* * *
The entire town turned out for the Roberts Steakhouse closing party. The chef had prepared everything that was left in the kitchen and put it out on steam tables so everyone could eat what they wanted for free.
There were stacks of burgers and steaks and ribs, mounds of baked potatoes and French fries, platters of spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna, overflowing bowls of corn, carrots, and peas.
There were cakes and pies and pastries, and an endless supply of coffee and tea.
My brothers tore into the food like starving savages.
It was quite a smorgasbord and everyone ate until they were about to pop.
A local country band called the Mountain View Boys provided the music. Everybody danced and sang along and had a grand old time.
The mayor spoke and made a toast to Carl and Doris; pillars of the community who would be greatly missed after they left for Florida in a few days.
I couldn’t ever remember seeing them so happy.
“Anyone sitting here?”
I looked up from my cheesecake to see Tyler standing there with a mounded plate of food in one hand and a glass of sweet tea in the other. It was the first time I’d seen him in two weeks. He nodded at the chair across the table from me. “Mind if I sit?”
“You own the place,” I said. I tried not to look at him. I stared at the table between us and took another bite.
“How have you been?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“How are the boys?”
“Fine.”
“How’s your cousin?”
I glared up at him. “Seriously? What the fuck do you care how anyone other than yourself is?”
He held up his hands and let me stew in silence for a moment.
He asked, “Can you at least tell me why you’re so mad at me?”
I peered up at him from beneath my arched eyebrows. “Really? Are you seriously that fucking clueless?”
He pushed the plate aside and leaned back in the chair with his hands spread. “I guess I am. I’d really like to know what I did that was so wrong.”
“You lied to me,” I said.
“When did I lie to you?”
“When we were walking through town. When I was taking you into all those shops and introducing you to all my friends.”
“How did I lie?”
“You didn’t tell me that you were going to tear it all down and put up a hotel.”
“That’s not lying.”
“Lying by omission is still lying in my book,” I said.
He stood silent.
“Okay, you’re right. It was fucked up. I should have been more transparent,” he said, sounding sincere. “I never meant to do anything but make you happy.”
I glared at him. How dare he make such a claim? I shook the fork at him. “And when we came in here, you pretended not to know Carl and Doris. You said you’d never been here before. That was a lie.”
“Okay, fine, that was a lie. So, are you pissed at Carl and Doris for not telling you they had met me before?” he asked.
I blinked at him. “What? Of course not.”
“Why not? It’s the same damn thing.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it’s not,” I said angrily. I leaned in and lowered my voice. “Because Carl wasn’t trying to get into my pants. He wasn’t trying to impress me. You knew exactly what you were doing and you lied to get me into your bed. I gave you my fucking virginity, you asshole. Do you not understand what that means?”
He shook his head, as if he wasn’t sure his ears were working right.
“Are you listening to yourself, Maggie? That is the most insane load of bullshit I’ve ever heard. What does one thing have to do with another?”
“How is that insane?”
“You think I lied to you about my deal with the city to get into your pants?” He rolled his eyes. “You can’t be serious.”
“You wanted me to think that you were this great guy,” I said, tears spilling from my eyes despite my best efforts to hold them back. “You knew I wouldn’t sleep with you if you acted like that arrogant asshole I first met at the cabin. You had it all figured out. I’ll act like a really nice guy, let her take me on a tour of the town, get her back to my place, and then hammer it to her on the bear skin rug!”
Tyler threw up his hands and raised his voice.
“Are you listening to yourself?”
“No, but everyone else is,” I heard Jackie say. We both turned to find Jackie, and everyone else, watching us as if we were a circus sideshow. Jackie gave me a hard look and nodded at the door. “Maybe you kids should take your little lover’s spat outside.”
“It’s not a lover’s spat,” I said.
“Sounds like a lover’s spat to me,” Carl said, standing next to Jackie.
“Sure does,” said Doris.
“Is that the billionaire you boned?” Jimmy asked.
“He doesn’t look like much,” Robbie added. “Cool beard though.”
I bit my tongue and glanced at Tyler.
He was stroking the corners of his moustache and trying not to smile.
“Do you want to take this outside?” he asked.
Before I could answer, the crowd said, “Yes!”