Wright with Benefits (Wright Series #8) - K.A. Linde Page 0,74

turned around to find Chase Sinclair standing there with his hands stuffed into his pockets. “Hey, Annie.”

God, I didn’t have time for this. I didn’t care that he looked…rough. Like he hadn’t been sleeping well or eating. That wasn’t my problem.

“I have nothing to say to you,” I said, turning back around.

Sutton bit her lip as she glanced between us.

“Can I just apologize?” he asked.

“No, you cannot. You can go away.”

“Annie,” he breathed, moving between me and Sutton. “Come on. We’ve known each other our entire lives. You’re my best friend. I can’t lose you. Please just hear me out.”

Sutton frowned. “Chase, maybe now isn’t the time.”

“I’ve been messaging and calling all week,” he continued, ignoring her.

“Yeah, and you’d think that you’d get the hint that I wasn’t responding.”

Chase reached forward and turned me to face him. I broke out of his grip and tried to avoid the earnest gaze he was shooting my way, the one completely full of regret. He was hurting, and I hated when he was hurting. But he’d done this to himself.

“Annie, please…”

“I really…” I began, but then suddenly, Jordan appeared out of nowhere.

He pushed between us, shoving Chase backward.

“Jordan,” I cried.

They were practically nose to nose as they stared each other down.

32

Jordan

“Time for you to leave, Sinclair,” I spat.

Chase’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think it is.”

“Considering I own the place, I have every right to kick you out.”

He glared at me. “This is unbelievable.”

“Just stop it. Both of you,” Annie said. Her hand wrapped around my bicep and pulled me back. “Chase, you should just go.”

“Annie, come on!”

“No. You said what you came to say.”

“So, what we have means nothing to you?”

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

“And what exactly is between you two?” I growled.

“Nothing!” Annie said.

Chase just raised his eyebrows. “It’s not nothing.”

“Fuck,” I growled as I stared between the two of them.

I’d spent the last week dealing with my mom’s cancer announcement. Between that, the soccer complex, and this friends-and-family event, I’d been swamped. No time for anything except work and how fucked up everything else was in my life. I’d been worried about Annie heading off to Seattle and what I’d do now that my mom was sick again. I’d rushed into the decision to move with her, and now consequences were coming up. But I hadn’t thought that Annie would find solace in someone else while I was figuring it all out.

Not until I’d seen Chase walk in that door and beeline straight for Annie. Not until Ashleigh had said that Chase had broken up with his girlfriend and he’d run right back to Annie. Then I hadn’t been able to see think about anything clearly. I needed to talk to Annie after all this was over, but I couldn’t stop myself from figuring out what the fuck had really happened. Ashleigh couldn’t be right, could she?

So, I asked the question I didn’t want the answer to, “Did you two hook up?”

Annie’s eyes rounded wider. “What?” she gasped. “No! Why would you even think that?”

“So, you didn’t go over to his house this week after he broke up with his girlfriend?”

She sputtered, “I did. But…”

“But what?” I snapped.

Chase chortled. “Oh, this is great.”

“Shut the fuck up,” I snarled at the same time as Annie did.

“Nothing happened,” Annie told me. “I went over to have pizza with a friend. I didn’t even know that he’d broken up with his girlfriend, and when I found out, I told him to go fuck himself and left.”

“Which is why you never mentioned it.”

She jolted back at the words. “Pray tell, when would I have told you?” she asked, anger seeping into her own words. “We haven’t spoken in a week, Jordan. You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I haven’t been avoiding you. I’ve been busy,” I reminded her. “Two businesses to run, remember? This has been hell week. And while I’ve been trying to deal with my own shit, you were going behind my back?”

“No! God, you are blowing this out of proportion. I didn’t tell you because I never saw you, and then I fucking handled it. So, I didn’t want to bother you with everything else going on and…your mom.”

“Do not bring her into this,” I said.

She held her hands up. Her eyes filling with her own brand of fury…laced in pain. “I’m not. I just…you’ve been acting all over the map since you found out.”

“Don’t,” I snarled.

Annie winced, taking a step back. “Fine. Either you believe me or you don’t. You haven’t