lip snarling. “How long did it take you to replace me? Or were you fucking him before we broke up? Is he the reason you walked out on me?Slut.”
I flinch at the word but don’t react. He’s called me this before. He’s called me every name in the book before, whenever he drank too much and then picked a fight.
“That’s enough,” Flynn growls. This time, he does move in front of me. His hand on my hip tugs me backward, and he steps around me in one motion, placing himself between Grant and me. “We came here to have you removed. You wanted to see her, you’ve said your piece, and nothing’s changed. Time to go.”
“Fuck you.” Grant spits on the ground at Flynn’s feet, and I cringe. Ew.
“Back off.”
“Katie,” Grants says, his voice now pleading. “Come on. You know I am the only man who knows how to take care of you. Come home. Please?” There’s a beat, and I rest my head on Flynn’s back, sighing as I don’t respond. His next words, though, make me want to laugh. “I’ll even get you those good bagels you like, andthe flowers you always begged me to get whenever we went past the stall. Come on, babe.”
I laugh out loud. It’s hollow and full of disappointment. “I’m not begging for the bare minimum anymore, Grant. Go home.”
