Page 47 of The Wrong One

The cat stretched and lay down to lick his paws.

“Why, you ask? Well, I think some might say Cam is my rebound. Everyone knows the rebound never works out. Shit always falls apart. If Cam is my rebound, that means there is a good chance it’s going to fall apart. Can we still be friends?”

I rubbed the cat’s head.

“I think we could, but what if it’s weird?” I answered the question I imagined the cat would ask. “I don’t want to ruin shit. How weird would it be to be at Lily’s birthday party and have Cam there with another woman? Could I really sit down and have dinner with Ramsey, Lily, and Cam?”

Marmalade meowed and looked at me with his big green eyes. It was like he was telling me to stop overthinking and just go for it. Maybe he was right. Maybe I should just take a chance and see where things go with Cam. After all, life is too short to hold back on opportunities that could bring happiness.

I stood up from the chair and walked toward the window. Marmalade followed me with his gaze. I leaned against the wall and looked outside at the trees swaying in the wind.

“I can’t be with him,” I said. “I’m not ready for a relationship. I’m damaged goods. I don’t have a heart to give.”

Marmalade purred and jumped off the chair, making his way toward me. He rubbed his head against my legs, as if to comfort me. It was like he knew exactly what I was feeling.

“It’s the secrecy, Marmalade,” I said. “I hate all the sneaking around. It’s weird. It feels icky. Ramsey and I share everything. I can’t lie to him. It’s wrong. Ramsey has always looked out for me. I can’t just lie to him when he always looks out for me.”

I thought about Cam’s sudden distance. He was the one who seemed to be struggling with the Ramsey thing. I got it. Ramsey and Cameron went back pretty far. If I could talk to Ramsey and clear things up, I had a feeling Cam and I could actually make a go of things.

“It’s the work thing,” I said. “I’m asking for too much. I can’t work with my brother while I’m sleeping with his best friend who just happens to be his business partner. Technically, it was only one time, but still, we did the deed. We violated my brother’s trust by going behind his back. We should have been upfront from the very beginning. I’m sure Cam is feeling guilty. He’s feeling like he’s fucking over his best friend. He knows how protective Ramsey is. He doesn’t want to get on Ramsey’s bad side. I guess I don’t blame him. He’s ignoring me because he doesn’t want to risk Ramsey seeing something. He doesn’t want Ramsey to walk in on us talking or touching or looking at each other with fuck-me eyes.”

The cat meowed.

“Sorry, that was crass, but you know what I mean. I’m thinking it might be better if I didn’t work with them. Cam can’t afford to be distracted right now. He needs to have his head in the game. If I’m the one distracting him, I should leave. I don’t need to be in the lab to do my work. I’m the interloper. Mixing business with pleasure is never a good idea. As I considered my options, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. I had grown to really like Cam, and the thought of ending things between us was tough. But I knew it was the right thing to do. Maybe in the future, when things weren’t so complicated, we could pick up where we left off. For now, though, it was time to put an end to our secret rendezvous.

While I talked Marmalade’s ear off, I got a text message. I got up to grab my phone and groaned when I saw it was from Patrick. I should just blocked his phone number. I didn’t know why I hadn’t yet. I supposed it was just more of the drama I told Ramsey I wasn’t ready to deal with. I knew Patrick had a hold on me. I wasn’t going to deny it. Blocking his number felt like I was cutting off an arm. I knew I needed to do it. I had to cut ties.

I pulled up the message and sighed when I read it:

You’re the reason we didn’t work. You’re trying to make me feel guilty, but we both know it’s your fault.

I rolled my eyes and was about to put the phone down when another message came in. He was either drunk or just rolling out of his whore’s bed.

If you’d been less preoccupied with work, I never would have had a wandering eye. I’m a physical man. You know I have needs.

My mouth dropped open, and my gut crawled. “You’re a real piece of shit,” I muttered.

The cat meowed.

“Not you, Marmalade,” I said. “My ex. You’ve heard me talk about him. He’s the guy who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. He’s the guy who promised me the moon and said he would love me forever and then hopped into bed with someone else. Maybe several someone elses. I don’t know. But I know he’s a cheating asshole. I know I busted my ass to keep him happy. I worked long hours because we were supposed to be building a life together. We were both working a lot and trying to save money for our wedding. We wanted a bigger house. It wasn’t just me working. I tried, Marmalade. I really did. This isn’t on me.”

The cat rolled over, completely unconcerned with my crisis. I couldn’t believe I was talking to a damn cat. I also couldn’t believe I ever thought I was going to marry Patrick. Now that I had some distance between us, I was starting to realize I never truly loved Patrick. After sex with Cam, I kind of felt like I had been missing out on the good stuff. Patrick might be a physical man, but he wasn’t all that good at it. Cam beat him, hands-down.

“Okay,” I said to Marmalade. “I know what I have to do. I’m going to get ready for work. I would tell you to lock up on your way out, but I think we both know your thumbs don’t work.” Marmalade flicked his tail in response, unimpressed. But as I got up to start my day, I realized I had a newfound sense of purpose. I wasn’t going to let Patrick’s infidelity get me down. I was going to channel all of my anger and frustration into being the best damn employee my company had ever seen. And I was going to prove to myself that I didn’t need a man to make me happy.

As I got ready, I couldn’t help but think about Cam. He was the complete opposite of Patrick in every way. Where Patrick was boring and selfish, Cam was exciting and attentive. Where Patrick was a cheater, Cam was loyal. The memory of our night together still sent shivers down my spine. The way he touched me, the way he kissed me, the way he whispered in my ear. It was as if he knew exactly what I needed, and he gave it to me without hesitation.

I grabbed my laptop and headed out the door, determined to focus on work and forget about Patrick and Cam. But as soon as I arrived at the office, I saw him standing in the lobby, looking as gorgeous as ever. My heart skipped a beat as I approached him.

“Hi,” he said, flashing me a smile.

Ramsey walked in right behind me.

Cam’s smile faded. “I’m headed to the lab. I’ll see you in there.”

Nope. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be in between them. I could see that’s what was happening. Ramsey looked a little confused by Cam’s abrupt departure. It wasn’t fair to my brother.

“Can I talk to you?” I asked Ramsey.

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