No Good Deed - Marie Sexton Page 0,89

scene you’ll find in this section could be called Chapter 7.5 of Spare the Rod, except it’s from Phil and River’s points of view.

The second scene is about Avery coming to terms with Jonas’s sudden arrival in his life. It takes place over the span of several chapters of No Good Deed. (For those who want specifics, it starts in the middle of Chapter 13, after Jonas leaves the Tap House, and ends with Chapter 20.)

The final bit is the closest thing to an actual short story you’ll find here. It’s about Robert, and it also takes place during No Good Deed.

Usually these little vignettes end up trapped in my head (like the story of what happens when the Coda boys meet Levi and Jaime), but this time, I’ve decided to share them. I hope you enjoy this little glimpse behind the scenes.

Marie

Phil and River

Phil spent four hours pacing the length of their small cabin. Sending River and Gray to the hockey game together had seemed like a good idea. But as the minutes ticked by, Phil began to question his logic.

Would Gray and River talk about what had happened? Or would they do what men so often did and pretend nothing had happened at all? Or worse, would they argue? Maybe even end up throwing punches?

And what exactly would Phil face when River came home? Hours earlier, River had walked through the door to find Phil in Gray’s arms. And how lame of an excuse was it to say, “It’s not what it looks like”? Never mind that it was true. Phil had never desired Gray. He hadn’t asked to be held or kissed by him. Maybe he should have been more forceful in pushing him away, but they were friends, after all. They’d been talking. Nothing more.

But if the tables were turned, Phil knew he’d have a hard time believing such a lame explanation. Rage and grief and jealousy weren’t likely to be vanquished so easily.

And so he paced, hoping the life he loved wasn’t about to be ruined, all because of Gray.

Driving home from the hockey game took twenty-five minutes, assuming the traffic gods were on River’s side. As it turned out, that was about twenty minutes too long.

Walking into the cabin to find Phil in Gray’s arms had felt like a life-shattering moment. River had been oblivious and happy before that, excited to be returning home to the man he loved, confident Phil felt the same way. Even in his craziest nightmares, he hadn’t imagined Phil having an affair. And the fact that it was Gray—easily the sexiest, most attractive man River had ever met—sure didn’t help his ego.

Phil had brushed it off, but Gray had been standing right there, making it impossible for Phil to explain himself. He’d sent River to the game with Gray, assuming they’d talk. Assuming Gray would put River’s mind at ease.

And he had. He’d assured River that he had nothing to worry about. That they weren’t in competition, and even if they were, River had already won. It had all made sense as they’d sat there drinking beer in the stadium. It had seemed fine as he shook Gray’s hand afterward. If River could have walked through his front door right after parting ways with Gray, it would have been perfect.

Unfortunately, he had twenty-five minutes to rethink every bit of it. Twenty-five minutes spent remembering that moment when he’d walked through the door to find Phil and Gray in some kind of romantic embrace in the kitchen. Twenty-five minutes to imagine that Phil had harbored fantasies of Gray all these years. Twenty-five minutes to dwell on the possibility of Phil seeing Gray behind his back.

By the time he arrived home, he was more conflicted than ever. He loved Phil. He trusted him. Or at least, he had, up until four hours earlier. He wanted to trust him again. But that memory of Phil and Gray—the guilty looks on their faces as River had come through the door—was enough to make his blood boil. It was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

The lights in their cabin were still on, glowing through the front window. He stood outside for a minute, enjoying the mountain air, the clear night sky, the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. He loved this place. It was cozy and intimate. Up until that afternoon, it had been a place of nothing but comfort and contentment and joy.

He found Phil pacing. He wore what he