He looked so forlorn, like I’d just killed his dog or something. I’d always thought women who did stuff out of pity were weak and disrespectful. Now that I was faced with the same thing, it was hard to say no. I knew we were done, but maybe Rick needed a little more time to figure that out. I’d sprung the breakup on him out of nowhere, too.
I sighed heavily. “One night. Just as friends, though. No funny business. Rick, I’m serious. This isn’t going to change anything.”
Despite my words, it looked like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It made me worry that he hadn’t heard my last sentence.
“Thank you, Cameron.” He smiled. “I promise, no funny stuff.”
“Good to know,” I said, nodding to the waiter as he approached and put our food down.
“I have to tell you, I still don’t like that weirdo staying around your place,” Rick said, scowling. “It doesn’t seem safe.”
“He’s a contractor with the police. He’s helping them with a case. That’s all,” I said.
“That’s something I need to look into,” Rick grumbled. “They shouldn’t be hiring thugs in the first place, and they most definitely shouldn’t be forcing innocent people to house those same thugs, either. It’s totally ridiculous and irresponsible. Wait until my father hears about this. He donates heavily to the Officer’s Family Fund, you know. He’ll have someone’s badge over this.” He jabbed a finger into the table for emphasis.
My throat went dry. I imagined Ollie having his badge and gun forcibly removed, fired over something as silly as a jealous ex. Yet, I couldn’t tell Rick the truth. Nate had made it clear that something strange was going on, somethingverydangerous that shouldn’t be talked about in the open. Not yet, anyway. Even if we were no longer a couple, that didn’t mean I wanted Rick to get hurt.
“Rick, they didn’t force me to do this,” I said, hoping to smooth things over. “I heard they would be doing investigations in my neighborhood, and I offered. The Toronto PD isn’t the Gestapo.”
Rick started eating while I pushed my food around to imitate the act of eating.
“Be that as it may,” Rick said after his first bite. “You were gracious enough to open your home to one of these people on their payroll, and the guy starts trying to seduce you the moment he gets there? It’s crazy and unprofessional.”
I gulped at my glass of water, trying not to think about the moments I spent in the bathroom with Nate and how badly I’d wanted him to seduce me.
“There was no seduction going on,” I said with a strained laugh. I really didn’t want Rick to put any puzzle pieces together. I’d just about gotten things smoothed over between us. One more night, the gala, and then we could part ways amicably.
At least I hoped that was how it would go. I didn’t need him getting irrationally jealous of a new guy, a guy I’d been about a half-step away from fucking.
“That’s silly. If anything, he was, um, trying to seduce Mom,” I said quickly, spouting off the first ridiculous thing I could think of. “She’s got a thing for tall, dark, and handsome men, and I think Nate was playing off that.”
Sheer force of will was the only thing that kept me from rolling my eyes. Really? Nate flirting with Mom? Good lord. Though, Mom would have been flattered.
“Tall, dark, and handsome, my ass,” Rick snarled. “I know his type. Jumps into the first pair of pants they see. Even if what you’re saying is true, he was only getting on your mom’s good side to make a play for you. I saw it in his eyes. I smelled it—I mean, I could just tell, okay? I don’t like that guy. I know you want to take a break or whatever, and I respect that, but it doesn’t mean I can’t still look out for you.”
“Fair enough.” I went back to pretending to eat, thankful that Rick had left his vitriol for the police department behind. Maybe I’d saved Ollie’s job after all.
After the waiter boxed up my food, we left. The dinner hadn’t done much to ease the tension, but Rick did act a little more like his usual self after eating and getting some stuff off his chest, and after I’d agreed to go to the gala—even though I still wasn’t entirely certain he believed the part about going as just friends.
I’d put Nate from my mind, but thoughts of him returned with a vengeance when we pulled onto my street. I scanned the area for his motorcycle. When we’d left for dinner, it had been moved a block down, and Nate hadn’t been visible. Now, both heandthe bike were missing.
A weird pit of disappointment opened in my chest, but something else tickled the back of my mind. A sense that, even though I didn’t see any sign of him, Nate was still nearby. As I got out of Rick’s car, I imagined Nate hidden somewhere, watching, his eyes roving up my legs and across my body. A shiver ran through me at the thought.
Rick stepped up behind me, taking my arm to lead me into the apartment. My first instinct was to pull away. He must have noticed how tense I got because he quickly removed his hand. As we walked up the stairs, I tried my best to put thoughts of Nate out of my mind, yet he seemed to be lodged in my brain, like a popcorn kernel in my teeth. No amount of prodding or brushing could remove it.
At the door, I pulled my keys out and turned to Rick. “Thanks for dinner.”
“No problem.” He shrugged awkwardly. “Hey, what if I slept on your couch tonight?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said. “Besides, I’m perfectly safe. Mom was just being weird about the wholeprotectionthing.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “No funny business, I swear. I just want to make sure you’re safe. I’d feel better if I was here.”
Mom worked a super early shift at the hospital, and Gael had to catch the bus early. They were probably already asleep or in their rooms. That wasn’t the issue, though. I needed some time alone. A couple hours to lie in my bed, maybe read a book ormindlessly scroll on my phone. So much had happened today, I needed time to process it all.
But I wanted this whole thing to go smoothly. I’d already caved on the gala. If letting Rick sleep on the couch tonight made ending this relationship slightly easier, I’d take it. Maybe I was being a coward, but my exhaustion made it hard to think of another way to get rid of him without it devolving into some fight.
“Okay, fine,” I said as I opened the door.
