“I didn’t follow you. I was there to put flowers on my late husband’s grave.”
Oh fuck. It all finally hit me. I’d slept with Jefferson’s mom? That was so wrong on so many levels. And not only that, but she was a widow. She was absolutely right. I was a dick.
“And you were the one literally chasing me,” she added. “I thought you were trying to tell me to keep quiet because of the whole cheating thing.”
“What the hell,” Rob said, panting. “Freeze.” He put out his hand like that would have stopped her from running off.
“We have you surrounded,” Tanner said.
“Who are you people?” She put her hands in the air like she was worried she was part of an actual sting operation. She looked more scared of the homeless men threatening her than she had of me. She backed up until she was practically in my arms.
“It’s fine,” I said. “They’re my friends.”
She looked even more confused than before. And I didn’t blame her. She was probably wondering why I was friends with two homeless guys.
“I’m just here to pick up my son,” she said. “Can I please just go?”
“You’re not going anywhere with Matt,” Tanner said.
She shook her head. “I’m not this grown man’s mother. Look, I don’t know what the hell kind of weird stuff you’re into, but I want no part in it. If you weren’t my son’s favorite teacher, I’d freaking report you. Now, stop following me.”
I felt like telling her I wasn’t technically a teacher wasn’t the right move here. “So you’re not a hitwoman?”
She laughed. “No. But you and your friends are completely insane.” She started walking away.
Tanner looked like he was about to reach out and grab her, but I told him to stop. “She doesn’t work for Mr. Pruitt,” I said. I let her walk away. I didn’t bother telling her that I wasn’t married. Or that I wasn’t crazy. Fuck, am I crazy?
“Why the hell didn’t you tell us Operation Water Buffalo was a go?” Rob asked. “She could have killed you.”
That was the name they’d come up with? Why? I shook my head. “She’s not a hitwoman. What the hell am I supposed to do now?”
Rob cleared his throat. “I can think of one thing you can do.” He nodded toward Tanner.
Did he really think this was the time or place to announce our best friend status? “You guys, if she’s not the one Mr. Pruitt hired, then who the hell is?” The little hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I turned around, but no one was there.
“It’s going to be fine,” Tanner said. “We’ll figure it out. I’m here for you.”
“Not as much as I’m here for you,” Rob said. “Tell him, Matt.”
“Tell me what?” Tanner asked.
I sighed and turned around. It was better just to get this over with. “Tanner, Rob’s my best friend.”
Tanner laughed. “Sorry, I think you just suffered an aneurysm. What did you say?”
“Rob’s my best friend.”
“Knew it,” Rob said and shoved Tanner’s shoulder.
“Did Robert force you to say that?” Tanner asked.
“No?”
“Ha!” said Tanner. “I knew it. What is wrong with you, Robert? Matt’s in distress. This isn’t the time for your shenanigans.”
“Matt, you have to say it like you mean it,” Rob said.
“But he doesn’t mean it,” Tanner said.
Rob reached out and ripped Tanner’s fake mustache off.
Tanner screamed at the top of his lungs.
I started laughing. Because there was nothing else I could do. And laughing. And laughing. My legs gave out and I sat down and just stared up at the stands.
“Um…are you okay?” Rob asked.
I didn’t reply.
He sat down next to me, and then Tanner did the same.
I’d put everything into this plan. And now I had…no idea what to do next. There was probably a hitwoman still out there somewhere. Mr. Pruitt was still on my back. And worst of all, Scarlett was still in danger.
“It’s going to be fine, man,” Rob said.
“No. It’s not.” I had to go to dinner with Poppy now. I had to do whatever she wanted in order to keep Scarlett safe. It was worse than owing a debt to the Pruitts. Poppy Cannavaro owned me. And she knew it.
Chapter 30
Wednesday
I hadn’t bothered changing for my dinner with Poppy. If she was forcing me to go out with her, I’d put in as little effort as possible until she got bored of me. Hopefully she’d get bored quickly. Tonight if I was lucky. But I wasn’t feeling very lucky. Because Poppy had chosen the one restaurant in the city that I hated.
Before stepping into Central Park, I stopped on the sidewalk and texted Kennedy. “How’s your ankle feeling tonight?” I couldn’t get her out of my head. I just needed one positive thing to happen today. And maybe looking forward to her reply would somehow get me through this dinner date from hell.
But I didn’t have to wait, because before I could even put my phone back in my pocket, her response came. It was a selfie of her in a chair with ice on her ankle. She was sticking her tongue out in the picture and I couldn’t help but laugh even though I felt guilty as hell.
I texted her back. “I have a dinner meeting right now. But can I bring you something to eat when I’m done?”
“I’m living with my mom. And she thinks food fixes everything, so I’m literally surrounded by food. So. Much. Food.”
I laughed again. That sounded about right. I pressed my lips together. I’d pretty much tried to invite myself over for the second night in a row. And she’d turned me down. I was surprised by the sinking feeling in my stomach. I wanted to pretend that I’d feel this way if any of my friends told me not to come over. But this was different. And I didn’t really know how to feel about that. My phone buzzed again.
“But if you’re up for a movie, my mom goes to sleep at like 9.”
I smiled. She was asking me to come watch a movie with her. Like a date. But that was the question. Was it like a date or was it a date?
“Unless you want to hang out with her again. In which case, come before 9. But you better come hungry, because I can’t eat all of this.”
That felt a little less like a date. And for some reason that made me even more confused. I loved Mrs. Alcaraz. But I didn’t want to hang out with her again tonight. I just wanted to spend more time with Kennedy. “I’ll be there after 9.”
“Okay then.”
“Okay.” I shook my head and shoved my phone in my sweatpants pocket. Okay. The word turned around in my head as I made my way into Central Park. I’m pretty sure I just agreed to go on a date with Kennedy. And I did feel okay. I wasn’t panicking. I should have been panicking, but my breaths felt easier than they had in a long time. Okay.
Or maybe it was just that I was in the one place in the city where the air truly felt fresh. James, Mason, and Rob all loved running through this park. But I preferred running on a treadmill. Being here always reminded me of Brooklyn. And most days I didn’t purposely want to feel the knife twisting in my chest. The farther I walked into Central Park, the guiltier I felt. Had I seriously just agreed to go on a date with Kennedy? Brooklyn’s best friend? What the fuck was wrong with me?