“Oh, I—I’m working on a consultation.”
“On?” I challenged, giving him the no bullshit look that his father had probably never given him.
Jason melted under the look and closed his laptop screen, hunching into his shoulders. “It’s confidential. What do you want?”
“First off: I should have said this years ago, but now’s better than never. I want you to treat my daughter the way she deserves. And I’m not going to pry into the details, but I imagine that,” I pointed at his laptop, my tone icy cold, “is not it.”
Punching him won’t change anything, I repeated to myself in a mantra. It would only make me feel better temporarily, but the whole situation would explode. Also, we’d get kicked out of the coffee shop, and that would be embarrassing for the Walker family. I didn’t need any more strikes against me.
Jason stared at his computer like a sulking teen being told off. Maybe he should get used to it. Someone ought to do it. “And?” he said, his tone studiously bored.
“And I wanted to come here and have a conversation, man to man,” I told him, gazing at him to see what he’d do. He didn’t look up, and frustration made my voice tight. Damn idiot. “But apparently it’s going to be man to boy.”
That made Jason’s head snap up so fast I heard his neck crack. “Hey!”
I stared at him, daring him to prove me wrong. “Look me in the eye and tell me your intentions with Beth are honorable.”
Five seconds passed. I’d heard enough long before he mumbled, “My intentions—”
“Bullshit,” I cut him off. A lady with shopping bags at a nearby table cast us a disapproving look. I shrugged in apology before looking back at Jason, lowering my voice. “You and I both know that’s not true.”
“What do you want?” Jason sat up straight at last, folding his arms. Now he was channeling that stuck-up father of his, staring down his nose at me. “Are you jealous?”
What? I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to be jealous of. I stared blankly at him, my jaw dropping.
Jealous of Beth for having a guy like Jason? No, thanks. I’d sooner date a cockroach. Or jealous of Jason for dating my daughter? Gross. Maybe just jealous of him for being in a relationship at all?
“See?” Jason taunted, leaning forward and smirking. “I think you’re a bitter, sad, single old man.”
Well, that was enough clarification for one day.
Jason had always taunted me in implications and vagueness. He’d never come right out and said it before. My ears rang with disbelief at what I was hearing. I set down the coffee mug and put my fists on the table, nails biting into my palms.
Then I stopped, a sudden sense of calm washing over me. The words were supposed to piss me off… so why let him have that satisfaction? Besides, he was wrong.
A few days ago, I might have crumpled in the belief that he was right. But now, I stood strong in the certainty that he was wrong.
Rusty doesn’t see me as bitter, sad, or old. And I’m certainly not single anymore, I thought. And Rusty is a lot more mature than Jason, that’s for damn sure.
The thought of the peppy redhead eased my chest, and then my fists into a loose grip. I didn’t get angry. I didn’t stand up and shout and start a commotion like he wanted.
I smiled at Jason with just enough friendliness to confuse him, and just enough venom to keep him on edge.
Jason paused, the big lump’s brows pulling together like he wasn’t sure what to do. He stared at me, leaning in like I held a secret. And I did, sort of. “What? What is it?”
“You can call me whatever you want,” I told him calmly. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t care. But you’re never going to get between me and Beth, and I will never let you hurt one hair on her head. Do you understand?”
I leveled the full weight of my glare at him, drawing on the protective instincts that burned through my veins.
“Fine,” Jason snapped. “I never wanted to hurt her anyway. I can’t believe you’d think that. Go ahead, ask her if she’s not happy with me. Or you can admit you just wish you had someone in your life, and you’re trying to wreck her life instead.”
I rose to my feet and Jason flinched backward, shrinking into his seat before he caught himself, his cheeks turning an angry red. We both knew what he’d just shown himself to be—a coward under his bullying act.
“My partner and I look forward to seeing you at the wedding,” I said with a pleasant smile, secretly pleased at the dumbfounded look on his face. “Assuming you don’t manage to ruin it with all your last-minute demands. Don’t think I don’t see what’s going on. Be a man and call it off if you don’t want to marry her. But don’t become a ball and chain for my daughter, or I’ll get the bolt-cutters out.”
I turned, grabbed my to-go coffee cup, and walked out of the cafe without another look.
All of Jason’s ugly words rolled off me like water off a duck’s back. He was just trying to attack me to avoid telling the truth. I didn’t know his game, but now he knew my limits. And the price of crossing them.
With a spring in my step, I headed back to my car.
I’d never won a victory against Jason before. I wanted to celebrate, but I decided to keep this conversation to myself. I’d always known Jason was an overgrown man-child, but Rusty had given me the confidence to say the things he’d needed to hear years ago.
Now all that remained was waiting to see if this weekend went ahead. For everyone’s sake, I hoped Jason would step up and find the balls to admit to the world and himself what he really wanted.
Somehow, I doubted that would ever happen. All I could do was do my best to dissuade Jason from hurting Beth any more than he already had, and to show Beth what this guy was really made of.
But how far would I go to protect Beth? And how far would Jason go to make everyone else’s life miserable, for whatever game he was playing?
We were about to find out.
Chapter Eleven
Two steps forward, two steps back.
Rusty, day 5
“Crap,” I hissed as a knock on the door interrupted my sink-scrubbing. When Tom had told me he usually showed up early, I hadn’t quite believed it.
My date was a full fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. And I was still up to my elbows in rubber gloves, a Magic Eraser in one hand and a bottle of CLR in the other.
I couldn’t answer the door in my underwear and a thin white T-shirt, right? He was probably all dressed up already! My nice date clothes were draped over the bathroom door. I’d had every intention of finishing up early, but one thing led to another and now I was frozen like a deer in the headlights.
“Just a minute!” I called out, whipping off the rubber gloves. I prayed that he heard my words, but not the panic.
I didn’t want to look like I usually lived in filth. My tiny bathroom had no shelves to store anything, either.
Hurry up! I shouted at myself mentally as I spun around in a circle looking for somewhere to put my gloves and cleaning products. Then, I grabbed the towel on top of the laundry basket and shoved them under that.