Leading the Witness

by Chantal Fernando

  Maybe all my bad decisions led me here, a little taste of something good.

  Maybe I had to be made strong before I was given the man I was meant to be with.

  Maybe this is the prize.

  Love.

  With the right man.

  Is there anything else better?

  He makes me come, and then fucks me until I come again, feeling sated, adored, and just fucking satisfied.

  And then he cuddles me, skin against skin, my body wrapped against his. I feel safe here, his warmth soothing me, not knowing where he ends and I begin. I kiss his chest and close my eyes, and I suddenly realize what he smells like.

  Home.

  chapter 32

  HUNTER

  AFTER INVITING MY SISTER over for dinner with me and Riley, I decide I’ll cook something for my two favorite women. I also buy a few bottles of wine. They like wine.

  “Smells good in here,” Riley says. “Do you want some help?”

  “No, I’ve got it,” I tell her, but she starts to do the dishes anyway, and tidies up my kitchen counter. “How long do I have until Cleo gets here?”

  “An hour,” she replies, coming next to me to supervise me making the lasagna.

  “Are you going to be a backseat chef?” I ask, arching a brow.

  “A what?” she asks, wrinkling her nose.

  “It’s like a backseat driver, but the chef version. You know, calling out instructions from the backseat, and not letting the driver just drive,” I explain.

  She studies me for a second, then starts laughing. “Where do you even come up with this shit? Seriously. No, I’m just seeing what you’re doing.”

  “Silently criticizing?”

  “Maybe I’m admiring.”

  “You’re a woman. You’re always thinking that I’m not doing something right,” I grumble, then pause and add, “Except in the bedroom, because you know I have that under control.”

  “Okay, fine, I was just thinking you should put a little more béchamel sauce on each layer,” she admits, smirking. “But I wasn’t going to say anything, I was just thinking it.”

  “I knew it!”

  She lifts up on her tiptoes and kisses me. “I’m going to go sit down.”

  “Please do.”

  She jumps up on the countertop and opens a bottle of wine. I grab her a glass so she doesn’t have to move.

  “Do you want a glass?”

  “No, I’m good, thanks,” I tell her. There’s a knock at the door. My sister must be early. “Can you keep an eye on this while I get the door?”

  “Sure,” she says, jumping off the counter.

  I rush to the door and open it to a big, warm hug from Cleo. “Hello, baby sister.”

  “Mom and Dad aren’t happy they didn’t get invited to meet your new girlfriend,” she says in welcome. “They didn’t think you’d ever commit to anything other than your gym membership.”

  I rub my forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “Nice to see you too, Cleo.”

  She grins and walks past me to the kitchen. Riley turns, smiling at Cleo. “Hello again.”

  Cleo, always affectionate, gives Riley a hug, who looks a little awkward at first but eventually gives in to it. “Nice to see you again, Riley.” She lets go and spots the bottle of wine. “Oooh, I love this wine.”

  Luckily I brought some backup with me.

  “SO, HOW DID YOU get Hunter to be exclusive with you?” Cleo asks Riley. “Did you have a chat about it and tell him that you don’t share?”

  Riley flashes me a daring look. “I didn’t realize we had to have that chat. Is this a thing, Hunter?”

  I shift on my seat. “It’s a thing in the dating world, yes, but no, we don’t need to have this conversation. I only want you, and I’m not going to fuck that up.”

  “You must be really good in bed,” Cleo whispers to Riley, who almost chokes on her bite of lasagna.

  I pour myself some more wine.

  “How’s work been?” I ask my sister, trying to get off the subject of me usually not being exclusive with one woman and how good Riley is in bed.

  “Same old,” she says, shrugging. “I’ve been taking on more shifts, so I haven’t had much time for anything else really. I really need to come to your pub, Riley. What nights are the best ones?”

  “Friday night is probably the busiest,” Riley says. “You should come have a drink. All the staff are really nice; we’re more like a bunch of friends than anything else.”

  “Any hotties?”

  “Izaac, the bar manager, is pretty hot,” she says, cringing as she looks my way.

  “Is he, now?” I quickly insert, not missing a beat. “I thought you didn’t notice how attractive he is?”

  “Well, I’ve had time to,” she murmurs, clearing her throat. “You know, I see him every day at work. Preston is good-looking too, in a different kind of way.”

  “Yep, I’ll definitely have to come in.” She looks to her brother. “Why don’t we go together this weekend?”

  “Okay, sounds good,” I tell her. “But if you’re going to hit on guys and shit, then I’m not coming.”

  “I’ll behave,” she says, rolling her eyes. She throws Riley a See what I have to deal with? look, and Riley just laughs. “How much trouble can I get into while my brother is right there? And his woman owns the place. If I wanted to pick up, I’d go out alone.”

  “Good,” I grumble, sipping on my wine. “Because it would be awkward if I got into a fight at Riley’s.”

  “Riley must get hit on every day; I mean, look at her,” Cleo says, leaning back in her chair. “I love the whole red bandanna thing, by the way. Super sexy.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Riley says, lip twitching. “I started wearing those years ago, and it kind of just stuck. It keeps my hair out of my face, and yeah, I guess I like the look of it too.”

