It's Definitely Not You - Abby Brooks Page 0,57

are strong and capable and if he’s slimy, you shouldn’t feel bad about telling him to slip right on out of here.”

I was in dire need of bolstering and if this woman was dishing out encouragement, I’d let her fill my plate and gobble it up, stranger or not. “You think so?”

“I know so. Look at you! You’re smart and beautiful. He’s the asshole. You have no reason to save his feelings, unless it’ll make things awkward at work.” She peeked over her shoulder. “You did say you work with him, didn’t you?”

I nodded and she frowned.

“That makes it a little more difficult.” And with that, she pulled a lipstick out of her purse and puckered her lips at her reflection.

Well, shit again. Shooting Ramsey down could definitely make things awkward at work.

“Thanks for the encouragement,” I said as I reached for the door.

“I’m here all night. You come find me if you need any more.”

I nodded my appreciation, stepped out of the bathroom…

…and ran right into Joe.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Joe

The fact that I was an asshole was never up for debate.

I was an asshole. The end. Everyone knew it, me included.

But showing up to the very bar where Kennedy was having her so-called business meeting took the title to an entirely new level.

I recognized it.

I owned it.

I was ready to defend it.

Until she barreled into me in the hallway near the bathroom. Shock dropped her jaw and disbelief sparkled in her eyes. The betrayal on her face made me question the decision I’d spent the whole day rationalizing. Sure, showing up uninvited was intrusive, but she’d see my desire to protect her was both chivalrous and noble. With a hand to her forehead, she’d swoon into my arms and spend the rest of the night rewarding me with devious sex acts for my romantic decision to come to her rescue.

Apparently, I’d been very, very wrong.

“Are you kidding me right now?” she hissed. “You’re spying on me? Really?”

“No, see, you’ve got it all wrong. I just randomly showed up at the same place you told me you’d be, and it was a total accident. Whoops! My bad.”

Kennedy folded her arms across her chest, shifting her weight to one heel. “The moment you get caught stalking me like some kind of lunatic is not the time to be funny.”

“Are you sure? Because this whole event smells ridiculous to me.” I waved my hand in the direction of the real asshole in the situation, the douchebag in the man-slut uniform who tricked my girl into meeting him for drinks. She’d given him nothing but “slow the fuck down” signals since he joined her. He was either so nervous he hadn’t picked up on them or only scored by wearing women down.

I’d put money on the latter.

Kennedy shook her head and flared her hands. Color rose in her cheeks as her eyes flashed. “I don’t even know how to process the fact that you didn’t trust me enough to have a business meeting with a colleague.”

“You’re still gonna die on the business meeting sword, huh?”

“Fine.” She practically groaned the word. “He’s clearly not here for professional reasons, but Joe, you can’t just stalk me when you think I’m making a mistake.”

I put both hands on her shoulders and met her gaze. How could I tell her I couldn’t stand the thought of someone taking advantage of her? How could I say I wanted to be there in case she needed me? How could I say I took care of the people who mattered to me and somehow, some way, she claimed one of those spots?

Great questions, squawked my inner narrator. Oh, hey! Here’s an idea! Why don’t you say those exact things, asshole?

Fuck. Simple in theory, impossible in reality. I raked a hand through my hair as I chased down the words.

Before I got there, the bathroom door swung open and a cute blonde stumbled out. Her eyes widened when she saw Kennedy. “You got this. Remember, you’re strong and capable,” she said with two thumbs up to my girl and a girl power glare my way.

Kennedy blushed. “Wrong guy.”

Motivational Barbie cocked her head. “Huh?”

“This is the wrong guy…” Kennedy sighed. “Never mind. It’s a long story.” She grinned. “You’re right. I’m strong, capable, and I totally got this.”

The girl ambled away as I tried to process the situation. “What the hell was that?”

“She’s…a friend. I just made. In the bathroom.” Kennedy fidgeted with the ends of her hair. “I was pep-talking myself in the