Claws & Crochet

Part 16

ZOEY

"I was dating someone."

Something about Warner's attention shifts. Not that it increases or decreases, it just changes.

"It had been close to a year. We were getting serious. At least, I thought we were."

Warner's sandwich lays forgotten, and I reach across the table to nudge it toward him. This story is easier to tell if I don't have someone's undivided attention. His lips twitch before he raises the food to his mouth.

"Apparently, he and I had different ideas of commitment. Mainly, monogamy."

"He cheated on you?"

I don't know if I should be flattered by the disbelief in Warner's voice. I decide to have no opinion about his tone at all and simply nod.

"Made the mistake of taking the girl to a restaurant where my friend works. She let me know, and when I confronted him, he confessed and asked me to forgive him. I didn't. I broke up with him. Sounds like the end to the story, right?"

Warner continues to watch me as he wears a deep frown. He's still handsome, but the expression does not suit his face. Warner is meant to grin and laugh. Maybe he'll find the next part of the story funny, even if I still can't.

"What happened?"

A sigh from my soul leaks out, heavy and resigned. "I made the mistake of telling my brothers exactly why we broke up. They had a more intense reaction than I expected."

"Why wouldn't they? I'd be furious if someone cheated on one of my siblings."

Taking a moment, I bite my own sandwich, only answering after I swallow. "Being angry is fine. Taking revenge when it wasn't their problem to deal with, was not."

Even now, I wonder if there was a way I could've stopped them.

"Did they beat the guy up?" Warner asks.

"No. Thank the universe. That would've been a different level of horribleness. I hope I never have to bail any of them out of jail, let alone all four at one time." I take a fortifying sip of my iced tea.

"What did they do then?"

Instead of answering right away, I stare at his sandwich until he gets the hint and takes an obliging bite.

"They rented a billboard."

"A billboard? Why . . . oh no."

"Oh yes. My brothers decided that the best way to get back at the guy was to rent a billboard across from his apartment building and to have a massive sign put up proclaiming 'Billy Arnold is a lying cheater who'"—and I feel the mortified blush creep over my cheeks—"'lost the best thing he ever had.'"

"Well, at least it was accurate," Warner offers.

"It was humiliating," I moan, choosing to ignore the flutters his words set off in my stomach. "The whole thing was over. I broke it off with him and that should've been the end of it. No one needed to know that he screwed me over. That I was stupid enough to date a guy who cheated on me."

"Whoa, Zoey, no. No way. That does not make you stupid."

I finish my sandwich, staring off into the distance. "I know, logically, that it's not my fault. But still." I can't help another sigh, all long and lonely. "It was so disheartening."

"You loved him?"

My food gone and needing something to do with my hands, I reach into my bag to pull out my almost finished hat.

"I was going to."

"Going to? What does that mean?" Warner stares at me, eyes intense with an emotion I can't interpret. Probably curiosity. I know sometimes, I can be odd, and that people might find my reasoning weird.

I wrack my brain, trying to figure out a way to explain. "I don't seek people out. I tend to keep to myself. When I do make a friend, or start dating someone, it's inevitable that they mean a lot to me. Casual relationships aren't really my bag. It's all or nothing. So, if he hadn't betrayed me, I definitely would've loved him. Just a matter of time."

"Are you saying that if I keep showing up in your life, you'll love me?" Warner smiles in a way that makes my heart clench and my lungs struggle for breath.

Yes. That's the answer. No question. I might already be halfway there.

"I'm not looking to add to my love roster." I warn him, instead.

He doesn't respond, but I get a sense he was hoping for another answer. Warner chews another bite of his sandwich, and I admire the way his jaw muscles tense with each movement. My fingers stay busy, hooking yarn, but I don't need to watch my hands, which gives me continued permission to stare.

After a swallow of his drink, he speaks again. "The billboard drove you out of Denver?"

I grimace. "That, and the singing telegram they sent to his office."

Warner chokes on something, and I feel bad that I keep almost killing him with my poorly-timed comments.

As he coughs, I continue the humiliating story.

"My brothers are pretty talented when it comes to music. They play in a band together and everything. They composed an entire song about how Billy was a piece of shit cheater. Then they paid a barbershop quartet to visit his office and serenade it to him."

"That's masterfully brutal."

"Yeah. Objectively, it's a good song. And the internet agreed. Someone in his office recorded it and posted it online. It went viral. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if you've seen it." Now I'm descending into petulant muttering, and I don't like being in this frame of mind, especially when thinking about my brothers. Normally, I love them to distraction. But hell, they screwed up this time.

"I agree."

"That you should've seen it?"

"No. Although, I'm tempted to look it up."

I grimace. "You can. I won't hold it against you. The whole world has seen it at this point. What's one more person?"

Warner watches me, his head tilted in a way that almost reminds me of Bruce.

"So what do you agree with?" I push.

"That does sound like an Incident."

Silence falls between us. Then I let out a reluctant chuckle. I guess I can admit The Incident is funny as long as my brothers aren't around to hear.

Warner props his elbows on the table, giving me every ounce of his amber-eyed stare.

"I like it when you laugh."

Oh no.

That's it. Time to go.

I stand up from my chair, wrapping Bruce's leash around my hand. Luckily, we already dropped my bags off in my truck, so I'm free and clear to make an escape.

"Thank you for having lunch with me. This was not a date. I am not going to fall in love with you, Warner Jameson. Have a good day at work."

Bruce and I are halfway down the block when I give in to the urge to glance back. Warner watches us and offers a wave when our eyes meet. My only response is a nod before I refocus on the sidewalk in front of me.

And I decide that I'll be better off if I avoid him from now on.

Author Note: thanks for reading! Don't forget, members of my Ream can read ahead FIVE chapters!