Chapter 36 – cat #3
Luke and James match Nate’s bid, and Ryan pulls a few chips from his pile, which he offers to me. “Go ahead, lucky charm. Put them in.”
I automatically put out my hand to take them, and Ryan’s fingers graze against mine. When I put them in the center of the table, Nate grabs his whiskey. He grasps it so hard that his knuckles turn white, and for a second I’m afraid he’ll break the glass.
Ryan’s baiting him, and it’s working.
Guilt settles heavily in my stomach. Technically, I’m not doing anything wrong, but I’ve basically interrupted his boys’ night and sat right next to him while his best friend flirts with me. It’s unnecessarily cruel.
I purposefully angle my body away from Ryan. When they’re done with this hand, I’ll go back to the bar and give him some space.
Ding! Ding!
James glares at Ryan. “Dude, who keeps texting you?”
“Nobody,” Ryan says quickly.
Luke lays the first three cards on the table, and Ryan casually pushes a small stack of chips forward. Nate glares down at it, then pushes forward a larger stack of chips himself.
James tosses his cards down, and Luke follows suit. “I’m out.”
Ryan chuckles. “You trying to go all in, Nate?”
Nate lets out a low growl in response. Ryan just shakes his head and matches Nate’s stack.
The next card is the six of hearts. Ryan knocks his hand on the table, and Nate does the same. The final card is the queen of hearts. Ryan and Nate both put in another small pile, until roughly half their chips are in the center.
I gnaw on my lower lip. I don’t know about Ryan, but Nate’s playing purely on anger and ego.
I haven’t watched him play poker, but I’ve seen him make decisions at work.
He’s never this quick to jump into something, placing his bets before he’s barely had time to take in all the information.
How much money did he just throw on the table because of me?
I probably don’t even want to know.
The bets are over, and Ryan turns over his cards. “Flush.”
“Fuck,” Nate mutters, dropping his cards face down.
“How did you miss that one?” Luke asks. “It was written all over his face!”
“What did you have, a pocket pair?” Beau demands.
James shakes his head. “He doesn’t have to tell us.”
“Nate’s a little distracted tonight.” Ryan says, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. “What’s on your mind? It’s not our little feline friend here, is it?”
“Who the fuck goes in with that hand anyway, Archer?” Nate snipes, wiping a hand over his mouth.
I shove to my feet. “I should get some ice,” I say dumbly before I hightail it to the bar.
Once I’m far from the table, I pull out my phone. The guys’ obvious attempts at matchmaking have gone straight past sweet and straight to deranged. I get that they’re trying to help out a friend, but no part of Nate seems happy about this.
I should just leave, but Beau promised good tips, and I’m going to need them if I plan to find another apartment that isn’t surrounded in UPS cameras.
I need some moral support if I’m going to get through this. Fortunately, a text from Pippa’s already waiting for me.
Pippa
I’m lighting a candle for you. I don’t know how to cast spells or anything, but I’m sending a wish that Nate’s hair catches on fire or something.
Smiling, I type in an answer.
Cat
Nate’s not so bad, but I’m starting to see why you’re not Ryan’s biggest fan.
Pippa
What did he do??
Cat
He tried to get me to sit on his lap. The guys are trying to torture Nate, or get us back together. Not sure which.
Pippa
Oh, hell no! I’m coming down there. I’m going to give those assholes a piece of my mind.
I blanche. It’s one thing to bitch to Pippa over text. I’m not ready for her to actually show up and defend me.
Cat
No!! Stay home with Waffle!! I got this.
No answer. Shit. If I know Pippa, she’s down the stairs to an Uber right now. I might be able to get away with pouring a shot on Ryan, but Pippa brings a level of violence which might get me fired. Shit.
I glance at the time. There’s only half an hour left on my shift, anyway. All I have to do is survive that long, and hopefully I can intercept Pippa before she does something I’ll regret.
Over at the table, the guys’ voices raise again. I know nothing good will come from me listening in, but I can’t help it.
“Who the hell needs to call you eight times in a row?” Luke’s asking Ryan.
“I told you, it’s nobody important.”
The phone dings again, and Beau snatches it out of Ryan’s hands. “What the hell?” Ryan yells.
“In the name of poker night, I’m picking up,” Beau replies. “No more interruptions.”
“Please, don’t, for the love of—”
“Hello, you’ve reached Ryan’s phone,” Beau says. “Here’s Ryan.”
Ryan’s face is bright red, and he’s got an expression on his face that I’ve never seen before.
“Uh, hey, Kirsten,” he says awkwardly. “Sorry I missed your calls.”
“You goddamn liar!” she shrieks, and I realize that the call’s on speakerphone. “There’s no way you missed me calling you twenty times. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I’ve been busy,” Ryan says.
“Busy doing what? Fucking half of Toronto??”
Luke, Beau, and Nate all have their hands over their mouths to stop themselves from laughing. Even James’s lips are curled up in a smile. Ryan, meanwhile, looks like he’s about to be sick.
“We weren’t exclusive, Kirsten. I thought you knew that,” he mutters.
“No, we’re not! Do you have any idea how many guys would kill to be with me? I’m a fucking runway model, Ryan! But you don’t even text me, even after I let you do that thing you wanted with my ass—”
Ryan grabs for the phone and hangs up while the guys howl with laughter.
“Whoa, I did not want to know that much about Ryan’s sex life,” Beau says with a chuckle.
“Why didn’t you call the ‘fucking runway model’ back?” Luke teases. “You can always give her my number.”
“You don’t want that,” Ryan groans. “She’s a total stalker.
I didn’t call her back one time, when I was in an all-day tournament.
She showed up here and snuck past the doorman into my place.
I don’t know how she got up the freaking elevator, but when I got home, she’d smashed half my dishes as ‘punishment.’ I’ve been dodging her ever since. ”
I cringe. I usually think it’s classless when guys trash-talk their exes, but Kirsten clearly crossed a line.
“What do you think, Cat?” Beau calls over. “Should Ryan give this chick another chance?”
“No,” I say coolly. “You don’t give a stalker second chances.”
Nate freezes. Even from here, I can see his face go paper-white.
The other guys exchange glances.
“Maybe she didn’t mean to stalk me,” Ryan says awkwardly. “She probably had good intentions. Maybe it was just because she cared about me so much.”
“Forgiveness is important,” Luke adds. “If you really like each other, you can get over anything.”
“I’m sure she’s really sorry and wishes she could fix it,” Beau says.
So he did tell them everything…
“Leave her alone,” Nate interrupts, his voice dripping with venom. “Let Cat finish her work in peace, for fuck’s sake.”
Looking at Nate, it all comes rushing back. The kisses, the jokes, the praise. Him negotiating me into accepting a ride home. Feeding me tarts in Paris. Wrapping his arms around me in New York.
I can’t push down how much I miss him, or how betrayed he made me feel.
I can’t stop the tears that rush to my eyes.
Nate sees just how much he’s hurt me, and in that moment, I think both our hearts break apart.