Page 115 of A Love That Broke Us
Mark and Scarlett are deep in conversation, thankfully. Either they didn’t hear or they’re politely pretending not to.
I glance at his plate. Itisovercooked—and yes, that’s annoying—butGod,what is his deal?
His leg starts bouncing, his whole demeanor shifting like a switch just flipped.
“Here,” I say, picking up my plate. “Trade me. I don’t mind medium-well.”
“No, babe. This steak’s a hundred fucking dollars. They need to make it right.”
“Please. Just take mine.” I try to lock eyes with him, but he won’tlook at me. Sweat’s collecting on his forehead, and he rubs his hand over his face again.
“Please,” I say again, quieter this time.Don’t make a scene.
He grips the back of his neck, then exhales hard, dropping his hands into his lap. “Fine.” He slides his plate in front of me while I pass mine over, painfully aware of Scarlett and Mark witnessing the unraveling of my husband.
“Everything okay?” Scarlett asks.
I force a smile. “Yeah. They overcooked Jensen’s steak, and I like mine more done… You know what, babe? They probably just mixed ours up.” I say, even though I know damn well we both ordered medium-rare.
Jensen stands abruptly. “I’m gonna take five. Gotta pee.” He rubs a hand over his face as he leaves, and I watch in horror as he disappears toward the bathroom.
“Is he okay?” Scarlett asks, then lowers her voice. “Areyouokay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry. He just had a really stressful work week.”
“I thought Jensen loved his job.”
“He does, but he has a new boss, and he’s kind of a dick. It’s been a rough transition.”
Great. NowI’mlying to my friends—making shit up, covering Jensen’s ass.
It makes me feel sick.
“That’s shitty. I hate when someone comes in and ruins everything for everyone else,” Mark chimes in.
“It is shitty.” I glance around, searching for a subject change. “How long have you been at your job, Mark?”
Seriously?That’s the best I could come up with?He literally just talked about his job.
“Seven years,” he says, and judging from the look on his face, I’ve officially outed myself as someone who hasn’t been listening.
A moment later, Jensen slides back into his seat. “God, babe. You look so fucking hot tonight. Let’s hurry with dinner. I’m dying to rip those pants off you.”
Scarlett busts up laughing. It’s not completely out of character forJensen to say something like that, but in front of Mark, who we barely know? It’s a lot. It’s too much.
Mark chuckles, and I gawk at Jensen. I don’t know if I’m turned on or embarrassed. For a split second, I even wonder if he’s drunk. But then I look at his drink. He’s been nursing the same old fashioned all night, and it’s still half full.
Jensen’s hand finds my thigh again, his fingers creeping a little too high for comfort in public. He sniffs, then rubs at his nose, grinning.
“What’d I miss?”
What the hell?
Scarlett starts talking to him again, and it’s like the whole steak thing never happened. He’s back to being charming, flirty, easygoing Jensen.
He swipes at his nose again, sniffing.
My stomach drops.Shit. A knot twists tight in my core. He took something in the bathroom. But this isn’t Oxy. This behavior is noticeably different. He hasn’t been like this, not since he started taking the pain pills regularly.
