“You really think Heather is incapable of getting a good job on her own?” Simon demanded. “I can see why she ended up divorcing you.”
“You’re gonna let this guy talk to me like this in my own house?” Fury was making the vein in Gary’s forehead bulge.
“This is not your house,” she said. “You can’t just come here any time you please.”
“I have a key, don’t I?” Gary snarled.
“For emergencies,” she snapped.
“Does your boss have a key?” Gary asked in a mocking tone. “I bet he doesn’t.”
“You’re being childish and ridiculous,” she said.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend, Heather?” Gary glared at her. “I told you about my girl.”
“Yeah. Every time I see you she’s all you talk about,” she muttered.
“So, is that what this is?” Gary demanded. “You screwing this guy out of revenge? Because I moved on?”
“We both moved on,” she said flatly. “I’ve tried being reasonable, but until you can calm down I’m going to have to ask you to go to the living room.”
“You always were a controlling bitch,” Gary spat out.
“What did you say to her?” Simon sauntered past her until he was right in Gary’s face.
Her ex-husband took a step back. “I’m warning you, dickhead. You put one hand on me and I’m pressing charges.”
“Talk to Heather like that again and I’ll gladly go to jail after kicking your ass,” Simon said, a menacing edge in his tone.
A cold shiver made her pause. Simon wasn’t joking. Macho games weren’t his style. If Gary pushed him too hard, Simon would put him in the hospital.
“Gary, please just give me fifteen minutes,” she said. “I’ll get dressed and then we can talk about this.”
Her ex-husband crossed his arms. “Figures you’d choose this prick over me.”
“Go and wait for me in the living room.” She ground her teeth in frustration. Dealing with Gary’s tantrums always drove her nuts.
Gary muttered something inaudible under his breath.
Simon growled a warning. “You heard her. Go wait in the living room.”
Muttering under his breath, Gary spun on his heel and marched towards the living room.
A strong hand squeezed her shoulder. Simon’s touch was already calming her. Giving her the strength to face Gary. “I’m going to get dressed and talk this out with Gary,” she said. “I don’t want to involve you in this, so if you want to leave I understand.”
He placed another hand on her shoulder. “I’m not leaving you alone with him.”
“Gary isn’t dangerous.” She sighed. “He’s just a hothead.”
“Still not leaving you,” he murmured.
“Okay,” she said. “You can stay while I talk to Gary. Then, afterwards, we can talk about us.”
“You’re still up for that?” he asked. “I don’t want to pressure you. Especially now that you’re dealing with your ex.”
She turned to him and smiled. “It’s no pressure. I want to do this. I’m going to need to do something after this mess.”
His lips brushed lightly against hers and her heart fluttered. “If he doesn’t agree to keep his mouth shut about us, I’ll handle him,” he said when he pulled back to look at her.
“Let me deal with this my way first,” she said softly. Gary’s outburst was already draining her, and she didn’t want to resort to anything drastic. Maybe if she kept Simon out of sight it would make Gary less agitated. With any luck, she’d be able to get him to promise to keep his mouth shut about finding her in a compromising position with her boss.
Fifteen minutes later she had brushed her teeth and put on some appropriate clothes. As she headed into the living room to find Gary she ran her fingers through her messy hair, trying to make it look presentable.
When she got into the living room she found it empty. The front door was wide open. Peering outside, she realized that Gary’s car was nowhere in sight. Strange. Her ex never missed the opportunity to stir up drama, so it was unlikely that he had just left on his own. Still, his car was gone.