Page 76 of Play the Last Track
“Yes, even so, I am sorry.” Grant takes a step forward. My hand shoots out, hitting the middle of his chest and causing him to step back in surprise.
“You had no right to barge back into my life. Not after everything you did to me.” The hand still on my back squeezes the fabric of my shirt into her fist. “You cheated on me so many times, I think I lost count. You told me time and time again I was too much and too loud, so I dampened myself for you, and you still cheated, still hurt me. You fucking slapped me, Grant.”
He flinches, and I have to hold back a smile. Fuck, but I’m proud of her right now.
“I was selfish and wrong to come here the other day.”
“Yes. You were.” Katie nods. “This is my family’s business. This is my workplace. You caused distress to my staff—you berated them and scared them. You threw a tantrum because I didn’t answer your fucking phone calls. How fucking childish are you?”
“I know—”
“You could have just left it. I walked away. I didn’t ruin your life by pressing charges for slapping me, and I didn’t tell all your friends about the cheating. I didn’t even tell your mom, who kept calling me for weeks, asking what happened to the two of us, by the way. I let you off, for free.” Katie releases her hold on my T-shirt and steps forward. She’s only a little shorter than Grant, but right now, you’d think he was about two feet tall. I step back, standing behind Katie as she gets in his face. “You should’ve just walked away. Instead, you did something even worse. You told someone about something that wasn’t yours to tell.”
Huh? I look at her. She’s seething. Anger is written all over her face. Grant gulps, taking a step back and putting his hands up. “I was drunk. I’m sorry. I really am—”
“It’s too late. You ruined it. You took yet another thing away from me, and this wasn’t yours to take.” Katie launches forward, but I catch her around the waist and pull her back. Her back lands against my chest, and I grunt. “Let me go, Flynn.”
“Uh-uh. No way, Rockstar,” I say against her ear. “You’ll hurt your hand and your license if you get caught fighting.”
Katie fights against my hold, but I keep my arm locked around her waist. “You had no right.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“They’re going to expose the channel. My safe space.”
“I’m sorry, Katie. I am.”
“You—” Katie struggles, then goes still. Silence fills the bar, and I feel myself holding a breath. When she hiccups, a sob falling from her lips, I spin her around in my arms.
“Katie, baby.” I grasp her cheeks, watching her eyelashes soak with tears as they leak from her eyes. “Talk to me.”
“I can’t apologize enough.” I glance up to see Grant retreating, heading for the door. He gives Katie one last, apologetic look. “I’m sorry.”
What the fuck is going on?
She didn’t cry last time he was here. She barely batted an eyelash when he called her a slut or admitted that he hit her in front of her staff. He comes back—sober, thank god—and starts apologizing again, and she’s brought to tears?
Fuck, I’m confused.
I tuck her into my side, walking her to the back corridor. Ivy watches us as we pass, blocked in her seat by Scott, who, I’m guessing, was caught between getting up to stand behind me and keeping Ivy in her seat so she didn’t get up and stand beside Katie. I get it. If the roles were reversed, I would’ve kept Katie in her seat, too.
I shake my head at Ivy, silently asking her to stay in her seat. Another sob rolls through Katie’s body, and I tighten my hold on her. When we’re out of sight of the main room, I gently release her, leaning her against a wall and crowding her in. Before she can hide her face in her hands, I cup her cheeks, using my thumbs to wipe her tears.
“Hey, hey,” I say softly, catching what I can as they fall down her cheeks. “You’re okay.”
Katie shakes her head, her eyes jamming shut as if she’s physically trying to stop the tears. “He sent them. Every single one. He had no right.”
“I don’t—” I take a deep breath and restart. The last thing I want is to sound panicked or push her. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me what you mean. Is this about what happened the other night when Grant was here?”
“No,” she says, her voice trembling.
“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong? You don’t have to.” I swipe her cheeks again. “We can just wait here until you’re ready and then go back out and pretend everything is normal.”
Katie huffs, and when she looks up at me, even with a few stray tears still running over her cheeks, she gives me a watery smile. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
“I—” Katie looks down the corridor. There are a few doors, the bathrooms, and the door leading into the back alley. “Can I show you something?”
