“I’m fine,” I said as convincingly as possible, “have a good night.”
I had a feeling they’d soon find out the reason for my abrupt departure anyway. Before anyone on my team could respond, I turned and rushed out towards the reception area. My heart was pounding as I reached the exit. I absolutely hated confrontations and I had the feeling that the mother of all of them was going to occur within the next ten minutes. I took a deep breath and walked outside, knowing that I was powerless to stop any of it.
I was also more than slightly flattered that my honor was about to be defended, but I ignored that.
Matthew was right. I had no problem finding him or Chris. They’d taken up residence beside Jeff’s car. The Mustang was parked on one side of it, the Civic on the other. My Sonata was backed into the space directly in front of it, effectively boxing him in on three of four sides. If Jeff wanted to leave in his own car tonight, he’d have to listen to what they had to say first. I knew they’d camp out all night if they had to.
I found myself smiling as I strode across the parking lot. Since work hadn’t officially dismissed yet, I had a little bit of time before Jeff’s arrival. I unlocked my car and threw my purse inside, then went to stand by Matthew’s side.
“Good day?” he asked as if this were a normal conversation.
“I guess so. Blake and I had lunch together.”
“That’s nice.”
“There’s still something off about her though.”
This drew a chuckle from Chris, who stood beside his own car. I’d ignored him up until this point. Figuring I should at least acknowledge him since he was coming to my supposed rescue as well, I greeted him. His response was just as half-hearted as mine. I had the distinct feeling that he was only helping because he cared about Matthew. Whatever.
“So I get that you’re going to make him listen to you,” I began, “but what if he just ignores the two of you, gets into his car and drives away? Are you going to stand behind it so he’ll have to run you over?”
“You’ll see,” Matthew said with a grin. He was pretty proud of himself.
“He’s been like this all day,” Chris admitted.
I couldn’t help but laugh. Slowly but surely, Chris was starting to grow on me. I owed it to Matthew to at least try to be civil to him. His animosity towards Blake was bad enough; if Matthew and I were going to be together long-term, I had to do my best to play nice with his closest friend. There had to be redeeming qualities there somewhere, especially if Blake was still so tormented by him. She didn’t seem the type to attach too much emotion to her suitors. Chris was unique – if only I could figure out why.
My attention shifted towards the front door as the first employees burst through. It was sort of like watching a group of teenagers leaving the building on the last day of school. Smiles abounded, laughter rang out, the mood was almost jovial. Never mind the fact it was a weekday and in a few short hours everyone would be returning to the grind; the end of the day was still a good thing in most people’s eyes. Now that I had Matthew to share my evenings with, I found myself in agreement.
Jeff emerged from the crowd, his head down. He wasn’t participating in the end of day revelry; he walked alone. I’d probably been his only friend here. Now that he’d gone and messed that up, he was back to being solitary. I felt a momentary pang of sympathy for the guy.
“That’s him?” Chris asked incredulously as the subject in question made his way to his car. He still hadn’t focused on the scene around his vehicle. We had the upper hand, the element of surprise. “This ought to be easy.”
Matthew snorted and squeezed my hand. I squeezed back, releasing a nervous breath as I did so.
“Please don’t kill him,” I sighed, closing my eyes. “I’m afraid to watch.”
“Oh, you’ll want to see this,” Matthew muttered under his breath.
I pried open my eyelids just about the time that Jeff realized what was up. I saw the look of hesitation on his face turn to utter panic. He paused mid-step, debating on what to do next. The part of his brain that warned him to retreat was winning out. As he committed to turning around and heading back into the building, Chris piped up.
“No, you don’t,” he called out, loud enough for Jeff to hear. “I think we need to talk.”
By that time, George was standing outside on the sidewalk as well. I turned into Matthew’s side to hide the smirk that instinctively slid across my face. Chris’s words had caused the dull roar of employee chatter to come to a halt. We were now center stage.
Reluctantly, Jeff directed himself back over towards his car. His shoulders hung limp and he practically drug himself the rest of the way. He obviously knew nothing of putting on fake bravado. He’d already given up. I supposed I might of as well if I’d been in his shoes; Chris and Matthew were of rather imposing stature.
I realized I was kind of disappointed. I’d deep down been looking forward to a fight. Or at least a good argument.
“Hi,” Matthew greeted as Jeff came within touching distance of his vehicle. He sounded downright cordial, which was not what I’d expected.
Jeff remained silent.
“Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?” Chris asked as he rounded the back of Jeff’s car. “The guy just said hi to you.”
“Hi,” Jeff squeaked painfully. He looked like he was going to pee his pants.
I winced and bit the inside of my mouth to keep from flat out laughing.
“Not so tough now, are you?” Chris asked. He was almost in Jeff’s face, his nearness pushing him closer to where Matthew and I were positioned in front of the Mustang.
Jeff was too busy shaking in his shoes to notice the police car that slid in behind them, pulling to a stop right behind his car. Now he wasn’t going anywhere, even if he wanted to. Neither Chris nor Matthew seemed surprised at its arrival. I realized why once the driver stepped out; I recognized him as well. It was none other than Will. He was dressed in street clothes, obviously off duty and driving his take home car. Nice.
