Game On (24 page)

“You stay the hell away from her,” Ryan
said, shoving him back when he took a step forward. “You come near her, or me,
again, and I’ll finish what I started here today. You got me?”

“Yeah,” he said, reaching for a napkin to
wipe the blood seeping from his cracked lip. “I hear ya.”

Brianna walked into Evan’s office the next
morning clutching a non-descript white envelope in her hands. She’d already
deposited one on his brother’s desk, but she felt she owed it to Evan to
explain her reasons for resigning in person.

“Hey, Bri,” he said, looking up when she
tapped on his door. “Come on in, hon.” He smiled. “What can I do for you?” His
eyes narrowed when he looked at her and she knew her concealer hadn’t done its
job masking her puffy eyes that morning.

“I, um, wondered if you have a minute? This
won’t take long.” She swallowed to coat her dry throat, praying she would be
able to keep the tears at bay until she was in the safety of her car, driving
away from this building for the last time.

“Of course,” he said, gesturing to the seat
across from him. “I always have time for you. You know that. Now what’s up?”

She set the envelope down on Evan’s desk,
watching him as he frowned at the blank envelope.

“What’s this?” he asked, picking it up and
turning it over, as though he was looking for some hint as to the contents.

“It’s my letter of resignation,” she said,
trying to clear the quiver from her throat. “Effective immediately.” She felt
guilty not giving Evan the notice he deserved, but working in the same building
as Ryan would be torture after what she’d witnessed last night.

“What the hell are you talkin’ about?” he
asked, tearing the letter open and scanning the single paragraph. Looking up at
her, he tore the letter in two. “Not happenin’. I refuse to accept it.” He
pointed at her and leaned forward. “I don’t know what my dumbass brother did to
make you wanna quit, but-” He got up and walked around the desk when she
started to cry.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, trying to pull
herself together. “I didn’t want to get into this.” She didn’t intend to tell
anyone about what Ryan did. It was too humiliating. But she should have known
Evan wouldn’t let her leave without offering some explanation.

He reached for her hand and pulled her into
his arms, comforting her in much the same way she’d comforted him when Erika informed
him that she didn’t love him anymore. At the time, she’d felt compassion for
Evan, but she didn’t understand the depth of his pain until she’d seen the man
she loved sharing a bed with a woman who would easily qualify as every man’s
fantasy.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he whispered,
stroking her hair. “Whatever he did, it can’t be that bad.”

She tipped her head up to look him in the
eye. “I walked in on him in bed with someone else.”

“That bastard,” Evan muttered. “I warned
him what would happen if he treated you like all the others.” He held her
tighter. “I’m so sorry, Bri. I wanted to believe he meant what he said, that he
was in love with you. That he was ready to change and have a real
relationship.”

“I wanted to believe that too,” she
whispered, laying her head on his expensive suit. She pulled back and brushed
away the dampness that had collected on the fine fabric. “I’m sorry…”

“Stop,” he said, laying her head on his
shoulder again. “When did this happen?”

“Last night.” She sniffled as she settled
in to his strong arms. “We had an argument and he left my place and headed
straight over to Johnny’s.”

“I don’t know why he wastes his time with
that worthless piece of shit.”

“My sentiments exactly.” She drew back and
settled in the arm chair as Evan sat down beside her. “Anyways, I went to
Johnny’s to talk to him, and he was upstairs with some waitress.”

“Damn it.” Evan squeezed her hand. “I’m so
sorry you had to witness that, Bri.”

“Thanks. Your support means a lot.” She
pulled her lips tight in what she hoped resembled a smile. “You know what hurts
the most?”

“What’s that?” he asked, brushing his thumb
across her palm.

“I lost my best friend.” She looked up at
him, hoping he would have the answer that still escaped her. “What am I going
to do without Ryan in my life?”

“I want to tell you that it gets easier as
time passes,” he said quietly. “But I can’t say that it does. It’s supposed to
get easier every day, but somehow it just seems to get harder because every
goddamn day is another day you’re growing further apart.”

She rubbed Evan’s back, knowing he was the
last person she should ask for support. The poor guy had enough to deal with
without her laying her problems on him. “It’s gonna be okay. We have to believe
that, right?” She took a deep breath and forced a smile when he caught her eye.

“Beats the hell out of the alternative.”

***

Brianna pulled into her parents’ driveway,
hoping they wouldn’t ask too many questions when she asked them to take care of
her cat for a few days. She didn’t want to see or talk to Ryan, and she hoped
her parents wouldn’t mind if she escaped to their little cabin in the woods to
lick her wounds in private.

Taking the pet carrier out of the backseat,
she offered soft words of encouragement to her feline friend. She would have
taken him on the road trip with her, but he didn’t enjoy travelling long distances
in the car.

Pushing the front door open, she called out,
“Hello. Anyone home?” She didn’t see her mother’s car in the driveway, but her
father’s pick-up truck was parked out front, so she knew he was home.

“Hey, this is a nice surprise in the middle
of a workday,” Josh said, coming around the corner from the kitchen. He took in
her sweats, messy ponytail, and puffy eyes in one brief glance. “What the hell
is goin’ on with you?”

She set the carrier down and bit her
trembling lip. No matter what, she wouldn’t let her father know that yet
another man she’d thought she could trust betrayed her. Two men in a row. At
first she was content to believe that Jared was a jerk who couldn’t be trusted,
but now she was beginning to wonder if she was the one driving these men into
the arms of another woman. “Dad, please, I don’t want to get into it.”

“Too bad,” he said, crossing his arms and
widening his stance as though he was prepared to stand his ground for as long
as it took to get answers. “You’re not goin’ anywhere ‘til you tell me what has
you so upset.”

