CHAPTER 16

GOD BLESS VODKA. MEN LET Gigi down but the liquid burn of her cocktail never did—and neither did Tinder until now. Sprawled out in yoga pants and nursing her cocktail, she scrolled through the listings on her phone. Too tall, too plain, too hairy, too bald—ugh and she’d already done that one. The neckline of her oversized t-shirt hung off her shoulder. She tugged her blouse up as she scrolled. What had she been thinking to fuck that? None of them were right. None of them were Roman.

Damn it—she was going to be a sexless spinster if she couldn’t move on. She needed more liquid courage and a reality check from Ann to get through her first breakup. Ann would know what Roman was thinking. Her friend would have dirt on the last bitch that fucked Roman over so that Gigi could blame someone other than herself. That wasn’t quite right either. Aw shit—She should have listened to her friend, kept her word. No—she owed Ann an apology and a drink. Well, the liquor cabinet was open. There was no time like the present.

Gigi closed her app and dialed her friend—the sister of her lover. Former. She shoved the thought down and hit send. It rang twice before Ann picked up. Gigi opened her mouth to speak and began sobbing into the phone instead.

“Oh my god—you’re drunk dialing me, aren’t you?” Ann’s annoyed sigh came through so clearly that Gigi could imagine the matching eye roll. “What did my brother do? Hold that thought—you’re in no state to tell me over the phone. I’m sure this is going to end up more like Pictionary. I’m on my way over.”

The line went dead. Gigi stared down at her blackened screen as she hiccupped through her tears. Had that just happened? Ann was always brisk and efficient, but Gigi couldn’t make sense of Ann placing the blame on Roman without hearing what happened. It was backwards from everything Gigi expected. She pictured the look on Ann’s face when she’d come up to Gigi at the gallery to warn her about her father and discovered Roman’s possessive hand at her waist. That look did not match the words that had rushed from Ann just moments before.

Had everyone lost their minds? Gigi reclined her head against the arm of the sofa, balancing her cocktail on her stomach. She focused on the transparent pink liquid. She had lost her mind over a pair of amber eyes, fingers that played her as if he owned her, and sex that made her feel. Roman had lost his over what he thought he witnessed. Those all followed a twisted sort of logic. Ann’s reaction was the one that didn’t match the evidence.

Gigi wouldn’t have to wait long. Only a quarter of an hour had passed when Ann flung the apartment door open. It struck the wall, bouncing the art off kilter. Ann neatly sidestepped its path before it slammed shut. “Don’t you lock this thing? What if I had been Chad?”

“That piece of trash,” Gigi slurred as she sat up thumping down her martini glass hard enough that the contents left a pink splash against the white painted surface of the coffee table. She hung her head, burying her face in her hands as a fresh wave of tears took hold—pissing her off further. “How do I shut these feelings off?”

“I’m on my lunch break. You have an hour to cry on my shoulder.”

Gigi eyed Ann’s power suit. Double shit—Noon. Kinda early to be this far-gone.

The sofa shifted under Gigi as her friend sat beside her. Ann slid her arm around Gigi’s shoulders. “You better start from the beginning. How long did it take you to sleep with my brother and what did Chad do to scare him off?”

Leave it to Ann to get straight to the point. Again, none of this matched Gigi’s expectations.

“You aren’t angry with me?” She peeked sideways through her fingers.

Ann shook her head, her face pinched with dismay while glaring sideways back at Gigi as if she’d said something stupid. “Why would I be?”

Gigi turned herself to face Ann. She swiped at the tears still rolling embarrassingly down her cheeks. Ann’s expression softened, her eyebrows raised as she waited for Gigi’s answer. All she saw from her friend was sincere concern and confusion. None of the judgment she’d assumed.

“I broke my promise. I didn’t even last two weeks before I messed around with your brother.” Gigi let the admission hang, blinking back tears.

“No, you didn’t. I mean you did obviously sleep with my brother or you wouldn’t be in this sorry state now, but you didn’t break your promise.”

Ann crossed the room to the desk. Opening the center drawer, she reached in and pulled out a pink leatherette address book. She flipped through the pages as she walked back to the sofa until she came to the section she’d been seeking. Her finger scanned down the page. Smiling she closed the slim book and tossed it onto Gigi’s lap.

