“Nothing. I just turned around and walked away.” I ran away, sobbing, but tomayto-tomahto.
“What an asshole.”
I nodded, feeling a little lighter for finally telling someone about the encounter. I’d never told anyone about that day before now. Not Blaine, not Nadia, not Hal.
We sat together in silence for a moment, both drinking our coffee, before Billy asked, “You said it was just you and your mom until you were eight. What happened then?”
A smile instantly spread on my face. “When I was eight my mom met Hal. She was working at the Marriott in Mobile and he was staying there for a conference on labor and arbitration law. They had a whirlwind romance and were married four weeks later and we moved to New York.”
“That must’ve been a culture shock. Goin’ from the small town to the big city.”
“Yeah, I guess it was.” I’d never thought about it like that before. I’d just been happy that I wasn’t the only person responsible for my mom anymore. I didn’t have to worry about taking care of both her, and myself. But I didn’t say any of that. “I remember thinking how tall the buildings looked. And how many people there were. But…I don’t know, it seemed like a fairytale to me.”
“Are they still married? Your mom and Hal?”
“They were, until he passed away.” I felt the sting of tears in the back of my eyes. Which was ridiculous, considering who I was speaking to. Hal died over ten years ago and Billy had only lost his dad a few days before.
His large hand covered mine. “I’m so sorry, darlin’.”
“No, it’s fine. It was a long time ago. I’m the one who’s sorry.” I sniffed as I slid my hand out from beneath his to wipe the moisture that had formed beneath my eyes. “I should be the one comforting you.”
“Who says you’re not?” The sincerity in his voice spread through me like hot chocolate on a winter night. He smiled and continued, “So what brought you to Firefly?”
I thought about just giving him a generic response. Tell him that I needed a change. But it seemed disingenuous to give him a vague answer after I’d just let him see inside my soul.
Still, opening up about my childhood was different than broadcasting my relationship woes. I wasn’t responsible for my upbringing, or who my parents were. But I didn’t get a pass for the life choices that had resulted in my current situation.
“The short answer is, work.” I hoped he’d leave it at that.
He didn’t.
“What’s the long answer?”
“Are you sure you want to know the long answer?” I stalled.
“I want to know everything about you.”
The scariest part of his response was that I actually believed him. Most people really only liked to talk about themselves. They were always thinking about how a conversation could lead back to them. But Billy wasn’t like that. He seemed genuinely interested in who I was, and getting to know me. I supposed that was what made him such a successful man behind the bar.
Well, I was sure his dimples, smile, and tight ass didn’t hurt either.
I took a deep breath. Tonight was just one surprise after another. Nothing was going as I’d planned. Not my time in the bar, and definitely not coming back to Billy’s house. I’d wanted to have a wild night of fun and instead I felt like I was sitting in a therapy session. Oddly enough, talking made me feel more vulnerable and exposed than I would have if we would have just hopped right into bed.
“Well, I guess it all started last Monday. I stopped by my fiancé’s—”
“Your fiancé?” Billy sat up straighter.
“Ex-fiancé, now,” I clarified. “I stopped by Blaine’s office and caught him with his pants down. Literally. And his assistant bent over his desk.”
“Fuck,” he breathed out as his shoulders dropped.
“Ding, ding, ding. Yes! That’s exactly what they were doing!” I let out a small laugh. It was pretty ridiculous when I thought about it. “Needless to say, I broke up with him and moved out of our condo. I also had to look for a new job since I worked at his father’s firm. Nadia Carson was my college roommate and I saw a post about a job opening here, asked her about it, and three days later I moved.”
He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what I was saying. It was strange to talk to someone who was