“Mhm, but what’s worse is that he came in at lunch with his friends, bragging about it.”
Some men don’t get it. I’d give anything to have Ryley in my arms, and here’s this man cheating on his partner. He makes me want to go over to him and bash some sense into him.
“Ever hear anything about me or my team?”
“You know you always wonder if you missed something. I like to think I’m fairly observant, like that reporter chick. She spends a lot of time in here looking for you, but you’re never in here at the same time. Then there’s that Senator dude. I don’t like him. He sits in the corner on his phone and always orders a beer that he doesn’t touch. Never talks to anyone, never meets with anyone.”
“What else do you know about this Lawson guy?”
Rick shrugs, leaving to help someone at the bar. I turn around and look at the couple in the corner. I feel sorry for the woman. She’s all over him, completely smitten and he’s just sitting there. He wants the attention, but isn’t willing to give it back to her. He looks tired, likely realizing that cheating is hard work. Keeping your stories straight takes a lot of effort.
The idea of them disgusts me and I realize that could’ve been me. I was pushing Ryley to be with me knowing full well that she belonged to another. I didn’t care if she compromised her relationship with Nate because as far as I was concerned – and still am – he took her from me.
A suit walks in, his eyes glued to his cell phone as he sits down in the corner. The door opens again and in walks a woman. I look away from her and back to the man in the corner. He doesn’t check his surroundings and definitely doesn’t look up when the lady walks by.
Turning back around, I take a handful of popcorn. This is as good as it gets for me tonight. Going back to River’s doesn’t appeal to me. After Carole asked who knew we’d be at Ryley’s tonight, the thought of seeing Frannie turns my stomach. I can’t fathom that she’d have something to do with this mess, but part of me wonders. She was ready for River to come home. That right there is a red flag for me.
The thought of Nate in the house with Ryley after EJ goes to bed makes my blood boil. I’m happy that someone is there with her, but it should be me. Picking up my mug, I down the tepid beer and signal for another one. From here, I can walk if I need to. Or Rick will call me a cab. In fact, the less I remember about tonight the better.
“Do you always sit at the bar alone?”
“Thanks,” I say to Rick after he puts my fresh beer down, ignoring the question that’s just been asked. I know the polite thing to do is acknowledge the woman next to me, but I have no desire to get to know anyone and I don’t want to give her a false hope fo
r the night.
“Not alone, I have my friend Rick here.” It’s really the only thing I can say, aside from “I’m not interested”.
Rick looks from me to her before he leaves us alone. I’m going to have to remind him that my heart belongs to Ryley until she chooses Nate. It’ll probably still be hers until I can figure out how to move on. That’s not something I like thinking about though. Each morning I wake up with a small bit of hope. However, after the afternoon at the park, I told her I was walking away. For all I know I just handed her right over to Nate. Maybe if I grow a set, I’ll ask her about their relationship tomorrow.
But then again, maybe not. I’ve had enough heartache to last me a lifetime.
“I have something for you.”
I try not to roll my eyes at her come on, but the lack of effort is futile.
“Not interested,” I finally say, hoping she gets the hint.
“Oh, I think you are,” she replies, and I finally give in and look at her. Big mistake.
Her caramel colored eyes are mysterious. Her brown hair has blonde highlights and is styled perfectly, shaping her face. A face I know and remember well. She’s changed. She’s more sophisticated than the last time I saw her.
“Well, if I knew it was you, I would’ve pulled the stool out for you.”
“It’s good to see you, Evan.”
“You too, Cara.” I start to lean over to hug her, but she shakes her head discretely.
“The man in the corner; I’m tailing him. We need to make this look like we’re flirting.”
Peering over my shoulder quickly, I see the man who walked in earlier. It dawns on me that this guy is Lawson, the guy Rick has been talking about.
“You’re the reporter?”
She nods, and thanks Rick for the wine he’s set down for her. “I am.” I can’t tell if she’s lying or if she’s a legit reporter. The last time I saw her she was just starting out at the CIA. Because we were together for family functions, Ryley and I were interviewed and asked a lot of invasive questions. It was all worth it once Cara told us she got the job.
“You’ve asked about me?”
Cara takes a sip of her wine before answering. “We’re interested in what went down in Cuba. Call it an unhealthy curiosity or a hazard of the job. Either way there are things we’d like to know and asking is sometimes the easiest way to find out.”