Page 8 of A Reckless Memory

“It sucks you felt like you had to quit your job in Wyoming and move.”

“It was an easy decision after they promoted Lawson instead of me.” I should’ve been sorry, too, but an office was an office whether I was in Wyoming or North Dakota. “It’s worth it not to go to work and see him frowning at me across the boardroom.”

“Ugh, men. And you had to move out of Bozeman because Penley was being a dick.”

“Mr. ‘Follow Me To Work Until I Threatened Him With A Restraining Order’? Yeah.” I downed that fourth shot.

“Men.” She shook her head and dropped her hand down to the bar top.

“Hey, Aggie.” A guy sidled up next to me, my age, with close-cropped, sandy-blond hair, wearing jeans, a sweater pullover, and a you want me grin. I rolled my eyes toward him. His gaze dropped to my legs, stroking down to where my ankles were crossed on the stool’s footrest.

“Chad.” He’d graduated high school with me. Football player. Farm kid. Asshole.

“Been awhile.” Appreciation was ripe in his voice—something I never thought I’d hear from him aimed my way. “How’s it going?”

“Shitty. I’m in town for Meg’s funeral.”

He recoiled slightly, like he hadn’t expected me to be blunt. No one ever did, and he should’ve put two and two together. Meg’s death and the return of all five Knight siblings were big news in this small town.

He leaned against the bar between the next stool and me. “Maybe we can get together while you’re in town.”

I feigned regret. “If only I didn’t recall you telling Macey Jones that between my hair and my attitude I remind you of a rabid poodle.”

His brows popped up. “Shit, Aggie. That was years ago.”

“Being in town is bringing back memories, and I’m done with men who think they can walk all over me and expect me to forget how much they didn’t care about me or my feelings.” He’d become a target of my resentment, but he was Chad. He probably deserved it.

He drew back and pushed off the counter, his mouth twisted. As he walked away, he snarled, “You’re probably still as flat of a lay now as I heard you were then.”

“I’ve learned it makes a difference when the guy knows what he’s doing and has a big dick,” I called over my shoulder.

Sutton choked on her laugh. I returned my scowl to the bottle of liquor. I wasn’t drinking over that bastard.

“You tell ’em, Birdie,” the old bartender said.

A flush inched up my face. I didn’t have to look in the mirror to know I was turning red. I had lost my virginity to one of the guys on the football team, more as a way to find out what sex was all about, but his lips had flapped more than a pony going for a carrot.

“Men are clueless pricks.” Sutton’s words seemed laced with more significance than my interaction with Chad, but I was mentally struggling to right myself. It was like Chad hit my horse with a switch and I was galloping at full speed into the past.

“Such fucking pricks,” I said, clenching my hands. Releasing them only to grab the bottle, I poured another shot. I wouldn’t do a shot over Chad, but there was another guy... “And they always get away with it.”

Sutton grabbed the bottle from my hand and filled her little glass. “Chad’s dating the mayor’s daughter and says it’s not serious, but she’s planning a wedding.” A light slur hit her words.

The drink burned my throat, and I could’ve breathed fire after I swallowed, but the pain tampered the humiliation of Chad’s parting comment. “My stalker ex is remarried, but he’s sent me two messages in the last five years. I never read them.”

“Nooo. Who’d marry him?”

I pulled up the account his wife posted all her pictures on. Look who was being the stalker now. My special form of torture was watching guys who’d done me wrong get on with their fabulous lives.

Sutton leaned close to the screen like her vision was also lacking clarity after a few shots.

“Dickwad.” Sutton sat back and swayed. “And Lawson? Living high after he screwed you over?”

“I should’ve known better than to date someone I worked with. It failed once already.” Just because I could, I pulled up Lawson’s account and gasped. A photo of a brand-new Lexus with a gushing statement about how much he loved his new position. “I was told I had to move offices because the tension between us made other employees uncomfortable, and he got a fucking raise.”

“That’s so unfair, Aggie. It’s just not right.” She grabbed the phone and punched something into the app’s search bar. Her mouth fell open. “And him? Look at her.”

I glanced over and wished the Fireball had occluded my vision completely. Filling my screen was Ansen with his favorite black Justin cowboy hat pulled down low and a stunning blonde tucked into his side.

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