Page 5 of Late Night Talking
“Gotta run out to Oakland to meet with some people at our branch out there.” He puts both his elbows on the table and leans across it, his smile all goofy. “You gonna miss me?”
I nod, even though I don’t even know if it’s true. Three days ago, it would have been true. Ethan isn’t perfect, and sure, he’s not great at handing out orgasms, but he’s nice and he works hard and I’ve never seen him so much as glance at another woman while we’ve been together. What more could I want?
An image of Finn’s blue eyes flashes through my mind.
“When do you leave?”
He motions at our waitress to bring him another glass of water and then reaches across the table to take my hand. He laces our fingers together, and I get that nervous feeling in my stomach that I do every time he looks at me like he’s going to say something really serious. “I have to leave on Friday. And I thought, I don’t know, maybe you could stay at my place while I’m gone. See if you like living there without the pressure of me being around. It’s closer to Lilac, and the market around the corner has those cookies you like.”
I snort. “Yeah, I’ve put on five pounds because of those cookies.”
He squeezes my hand. “You’re fucking gorgeous. Eat all the cookies you want.” His thumb finds the spot in the middle of my palm that’s so comforting, and I feel torn right down the middle. Am I really going to just walk away from a perfectly good relationship because Finn waltzed back into town?
I open my mouth to tell Ethan I’ll stay at his place when his cell phone rings. It buzzes on the table, making our water glasses rattle.
Ethan scowls down at the screen and then pushes his chair back from the table. “Give me a sec, babe.” He steps out onto the sidewalk, and I watch him pace back and forth in front of the doors while he talks.
“Ma’am?”
I spin around to find my waitress smiling down at me shyly. She holds out a slip of paper to me and then straightens up. “A man just called and asked me to give that to you.” She quickly refills Ethan’s water glass and then scurries off like she’s afraid that she’s done something wrong. I glance out the doors to check on Ethan, who’s still on the phone, and then open the slip of paper.
I came back because you’re my home. — Finn
A shiver runs down my spine, and I fold the piece of paper as small as I can, press it into my palm, and close my hand around it. Nothing has changed for me either. I told Bonnie I didn’t love him anymore, but that’s the biggest lie I’ve ever told in my life. I love Finn. I’ll love Finn forever.
Like he knows what’s going through my head, Ethan comes back to the table then, tossing his phone down next to his water. “Fucking jackass.”
My heart is pounding, my fist still closed around Finn’s note, and I know before I even ask who was on the phone. “Who’s a jackass?”
Ethan throws a hand up. “That guy we had dinner with last night. Finn Casey. He just called to tell me he’s not switching firms. Why make me go through all that bullshit?”
Because he wanted to see me. Because he knew before he even came into town that Ethan and I were together. And it didn’t even slow him down.
“Devin?” Ethan reaches for my hand again, but Finn’s note is still there. I flinch away from him, and Ethan’s eyebrows furrow. “Are you feeling okay?”
I press my fisted hand to my stomach. “Actually, no. I think I might need to go home.”
Ethan is out of his chair quick, helping me up out of my chair like I just told him I was going into labor. He hooks my hand through the crook of his elbow and walks me out to his car. “You sure you want to go to your place? You could come home with me, and I could look after you.”
I shake my head. “No. I just want to be in my own bed. But thank you.”
He drives me home, and when we get to my apartment, he leans across the seat and kisses me on the cheek. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Okay.” I get out of the car slowly, acting like I’m in some kind of mysterious pain, and then I stand in my lobby until Ethan drives away. As soon as he’s gone, I call an Uber.
∞∞∞
Seeing as how Finn’s address is currently ashes in my fireplace, I go to his casino. As far as I know, Finn still only has one casino, and this casino is only his because he wanted the hotel that was built around it. When he left a year ago, he had six hotels. He must have twice as many now.
I get stopped at the door, and it’s only when the bouncer is looking me up and down with some pretty severe scrutiny that I realize I’m wearing jeans and an old George Michael T-shirt. This is not approved attire for this casino, where everyone is usually in cocktail attire.
“Is Angelica working tonight?” I ask the hulking man at the door. I know the building and how it runs well enough to know that there are two more security guards around the back, smoking, gambling, and waiting in the alley to be called if anything inside the building or outside goes awry.
At the mention of Angelica, the girl who usually runs the front desk on weeknights, the bouncer’s eyebrows shoot up. “You here to see her?”
I cross my arms and try not to bethatperson. It’s not this guy’s fault that he’s new and doesn’t know who I am, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been in any of the hotels that Finn owns without being recognized. “No, I’m actually here to see Finn Casey, but I’m assuming you’re not going to tell me whether or not he’s in the building.”
His eyebrows lift so far up his head, they practically merge with his receding hairline. “That is correct.”