Will gave a quick nod in my general direction as he sauntered up beside Chris.
“So I hear that you like to follow girls around and take pictures of them. I hear that you like to start shit.” Chris’s voice was low, but all of us could hear every word.
I swallowed down my surprise at Chris being the ringleader of the whole operation. I’d figured that Matthew would have assumed that role. Clearly they’d spoken about what they’d intended to do and this was part of their plan. I wasn’t about to complain; Chris was doing a fine job as far as I was concerned.
Again, Jeff remained silent.
“Cat got your tongue?” Chris taunted, an ironic smile flitting over his features. “You didn’t seem to be mute when you were busy editorializing Lauren’s choice in men. Or is that just because you didn’t think we’d find out?”
“I apologized for that,” Jeff said in his own defense.
“True,” Chris allowed, “but then you decided you weren’t done being snoopy. After you’d already Googled the hell out of my girlfriend and her brother, you decided that wasn’t enough.”
Wait, had he just referred to Blake as his girlfriend? My attention turned to Matthew to see if he had noticed. He shook his head almost imperceptibly. Must have been a Freudian slip.
“So you kept your word at least in theory. You didn’t bother her at work, just like you’d promised. But you decided to take the knowledge that you learned and stalk her. You know, little things like tailing her after work to see who she had dinner with. Showing up on her boyfriend’s private property for a little peep show. And the one you should really be proud of – driving two hours away to watch her say goodbye to her high school boyfriend.
“Then you couldn’t control your pride at what you’d done. You had to brag and show her. What you didn’t account for was me. And you don’t want to fuck with me.”
Jeff had regained some of his composure during Chris’s monologue. He swallowed visibl
y, then with a stronger voice than I’d imagined he was capable of, he began his rebuttal.
“So nice of you to step up and play the role of Lauren’s defender. She needs a man in her life. Her current boyfriend obviously lost that distinction if he’s having you do his bidding. Perhaps still recovering from the scars of being someone’s prison bitch?”
In a split second, Matthew dropped my hand and lunged forward, pinning Jeff backwards against the trunk of his own car. “That’s where you’re wrong, my friend,” he hissed, “Chris was letting you off easy. I’m meaner.”
Jeff looked like he was ready to believe. His eyes were wide as he contemplated what Matthew’s next move would be. He was breathing heavily, a sharp contrast to myself – I was holding my breath, silently praying that Matthew wouldn’t get himself into trouble. Even though Will was on his side, he was still a cop. At some point his whole upholding the law duty would kick in and I really didn’t want to spend the night bailing my boyfriend out of jail.
Matthew pulled his fist back as if he were going to strike. I winced, forcing one eye open when I didn’t hear the expected contact. Instead of hitting him, he had grabbed him by the shirt and laid him back over his car. He was bent over him, their noses practically touching.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he continued, his tone leaving no room for argument, “you’re going to apologize to Lauren. Then you’re going to apologize to Chris. Then to me. Then you’re going to march your ass back inside the building and resign your position, effective immediately. You’re going to forget everything you ever learned about any of us, including where we live. When you leave this parking lot tonight, it will be the last time you see any of us. If I have any reason to believe that you are still following Lauren, or God forbid my sister, I will personally track you down and make your life miserable. I’ll even call Lauren’s ex to help me. Trust me, he’s a bigger dick than I am.”
“Are you watching this?” Jeff asked, his eyes trained on Will. “Can’t you hear him threatening me?”
Will shrugged. “I haven’t seen or heard a thing.”
“Do you understand?” Matthew’s question brought Jeff’s attention back to him. He twisted the fistful of shirt he had in his hand, raising Jeff’s torso and head slightly off of the car. When Jeff didn’t respond, he let go. Before Jeff could regain his balance, Matthew’s palm was against his chest, pushing him back down. The back of his head hit the trunk, though it didn’t appear like it was very hard. “Oops. I said, do you understand?”
Wisely, Jeff nodded. Matthew helped him up into a standing position, albeit roughly.
“Well?” Matthew prompted.
Jeff turned to me, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights. I wasn’t even certain that he’d realized up until now that I’d witnessed the whole thing. “I’m sorry,” he said simply.
I wasn’t sure what the expected conduct in this type of situation was, so I merely glared at him. From the look Matthew gave me, this was an acceptable action. Jeff’s apologies continued to include Chris and Matthew. For a moment, I thought even Will would get one, but he didn’t. Color slowly returned to his face as he decided the worst was over.
“Are you forgetting something?” Matthew asked. He gestured to the front door of the building. George still stood on the sidewalk taking it all in. Matthew leaned against the trunk of Jeff’s car and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll wait right here.”
Jeff hesitated.
“I’d be happy to escort you,” Chris chimed in, “since it appears that you’ve lost your sense of direction.”
“No, that’s not necessary,” Jeff said quickly.
He turned on his heel and walked over to George, who ushered him inside.
Instantly the mood outside changed. The employees who had gathered to watch the altercation returned to their own business, namely climbing into their cars and heading home. Within a few minutes, the parking lot had mostly cleared. Jeff still hadn’t returned, so our little group was staying put for the moment.
