Page 19 of Best Friend's Dirty Ex

“It’s business, Lyla. I’m remodeling his office.” I try to keep my tone calm, but that only seems to wind her up more.

“Is that what you’re calling fucking my ex? Business?”

“Lyla, I’m not sleeping with him!” Why is she acting so crazy?

“Then why are you spending so much time with him?” She’s crying now, and I’m so lost I don’t know what else to say or do.

“Because I’m remodeling his office, Lyla. I have to talk to him, go over plans, and discuss changes.” How does she know I’m spending “so much” time with him? And why is she freaking out about it?

“Why can’t you do it in emails?” She’s reduced to sobs now and I feel bad, bewildered, and confused. Where is all of this coming from?

“Some things are better discussed in person. Lyla, what is going on?”

“I saw you at his place today! For hours! What took so long to talk about?”

My heart sinks. “Lyla, are you stalking him?”

“No! Of course not.”

“Then how do you know I was there for hours? We were discussing the remodel, but how did you know how long I was there?”

She refuses to answer and the line goes dead in my ear. I glance down at the screen, watching as it goes dark, wondering what the heck to do now.

Is she watching his place?

And if she is… why?

Is she trying to catch us doing something?

And why would she be so paranoid?

What the heck happened between the two of them, and why is she acting so unhinged about he and I working together?

Chapter Ten

Troy

I pick my coffee off the counter with a smile at the barista. I’m not generally a fan of coffee chains, but this little hole in the wall place is a secret gem that makes great coffee exactly how I like it: dark, rich, and soul filling.

I turn and nearly bump into a familiar individual.

“Hello, Troy.” Konan offers that pretty-boy smile of his, and I want to smash my fist into his perfect teeth.

I refrain, of course. “Konan.” I nod my head in his direction, taking a sip of my coffee and instantly feel the searing pain of all my tastebuds being killed off in a tidal wave of boiling hot liquid.

“How are you doing with our little gentlemen's bet?” Konan doesn't seem to notice my discomfort as he says the words. I want to point out that there is nothing gentlemanly about the bet that we made about who can get Everly into bed first, but nothing good can come from that, so I choose not to engage.

“I'm not really one to share secrets with the competition.” I'm ready to head for the door, but he continues talking and I stop short, as some morbid curiosity about where he is in the process overwhelms me to listen to him.

“I met her in the park the other night. She seemed interested, though distracted.” There's an undercurrent to his words that I don't quite understand, and I wonder if he's internally blaming me for her distraction.

Of course, I know the truth; I know that she thought someone was following her, that it wasn't Konan who left her feeling threatened, and that she wanted someone to help keep her safe in those moments - that someone ultimately being me. But I'm not about to tell him any of that.

“What a shame that you couldn't keep her interest.”

Konan chuckles. “I think it’s less about keeping her interest and more about her being distracted. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“Her being distracted?” I feign ignorance about his question. “I talked to her after you had a conversation with her, and she didn't seem distracted at all. In fact, she mentioned meeting you and told me that she wasn't interested.” Of course, I'm making up the second part, but given the fact that he tried and didn't get a date with her and felt she was distracted, he's given me all the information I need to plant a seed of doubt.

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