Page 22 of Mountain Pine
“Sweet jeebus.” It takes forever for my surviving two brain cells to hold hands and help me remember anything last night beyond shooting pool and ordering…
“Doubles,” I groan. “I ordered doubles, didn’t I.”
“Back-to-back, man.” Dean leans back and sighs. “Been a while since you got that bad.”
I don’t need the reminder. It was five years ago. My mom got some contract with a food service company in another state, and I helped them pack. Happily. That’s when my dad told me I was a waste of space. Said I was never going to amount to shit because I’m a lazy fuck who can’t do anything but play in dirt. Never mind that he’d been unemployed since I was five and I had to work a full-time job while going to high school just to keep our electric running and food in the fridge. I haven’t seen or heard from them since. Thank God.
But becoming that unhinged last night is unwarranted. No matter how bad I feel about my life falling apart, drinking would only make it worse, and I knew that.
I self-sabotaged. Again.
“Shit,” I whisper, scrubbing my face. “I’m so sorry.”
“We’re not the ones you should apologize to,” Dean says. “But I think you better bring Austinflowers, a cake, some baseball game tickets, and a puppy to make up for your actions.”
Inexplicable rage suddenly consumes me, and all my regrets burn away. “I’m not apologizing to that motherfucker. He cheated on Taylor.” The events at the bar make a foggy replay in my head. Me swinging my fists, furniture scraping across the floor, people yelling. Austin kissing some woman with red hair. “He got what he deserved.”
Dean tilts his head and glowers at me. “Austin and Taylor broke up two days ago.”
“What are you talking about? No, they didn’t.”
“Yes, they did.”
“No. I was at her house two nights ago. I spent the night. She didn’t mention anything about a breakup.”
Dean just stares at me. He stares and stares and stares until I finally look away first.
Why didn’t she tell me they broke up? She always tells me everything.
“Are you happy?”I’d asked her.
“Yes,”she’d said.
And she looked it.
She was happy. Broken up and happy.
“Why didn’t she tell me?” It would have saved a lot of trouble, and my knuckles wouldn’t be so cut up and swollen today. My pride also wouldn’t be this busted.
Dean shrugs. “Maybe she was waiting to say something.”
“Or she didn’t think it was worth mentioning,” Grace suggests. “I mean, out of sight, out of mind. Once a woman is done, she’s done.”
Taylor’s definitely that kind of woman.
“I’m going to jail for this.” I take another sip of my coffee and start laughing, which hurts my busted lip, which makes me wince and laugh harder. “Oh my god, I’m going to jail for assault and battery and it’s all for nothing.”
I’ve lost my damn mind.
Grace and Dean look at each other and then Grace says, “Maybe not. Taylor went to talk with him last night.”
I almost drop my mug. “She already knows about this?” Shame heats my entire body, and I break out in a cold sweat.
She’s going to be furious with me for acting like a barbarian.
“I gotta call her.” I stand up and change my mind. “No, I gotta go talk to her in person. And get my ass to Austin’s and beg him to not press charges. I’m too pretty for prison.”
But the truth is, I’d do it all again if I had to. No one cheats on the greatest woman alive and gets away with it. Not as long as I draw breath.
