Page 47 of Travis

I smile without mirth. “Listen, city boy, if you’ve got any sense at all, you’ll back the fuck off, man. I know why you’re here, you son of a bitch, and if you think for a second that Becky will play your game, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“She’s playing my game just fine, actually.” He says, as if I just asked him how his dinner tastes.

“Then she sees right through you, man. And she’s just waiting to make her move.”

“I don’t see what business this is of yours, seeing as you’re not together anymore.”

“Listen, I love that woman more than life itself, and I’ll do anything to protect her, especially from slimeballs like you.”

He scoffs, smiling. “What makes you think I’m a slimeball? What exactly did I do to make you think that?”

I don’t have to answer to him. He’s just flapping his lips, buying time until I walk out the door, or until Becky comes back into the room, because he knows that this conversation needs to end once she does. So, I end it, with one final remark. “You’ve been warned, partner.” I tip my hat like my mama always taught me to do, no matter how you leave someone.

I swear to God I hear him mutter, ‘fuck you’ under his breath, and it takes everything in me not to go back in there and punch those words right out of his mouth.

Becky

Sara goes off on a rant about Macey’s teacher and something that happened at school today. Ron’s not home, so I’m up next on her list. It’s too quiet out in the living room, and I know that Travis hasn’t left yet, because I didn’t hear the door close. Finally, when I do hear it close, I interject. “Look, Sara, I’ve got to go. I’ve got Travis and Greg out in the living room alone, and I need to make sure that Travis isn’t dragging Greg’s lifeless body out the door with him.”

“Fine. Call me back.”

I walk out to the living room, and Greg is standing there, with a sour puss on his face. “I don’t know what’s up his ass, but I don’t have to put up with it.”

“What did he say?” I ask, chiding myself for feeling a little bit like with Travis, chivalry never dies.

“The son of a bitch threatened me.” he states, nostrils flaring.

“Like…physically?” I ask, thinking that there’s no match.

“I…well, I don’t know exactly. He just told me to watch out.”

I sigh, waving. “Travis isn’t going to hurt you. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Oh yeah?” he raises his voice. “Well, I don’t want to find out, frankly.”

A hand goes to my hip. “Let me put it to you this way, if you thought that someone was going to harm Hanna, wouldn’t you do the same thing?”

“That’s not the point, Becky. This is my job. I’m here to do a job. I’m not here to flirt with you.”

“Travis thought that we were flirting?” I chuckle, thinking how ridiculous that sounds, even though when I first met Greg, I’ll admit, I thought he was very attractive. That ship has sailed.

“Like I said, I don’t know. He just said to be nice to you.”

“Yeah.” I lift a sheaf of paper out of his pile. It has a list of all the Christmas decorations that we need to get for the wedding, now that the engagement pictures are done. God forbid we show the same background for any of them. “And what did you say?”

He hesitates. “I smart-mouthed him.”

“Well, that was your first mistake, then, Greg. Travis doesn’t put up with anyone’s bullshit, and he hates a smart mouth. He probably gave you the hereto right after that, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“That’s his way. You’d be smart to heed that.”

“Becky, this is bullshit. We’re both here for the same reason. I don’t need your big lug of an ex breathing down my throat.”

I look at him simply. “Then we have nothing to worry about.”

“Fine. You tell him to back the fuck off then.”

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