“Roman’s name isn’t in your book. He isn’t a toy for you. That’s what you promised me.” Ann smile faltered as she sat down and put her arm around Gigi as she hiccupped on new tears. “My brother’s an idiot. I’ve been playing matchmaker from the start and now you love him, don’t you? I told that ass to take care of you.”

Mouth hanging open in a surprised O, Gigi stared at Ann, blinking slowly.

Her friend continued in her usual rambling style. “I don’t even know what happened yet, but I know he didn’t listen to me. You aren’t the problem. I delivered him my best friend on a rose gold platter and he screwed it up.”

In the way a child would stroke a worry blanket, Gigi thumbed through the pages of the small book in her lap. “It’s not all his fault. I should have told him about Chad. I planned to, but not soon enough. Maybe then when Chad kissed me, Roman would have trusted me.”

The last thing she should do was defend the man breaking her heart, the only man she’d ever given access. Of course, she hadn’t really given it to him. He pulled it from her piece by piece, until there was nothing left to do but hand it to him. The least she could do was own up to her part in all this.

Ann leaned away from Gigi as she spoke. “What? Chad was at my front door. He kissed me and Roman must have been close enough to see it. He thought Chad was my boyfriend.”

Ann dropped her head back in apparent exasperation. “I told him to watch out for you. That something was wrong. That ass—he never listens. Never did when we were kids either.”

Gigi should have seen Ann’s subtle manipulation sooner, might have seen it if she hadn’t been so absorbed in her own issues—in Roman. In the end, Ann’s role didn’t matter. Roman asked for trust, then refused to give his. She’d opened herself up, shared pieces of herself—gave him the trust she’d been denied. If he’d shown her the same trust, he’d have given her the chance to explain. All along, he’d acted like he understood the way she was and why without her having to explain. He gave every indication that he understood more about her than she would ever say. He’d taken her sordid past in stride—until Chad. Roman and her first foray into love had let her down.

Gigi pushed her vodka cranberry across the coffee table. The pink cocktail sloshed over the edge of the glass, adding to the streak of slopped liquor. “Vodka drowns other people’s stupidity. Have some. I’ve got some Ben & Jerry’s too. If the booze doesn’t cut it, the sugar high will.”

Ann took the offered drink, slugged it back and then slammed the empty glass on the table in front of her. She coughed and shook her head. “I’ll pass on that ice cream. The liquid fire is enough for the ass I’m about to kick.”

“I’ve got this. You just hang in there.” She patted Gigi on the knee. “My brother is going to come groveling. The fool just doesn’t know it yet.”

Roman picked at the label on his beer bottle. He alternated between peeling it off in long strips and twirling the bottle to find a fresh patch to ruin. A row of bottles stood like naked brown soldiers between him and Billy, who happened to be tending the bar tonight—the same bar he’d met her in—and the douche she cheated on him with.

He gave her credit for having the balls to admit she knew what he caught her doing, but they must have been made of solid brass for her to go on insisting she hadn’t been cheating from the start or even just in that moment. It didn’t matter how he felt about her—he would not be played for a fool.

Despite this conviction, branding her as another heartless bitch, ate at him as false. Images of Gigi, the anger she’d been projecting when the douche laid his lips over hers. That had been a real emotion, not her mask. Even after two short weeks, he felt he could see the difference. His broken heart tortured him with the confusion in her expression when he’d called her out on her bullshit, the shock and pain drawn all over the pretty lines of her face.

His heart was working on false data, he reminded it, as he tipped back the dregs of his beer.

Sunlight cut a line across Roman’s hands, as the door to the bar opened and the fall of heavy boots echoed through the nearly empty bar. Declan slapped the bar top in front of Roman as he dropped into the stool beside him.

“I covered your 10 am and rescheduled the rest.” Declan scowled at Roman when his announcement was met with a silent nod. “Don’t bother thanking me or anything.”

Roman hung his head between his elbows, braced wide against the padded edge of the bar top.

Billy swiped a towel over the space in front of Declan and sat a fresh bottle of beer in front of each of them. “’Bout damn time you got here to talk sense into our boy.”

“Nah, this fucker was talking sense at the start.” Roman clapped Declan on the shoulder. “He warned me not to fool with Gigi. Just had to get my dick wet though. From now on, I’m listening to him, Billy. Not your romantic clap.”

Declan’s nostrils flared as he leaned away. “You mean crap.”

“No, I mean clap—like a goddamn disease. ‘Cause that’s what love is.” He took another pull from his fresh bottle, but it soured in his stomach and did nothing for the lump building in his throat.

