Page 58 of Deal with Mr. Cruel

Mae looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

“I might have eavesdropped a little.” Ben shrugged.

“Is my drama entertaining?” Mae held back a smile.

“I’m a doorknob salesman and I live in the suburbs. What do you think?”

Mae laughed out loud.

“Glad I could help.”

Lindsay walked in holding a beer and sat down next to them on the couch. “Sounds like someone is feeling better.” She clinked her bottle against Mae’s and winked.

It was true. Mae did feel better. Her heart was still shattered into a million pieces, but being with the people who knew her inside and out helped. This house helped. It reminded her of her parents’ house, which wasn’t far away. It wasn’t until now that she realized how much she missed it. How much she missed her brother. Maybe some time away from the city would be good for her.

“Can I stay here with you? Just for a little while?” she asked, looking from Ben to Lindsay.

“Stay as long as you’d like,” said Lindsay.

Chapter 22

Jonas

After he watched Mae drive away, Jonas tried calling her several times, but she ignored his calls and eventually must have turned off her phone because it went straight to voicemail. He had no idea where she was headed or who was driving. He felt completely helpless. He also felt like an asshole.

How could he have said those things? They weren’t even true. He was just in the heat of the moment. Jonas walked defeatedly headed back into the festival. He hoped Mae could understand. Someday.

Despite what just happened, he still had a company to run. When this was over, he promised he would find her and make things right. He straightened his jacket and headed back through the doors to the festival. Braydon stood at a nearby booth, pacing anxiously. When he spotted Jonas, he made a beeline toward him.

“There you are! We’ve been looking for you!”

“Sorry, I had to…deal with something.”

“Jesus, look at your eye. It’s already starting to bruise.”

Jonas touched his face and winced. It was tender from where Nico had punched him.

“You should really get some ice on that,” said Braydon, leading him to a booth.

“Can we get a bag of ice?” Braydon asked the girl running the booth. She nodded nervously, looking at Jonas, and prepared a bag. She handed it to him.

“Thank you,” said Jonas, taking it from her.

“Let’s put that ice on you behind the stage. We don’t want any more people asking questions,” said Braydon, looking around nervously.

“How bad is it?” asked Jonas as they walked swiftly toward the stage.

“Thankfully, no patrons saw what happened because you were hidden behind the stage. But the team is asking questions. Chad found me right after the altercation with Nico. Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?”

“It was about Mae.”

Braydon nodded. “Well, you better sort it out.”

Jonas was glad that the public hadn’t witnessed the scene. He didn’t need that kind of media attention, especially here at the festival. It would not be a good look for a charity fundraiser. He followed Braydon behind the stage where the team was waiting, including Nico, who eyed him warily.

Jonas cleared his throat and the team stood a little taller as they eagerly waited to hear what he had to say.

“I want to apologize for what happened today. It was unprofessional and I assure you it won’t happen again. Isn’t that right, Nico?” Jonas shot Nico a sharp look.

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