“I don’t think anyone’s ever going to bother me at work again,” I cracked to my trio of protectors, “in fact, I’ll probably get a wide berth in the hallway from here on out.”
“So you always diffuse the situation with humor?” Will asked, stepping forward. “I’m sorry, you might not remember me.”
“Oh, I remember exactly how we met,” I confirmed, blushing.
He smiled at me, then extended his hand. “But we didn’t get a proper introduction. I’m Will Delaney.”
“Nice to meet you under different circumstances,” I said, taking his hand and shaking it.
I studied him, taking in his reddish brown hair and hazel eyes. Not drop dead gorgeous like I’d attribute to Matthew – probably just because we were involved – but still pleasing to the eye. He wasn’t near as scary when he wasn’t pulling me over. As he pulled his hand away from mine, I noticed the telltale indentation of a wedding band on his bare ring finger. He noticed where I’d been looking and met my gaze with a sad smile.
I remembered why Chris had relented and told Matthew that Will had run into me. Will had described me as haunted, a shell of a person. I suddenly understood that he knew exactly what he’d been talking about. He’d probably felt the same way; maybe even now. It took a soul in torment to recognize another.
“I see you’re doing better,” he said simply.
I nodded. “I think I have you to thank for that.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m still indebted to you for the Red Wings ticket. It was an awesome game by the way.”
“I’m glad you had a good time,” I said sincerely, “and that the tickets didn’t go to waste.”
“Yeah,” Matthew added, “but don’t think that you’ll get lucky like that again. Next year, I intend to actually keep my birthday present.” He relinquished his position on Jeff’s trunk to return to my side.
Matthew slipped his fingers through mine, squeezing my hand as he did so. The electricity that flowed between us caused my heart to accelerate like it always did when he talked about the future so openly. There was no question in his mind that we’d be together in six months or even six years. His confidence in our staying power bolstered my own, letting me believe that it wasn’t just wishful thinking on my part.
Jeff came back out of the building, George walking slightly behind him. My boss nodded at us to confirm that the deed had been done, then went back inside. Defeated, Jeff slunk around Will’s police car, then turned to Matthew.
“Can I leave now?” he asked, much like a child asking to be dismissed from the dinner table. As he waited for Matthew’s response, he rubbed the back of his head. Perhaps he had hit a little harder than I’d thought. I really didn’t care.
“It’s a free country, isn’t it?” Matthew retorted.
“Guess that’s my cue to leave, then,” Will said. “It was nice to catch up with everyone again. You know, if parking lot confrontations are your kind of thing.”
“Thanks for your help,” Chris said, clapping him on the back as he walked towards his car.
“Anytime. It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do.”
Even though the words had come out good-naturedly, they still caused me a pang of grief. I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. My breakup with Eric had been hard enough, and we’d only had the idea of marriage bouncing around in our heads, not the real thing. I found myself wanting to know more about him: for instance, if he was actually divorced or if he was only separated from his wife. From what Matthew had said, he only knew of him in passing. Chris would know the whole story; they were much closer. But I wasn’t in the position to ask for any more favors from Chris than I already had and I wasn’t sure what I would do with the information anyway.
I barely knew Will – I didn’t need to be prying in his personal life. But something inside of me reminded me that without his intervention, Matthew wouldn’t have shown up in this same parking lot several weeks
ago to hash things out with me. There was that God complex that Eric disdainfully referred to rearing its ugly head again.
My gaze turned to Chris after I watched Will drive away. His was another shattered soul that could use my help. I doubted he’d be any more receptive to it than Blake had been. I’d been trying to force her to talk to him for the better part of a year – minus that pesky period of time when I’d been completely off everyone’s radar. He caught me staring at him.
I diverted my eyes and thanked him quickly. Even if his support of my cause was possible only due to Matthew’s involvement, he’d still come to my rescue, too. He grunted acceptance and climbed into his Civic, probably eager to get away from me.
Chris waited in his car until Jeff had pulled away. I think he actually enjoyed the look of fear on Jeff’s face as he tore out of the parking lot. Then he was gone too and only Matthew and I remained.
“See,” he said, trailing kisses up my neck, “I didn’t kill him.”
I smiled. “For that, I’m proud of you. But one question.”
“Hmmm?” His focus was clearly on other things.
“I know you caught Chris calling Blake his girlfriend. What’s up with that?”
“We decided last night that it would be a good idea to find out if Jeff had any interest in Blake. You didn’t seem to think so, but I needed to make sure. If he’d been following her around, too, he would have stumbled upon the fact that Chris has had absolutely no contact with her for years. When Chris referred to her as his girlfriend, Jeff would have been too cocky not to call his bluff. By him not saying anything, it proved that you were right and that Blake was never a target. Plus, it’s still a fantasy of his anyway. You did notice how easily he said it, right?”
“Yes. Why don’t they just talk to each other? They’re both dying to.”
“Because they are two of the most stubborn people in the world. Kind of like someone else I know.” He lifted my chin with his thumb and his eyes met mine. “Quite honestly, it’s gone on for so long that it’s just a constant. I don’t think either one of them really wants to let go, or face what happened.”
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