she wrote a letter to the girl telling her what he did.”
Nick raised my chin so I was looking at him. “Is this true?”
I tried to speak but ended up sniffling instead. Missy passed me a tissue, and I wiped my nose before I tried again.
“Y-y-yes.”
“He hurt you?”
“Yes.”
“And the new girlfriend?”
“She looks just like I used to. Defeated.”
“Fuck. Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“I thought it was all in the past. Honestly I did. I left Billy five years ago, and I didn’t see him again until my last trip here. I just wanted to block it all out and pretend it never happened.”
“He’s the reason you didn’t go back to college, isn’t he?”
I nodded at the reminder of my past failures.
“And the accident you had?”
“It wasn’t so much of an accident. Billy pushed me down the stairs, and I broke my leg.”
Nick leaned his forehead onto mine, and the smell of root beer washed over me as he exhaled.
“You should have told me.”
“Why? He’s my problem, not yours. Why would I want to admit I was stupid enough to waste nearly six years of my life with him? I was crazy about you. I didn’t want you to think less of me because I let Billy treat me like a doormat.”
A second passed, and my addled brain processed what I’d just said. Diners from nearby tables stared as I clapped a hand over my mouth. Telling my hot boss I was crazy for him—how inappropriate could I get?
Nick reached out and squeezed my trembling hand. “Lara, nothing could make me love you any less than I do.”
Huh?
Did he just say the “L” word?
I guess so, because his eyes saucered and he looked as horrified as I felt. He didn’t mean it, right?
Or… Or…
Missy flipped the bird at the couple sitting at the next table who’d started whispering behind their hands, and Nick dropped a couple of bills on the table as he stood.
“Are we leaving?” I whispered.
“I’ve lost my appetite. Haven’t you?”
“I feel sick.”
My legs shook as I tried to stand, and I clutched at the edge of the table for support. Nick didn’t wait for me to get my balance back; he simply scooped me up and headed for the door. I clung to his neck as Missy scuttled along behind.
Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t stop sobbing as Nick strode across the parking lot. This entire trip had been a disaster. Before we left, my biggest worry had been looking awful in the pink dress, but the debacle with Nick and now Billy’s appearance made the dress incident seem positively tame.
How could I carry on working for Nick after this latest chapter in the horror story?
The answer was I couldn’t, but the thought of never seeing him again brought even more tears.
We’d almost gotten to the car when Nick stopped short.
“Why…?”
I trailed off as I followed Nick’s gaze to a blurry-looking Billy blocking our path. And he wasn’t alone.
I recognised two of his old high-school friends, Bart and Corey, standing on either side of him, and a shiver of fear ran through me. Corey had been captain of the wrestling team until he got kicked off for knocking out a teammate in a locker room brawl, and Bart got suspended after homecoming when a cheerleader accused him of assault. Of course, his daddy’s money made the charges go away, so he and Billy had something else in common besides being jerks. Why were the three of them there? I didn’t know, but I’d bet my last dollar it wasn’t because Billy wanted to beg for my forgiveness.
And now his arrogant voice came out of the darkness. “Oh, I get it now, man. You wanna fuck her. Let me save you the trouble. She might look all right, but she’s a lousy lay, and she doesn’t get better with time.”
Right then, I wished Billy had killed me when he shoved me down the stairs. He was still ruining my life, even now.
Nick lowered me to my feet, one arm still around my waist, and tossed the car keys to Missy.
“You sit Lara in the car, you lock the doors, and neither of you gets out until I say so. Understand?”
Missy’s eyes were wide. “Y-y-es.”
She took my hand and pulled me towards the Mercedes, but I didn’t want to leave Nick. This was all my fault, and the idea of him getting hurt was far worse than the prospect of being injured myself. I clung onto him as he