Page 47 of Heal Me, Love Me

Two words, and suddenly the restaurant felt too warm.

Ridgway laughed behind the bar, loud enough to pull my attention. He was looking right at us now, not even pretending otherwise. A customer said something to him, and he answered without taking his eyes off our booth.

“Don’t,” Keaton warned.

“I didn’t move.”

Tessa returned with the slip for Keaton to sign. He did, then tucked his card into his wallet. When I glanced toward the bar again, Ridgway wasn’t there. In his place, another bartender was wiping down the counter like nothing had changed.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

We slid out of the booth, and he reached for my hand without making a production of it. We headed outside and were walking back to the car when I saw Ridgway leaning against the side of the building with a cigarette between his fingers, the orange tip glowing as he watched us.

“Leaving already?” he asked.

I kept walking, but Keaton stopped so abruptly that I had no choice but to stop with him.

Keaton turned toward Ridgway. “You need something?” he said, so calmly that anyone else might’ve missed the edge beneath it.

Ridgway pushed away from the wall. “Just surprised. Figured you two would want to stick around. Make a whole scene out of it.”

“We’re leaving,” Keaton replied.

Ridgway’s gaze dropped to our hands again. “You sure about that? Last time I saw you two together, Cross couldn’t get away fast enough.”

The bastard knew exactly where to aim.

I turned toward him fully. “You want to do this here?”

His smile widened. “Do what?”

“Pretend you matter.”

Keaton huffed, but there was no humor in it.

Ridgway’s smirk slipped. “I remember things differently.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“You shoved him off pretty quickly back then.”

I stepped closer, not enough to be threatening, but enough to make sure he heard me. “He didn’t just come on to me. We were together then too.”

Ridgway glanced between us. “Funny. That’s not what you told everyone.”

“No. It’s what I should’ve told everyone.” I took Keaton’s hand. “We were together then, and we’re together now. Come on.”

“Cute,” Ridgway called.

Keaton turned first. “Go back inside.”

I turned with him, my hand still locked around his, while every part of me was already calculating how fast I could get between them if Ridgway took another step.

Ridgway flicked ash onto the pavement. “Or what?”

“Or I’ll tell your manager you’re out here harassing customers while you’re supposed to be working.”