Billy grabbed one of the empty bottles and pointed it at Roman. “I’d lay good money you’re wrong. You got a good girl there and you’re gonna be eatin’ those words before long.”

Ignoring the old man, Roman glanced sideways at his friend. Declan’s knuckles had gone white from his tightened grip on his own bottle. His tone was low, almost a threatening growl when he spoke. “I’m glad you’re taking my advice now. ‘Cause you’re not going to like this but you are going to do it. I don’t like admitting I was wrong about her but I’m doing it now. When you sober up—and I’ll see to it you do—you’re going to give that girl the apology she deserves.”

“What the hell, man.” Roman’s jaw went slack as he did a double take at the vein pulsing in his friend’s forehead. Damn—he was serious.

“She looked broken walking away from you. You got to watch her ass as she walked out. I got to see her from a different angle. From the angle full of tears and righteous fury. Jessica looked pleased with herself when you called her out and at times, she looked a little petulant about getting caught. She never looked that broken.”

The front door crashed against the wall. “Ah, hell, you’re gettin’ it now,” Billy groused, shaking his head.

Roman turned to see Ann stomp towards them in full business professional battle gear. Black designer pumps, white cigarette slacks and a tan blazer over a loose black shell, as if she was going to court or a hostile takeover instead of a relationship intervention. Only the best would do for his stepsister. She also didn’t hold back, wasting no time smacking Roman across the back of the head.

“Stop—What’s your problem?” Roman flailed his hands to brush her off while Billy chuckled. Declan’s earlier emotional outburst shut down as he turned into the stoic façade he usually resorted to when Ann came around, which wasn’t often.

“That’s for being an ass to my best friend.” Ann smacked him again. “That’s for jumping to conclusions that broke her heart.” Her hand lashed out for another strike. “And that’s for making me come down here to fix this. I trusted you with her!”

Roman glared at her. “You’re lucky you’re my sister and not some dude or I’d lay your ass out for that.” His chest tightened as he worked to contain his emotions, shoving them into the beer as he steadily drained it. Everyone seemed confused about who cheated.

Tossing a wad of bills on the counter, he tried to stand.

Declan shoved him back down onto the stool. “No runnin’ away, man. You listen to her. Your sister and I don’t agree on much but I’m with her on this. I know what I said in the beginning but I was wrong. Did you even ask Gigi about what you saw?”

“Ask her what?” Roman shot back. “That slime was kissing her. What’s there to explain? She said I was the only one and I wasn’t. I think you all are forgetting who wronged who here.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Ann huffed out her impatience. “You’re an artist. There is always context to color an image. Think, moron. Did she look very happy about that kiss?”

“I didn’t stick around to find out. She looked pissed before he did it. I was relieved until he shoved his mouth on her.” Roman flung the words at them.

“You idiot.” Billy spat. Roman had all but forgotten the man was standing there.

Declan turned Roman on the barstool and shook his drunk ass, making his stomach churn. “She was angry at him and you didn’t jump off your bike and knock the shit out of him? If that had been Ann, I’d have turned his face inside out.”

Blinking fast for a moment, Ann’s eyes widened at Declan’s slip before she shook it off and her face pinched up in concentration. “I tried to warn you about Chad. I should have listened to my gut and outright told you when she tried to laugh off his stalker ass. Roman, he’s been harassing her for weeks. She went out with him once and he couldn’t take no for an answer after that.”

Roman stilled, his mind stuttering as he replayed the scene in front of her building through this new lens. Ann was right; perspective recolored everything. If that was true… “I fucked up.”

“Took you long enough. Now how you gonna make it right?” Billy barked.

“I’d start with groveling.” Ann offered, but she was looking at Declan when she said it.

“I’m not good enough for that.”

“Well, you better sober up and figure it out fast before she gets much more self-destructive.” Ann warned as she started backing towards the door. “Based on the state of inebriation I found her in, you don’t have long before she does something she’ll hate herself for and I’m laying the blame square on you, Roman. My job is done here, so I’m going back to work.”

Billy waved her off. “We’ll take him from here, hon.” Ann disappeared through the door and Billy continued with a pointed look at Declan, “Then you’re next Declan. I’m taking a Weed Wacker to the thorns around your heart as soon as we’re done with Roman’s sorry ass.”

Declan glared across the bar. “Just make the coffee and focus your meddling on him. We got enough problems right now, don’t you think?”