  “It’s hot,” Cleo announces.

  “Well, nice to see the two of you getting on okay,” I say, brows rising. “As you can see, Riley, my sister has no filter and will say whatever pops into her head.”

  “Wonder who I learned that from,” Cleo fires back, arching her brow at him. “The shit I’ve heard you say, Hunter. Riley, I should tell you about all the men Hunter has scared away from me. It goes back to primary school and still hasn’t stopped.”

  “I haven’t scared men off you. You do that on your own,” I say in a dry, dull tone.

  “Last year. Jason Mitchell” is all she says, crossing her arms over her chest and studying me.

  “He was a douche.”

  “You threatened to put him in jail if he came near me again. He was scared,” Cleo groans, covering her face with her hands.

  “He was scared because he was shady as fuck, and had priors. If you choose someone who isn’t a criminal next time, I won’t say a thing,” I tell her.

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  I look at Riley, who is watching our exchange with an amused expression, like one would watch a tennis match. “Izaac have a criminal record?”

  She shakes her head. “Not that I know of. If he does, he buried it.”

  “Smart. I like that.” Cleo smirks, patting her stomach. “Did you make dessert, Hunter?”

  I scrub my hand down my face. “I didn’t make dessert, but there’s ice cream in the freezer.”

  “Cool,” she says, smiling warmly at me. “Thanks for having me over and cooking.”

  “You’re welcome,” I tell her, gentling. “Riley offered to cook, but I thought I’d show off my skills.”

  I want to ask her if her money situation is any better, or if she needs more, but I don’t want to ask in front of Riley and embarrass Cleo, so I’ll wait until I have a moment alone with her.

  “Well, the lasagna was pretty great. Tastes just like Mom’s,” Cleo states, a proud look on her face. She stands and collects her plate and glass. “I’ll do the dishes. Does anyone want any ice cream?”

  “I do,” Riley pipes u
p, standing and taking her empty plate and mine to the sink. She gets out three bowls and places them on the table, while Cleo gets out the ice cream and serves it. The two of them stop to chat, women shit, something about clothes, and then dogs, and then a joke about me being a pain in the ass.

  Still, they are getting along, and that means the world to me.

  They’re also cleaning up while I get to sit here and enjoy a moment of silence.

  Priceless.

  chapter 33

  RILEY

  CLEO DOESN’T ACT WEIRD in the slightest as we get to know each other, so I’m going with the assumption that she has her life under control. If I ignore that whole bathroom situation, Cleo is actually a really cool chick. She’s funny, bold, and I can tell how much she loves and adores her brother. I could see myself hanging out with her with or without Hunter, which is saying something.

  When she’s ready to leave, Hunter walks her to her car while I tidy up the kitchen, wiping everything down. After a quick shower, I slide into Hunter’s bed, tired after a long day. When he joins me, there are no words, we let our bodies do the talking, and then I fall into a deep sleep.

  With a smile on my face.

  WORK IS BUSY THE next day, and I don’t even have time to have a lunch break. We’ve installed two big televisions so that customers can watch sports while they eat, and there’s a basketball game on today, so maybe that’s why there are so many people here right now. If things stay like this, I’m going to need to hire another staff member, and someone else to help Cheffy in the kitchen.

  “Table four is complaining about the wait on their food,” Callie tells me, rushing around.

  “Let me go check on it,” I tell her, gently grabbing her shoulder. She seems a little stressed, trying to get everyone’s orders out on time and dealing with the customers. I’ve got Izaac helping her and Preston at the bar. “Tell them there will be a bottle of wine on the house.”

  She nods and rushes back to them while I check in with Cheffy, who is a little swamped. Yes, I definitely need another chef, a sous chef, or anyone who can help Cheffy keep up with the new amount of orders and people we are now getting.

  “Can I help you back there?” I ask him. I’m no chef, but surely there’s something I can do to make it easier for him.

  “No,” he calls out. “I’ve got it under control.”

  He places table four’s meals on the table, all looking perfect and delicious.

  “Thank you, are you sure? I can chop onions or something,” I suggest.

  “No,” he rumbles, walking away.

  Well, okay then.

  I personally take out their food, and a bottle of wine, and apologize for the wait. The wine is a cheap bottle but seems to do the trick. People love free shit.

  I message Hunter with a picture of how full the venue is and how his spot is taken if he decides to come in for lunch. He replies with:

  Congratulations. You are incredible. I’ll come in for a late lunch, hopefully my spot is free by then.

  I smile down at my phone. He thinks I’m incredible. I must admit the promotions I’ve been doing must have helped with bringing in new customers. I slide my phone away and get back to work, adrenaline filling me. This is what I always wanted Riley’s to look like. Sure, it’s busy on the weekends, but it’s never looked like this on a weekday before.

  “Do you want to take a break?” I ask Callie as she walks past me with a tray of drinks in her hand. “I’ll take over. What table are you up to?”

  “Just took table eight’s order, and two and nine are waiting,” she tells me. “But I don’t need a break, I’m fine. I need to get used to this pace.”

  She heads to the table to give them their drinks, and I approach some new people who just walked in.