Coco meowed loudly, protesting his
confinement. “Do you mind if I let him out?”

“Go ahead,” Josh said, gesturing toward the
carrier.

As soon as the cat was released, he wove
through Josh’s legs, hoping for a little attention from the master of the
house.

“I, uh, was just hoping to get away for a
few days,” she said, gesturing toward the cat. “Mom said I could always bring
him here when I need a pet sitter, so…”

“Why the sudden need to get away?” he
asked, his eyes narrowing as he zeroed in on her red-rimmed eyes. “And why the
hell have you been cryin’? You and Ryan got into it, didn’t you?” When she
failed to respond, Josh shouted, “Goddammit, girl, you’re gonna tell me what
that little bastard did to you or you’re not leavin’ this house.”

Taking a deep breath as she tried to find
the courage to challenge her over-protective and stubborn father to a battle of
wills, she placed a hand on his forearm. She could feel the tension knotting
his muscles and she knew he wouldn’t give up on this without a fight. “I love
you for being concerned, but I’m not six years old anymore, Dad.” She smiled
when he scowled at the reminder. She knew he would always see her as his little
girl, and any man who hurt her automatically topped his hit list. “You can’t
mend my broken heart with a kiss and a bandage the way you used to fix my
scraped knees. I didn’t fall off my bike or slip from the monkey bars.” A part
of her wished she could go back to those simpler times when her daddy was her
hero and his assurance that everything was going to be okay made her believe it
would be.

“What did he do to you?” he asked, gripping
her upper arms. “You can either tell me or I’ll beat it out of him.”

Knowing he would likely made good on the
threat, Brianna knew she had no choice but to give in. “He’s interested in
someone else.”

“How do you know that?”

Trying to salvage some of her dignity, she
hoped she could get away with telling him partial truths. “I saw them
together.”

“Where?” he asked, his fingertips biting
into her flesh.

“Whiskey’s.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You mean that strip
joint?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.” Shame burned her
cheeks as the memory of where she’d seen them came rushing back.

“What the hell was he doin’ there?”

“His friend Johnny owns the place. I guess
he went there to see him and met her.” She didn’t know whether he’d known the
woman before, but believing it was a meaningless one-night stand made his
betrayal seem easier to stomach somehow. “We had a fight. In his defense, I think
he was questioning whether we even had a future when he left my apartment last
night.”

“Your brother said they had you guys over
to dinner last night,” Josh said, letting his hands fall to his sides. “He said
things went great. In fact, he told me he didn’t think it would be long before
Ryan popped the question.”

Brianna turned away, afraid to let her
father see the tears welling up in her eyes. She knew he was already furious
with Ryan, and seeing the evidence of her pain would only fuel the fire raging inside
of him. Ryan was still the son of one her father’s best friends. They were all
like family and she didn’t want what happened last night to taint everyone’s
opinion of Ryan. In spite of what happened, she knew he wasn’t a terrible
person. He just wasn’t cut out to be in a committed relationship…
at least
not with her.

“Tell me what happened,” Josh said quietly,
setting his hands on her shoulders. “I want to help if I can.”

She closed her eyes. If only it were that
easy. “There’s nothing you can say or do to make this better. I just have to
find a way to get past it.”

“What about your job?”

“I handed in my resignation this morning.
Evan was great about it; he said he understood why I couldn’t work there
anymore and offered to give me a letter of recommendation. In fact, he even
gave me the bonus Ryan was supposed to give me last week.” She ran her hands
over her upper arms, trying to ward off the sudden chill. “That should tide me
over until I find something else.”

“Where are you headed now?”

She looked over her shoulder at him. “Up to
the cabin, if that’s okay? I just need a few days to get my head together
before I come back and start looking for a new job.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea for you to
be up there all alone? I bet your mom would love to come up and keep you
company.”

“Thanks,” she said, smiling. “But I really
do need a little alone time to figure out where to go from here.”

“You’re not thinkin’ about leavin’ town
permanently, are you?”

She couldn’t deny the thought had crossed
her mind. Living here, she was bound to run in to Ryan at social functions, and
she wasn’t sure she could handle that. Maybe a year or two from now when the
memory wasn’t so vivid, it would be easier for her to look him in the eye
without thinking about the life they’d almost had.

“I honestly don’t know what I’m gonna do.
That’s why I need a little time. I’ll do some research online, see what kind of
opportunities are out there.” She drew a deep breath and squared her shoulders
as she turned to face her father. “A change of scenery might not be a bad
idea.”

“Don’t let him drive you out of town,
honey,” he said, brushing away the tear that clung to her lashes. “This is as
much your home as it is his. If this town isn’t big enough for both of you, he
should be the one to leave, not you.”

She reached up to kiss his cheek. “The fact
is, everything around here reminds me of Ryan. He’s been a part of my life
forever, so it doesn’t matter whether he’s living here or not. Everywhere I go
and everything I do will always remind me of him.” She cleared her throat as
she fought to maintain control of her emotions. “Doesn’t matter whether it’s
the jogging trail, or the little café on the corner, our favorite movie theatre
or restaurant…” The tears were flowing freely now and she knew it was pointless
to try and stop them. “He’s the best part of my past, and I never want to
forget him.”

“Oh, baby,” he said, pulling her into his arms.
“I’d do anything to make this better for you.”

“I know you would.” She slipped her arms
around his waist. “Don’t worry, I’ll be okay. I’ll get over this.”
Eventually.

***

Ryan walked in to his brother’s office
without knocking.

“You son of a bitch,” Evan said, coming
around the desk to confront his brother.