  I need to get used to the pace too.

  MY MISERABLE EX-HUSBAND IS the last man I ever thought would walk into my pub, but here he is, standing at the bar and staring at me. Not wanting to make a scene, I step to him and try to treat him like any other customer. Maybe the bastard is just thirsty.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” I ask, keeping my expression blank. I don’t know why he’s here or what he wants, but I know it can’t be good. He never even came in when I first started the business, not caring about a small Irish-style pub, or caring about anything that remotely interests me. The world revolved around him, I was just meant to be there along for his ride.

  “A beer,” he orders, lip curling. The way he looks at me is pure hate. And I don’t even know why. I didn’t take anything from him, except what was mine, and yeah, the court ordered him to give me fifty thousand dollars, along with the land my business is on, but I never asked for that, so how can that be my fault? I pour him a beer and slide it over to him. He lays money on the bar top and I’m glad, because I don’t want to touch his hand.

  “Bet you feel really good about yourself, fucking my lawyer,” he starts, and I grit my teeth. “Hope you feel just as good when I get him disbarred.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” I say with anger in my voice. “Why are you here, Jeremy?”

  What is this asshole up to? He doesn’t think he can take on Hunter with his bullshit, does he? Why can’t he just let things go? He really doesn’t want me to be happy, because even though he’s now free and has all the money in the world, he still isn’t happy.

  If I didn’t hate him so much, I’d feel sorry for him.

  “Was thirsty and in the neighborhood,” he says, and I want to slap that smug look off his face. “Thought I’d see if you knew what was going on. Just how long were you fucking him, Riley? While he was my lawyer? I’m going to bring him down.”

  “I’m not going to dignify that with an answer. I owe you nothing,” I say, pursing my lips together. “I’m free from you, Jeremy, but for some reason you’re determined to drag this out. Why don’t you just forget about me and move the fuck on? I’m happy, so please, whatever business you have with Hunter, save it for the courtroom and get the fuck out of my life. You don’t need to be showing up at my place of work; I have no idea why you’d even want to come here. I don’t want to waste any more of my time on you.”

  Jeremy just stares at me with a strange look in his eye. In a low voice, he says, “I thought we were going to be together forever. We were a team. What happened to us?”

  In that minute I see the man I fell in love with. I see the man who picked me up when I was down and helped put me back together. But we aren’t those people anymore.

  “I don’t know, Jeremy. We grew up and went in different directions. Let me go. Find someone who can give you what you want.”

  The minute those words leave my mouth, the new Jeremy is back. It’s like me telling him the truth brought all the anger back. With a sneer on his face and vindictiveness in his words, he says, “I’m going to make your life a living hell, bitch.”

  I throw the tea towel in my hand on the counter and storm to the back room, bracing myself with my palms on the table, breathing deeply. There’s two things passing through my mind: (1) Jeremy is a fucking dickhead, and (2) I really hope this doesn’t do anything to tarnish Hunter’s reputation.

  Callie comes in and rubs my upper back. “Are you okay, Riley? Do you want me to kick that guy out? I can grab the spray.”

  “No, it’s okay,” I tell her. “He’ll be expecting that. Let him leave when he’s ready.”

  “Is that Jeremy?” she asks softly.

  I nod.

  “You definitely upgraded,” she says, making a tsk-tsk sound. “Hunter is a million times hotter than he is.”

  Hunter is a million times a better man than he is, which is what counts for me.

  “I just don’t get why he’d come in here,” I say to Callie. “What did he want to get out of it? Just to try and upset me? Why can’t he just let go?”

  “Because you’re happy, and he isn’t,” she says. “And he resents it. It was supposed to be him who walked away happy—after all, he got th
e houses and the money, right? Except you made everything out of nothing, Riley. And with everything, he still can’t bring himself to be happy and let go. He’s miserable. And misery loves company.”

  “I need a hug,” I announce.

  She smiles and gives me a big bear hug. “It’ll be okay; you know that, right?”

  “You’re pretty wise for your age,” I whisper into her hair. “You’d be a good lawyer.”

  “I know,” she replies, and I can hear the smile in her voice. “And you make a pretty great human being. You’re a good person, Riley. Don’t let that jerk try to bring you down when you just got rid of him. He’s probably just realizing what he lost, and now you’ve found someone better than him in every way possible. It’s a heavy pill for him to swallow.”

  I nod. “You’re right. He’s trying to bring me down, and I need to not let him win.”

  He’s trying to bring Hunter down too. The guilt starts to fill me at all the trouble I’ve been bringing Hunter’s way. He prides himself on his professionalism, and his ethics, and now his practice is going to be questioned in court. It’s fucked-up and not fair. None of this would have happened if I had gone to Hunter first.

  If only I had trusted him.

  Shit.

  I can’t go back and change things now though.

  We just have to push forward.

  chapter 34

  HUNTER

  I LEAVE THE DOOR UNLOCKED for her, even though I know she hates it, and hear her steps just as I’m out of the shower.

  “Babe?” I call out.

  “Hey,” she says, stepping into my room, looking as tired as I feel. “Did you have dinner? I brought you some food, just in case you didn’t.”