Chapter 15 – Slater
Chapter Fifteen
SLATER
I debate if I should call or text Brooks.
I think it might freak him out, or he’ll want to come along.
Am I that crazy that I don’t want him to come with me to meet up with my ex-best friend who slept with my kind of boyfriend?
I think not, but then maybe I am because I agreed to meet up with her myself.
I should have ignored her call, but with everything going on, I answered.
Not only that, I had thought she was my friend, and I know she's got issues, but don't we all? I'm a bit looney tunes myself lately. I’m not sure what I’m hoping to accomplish, but I’ve already resigned myself to going.
I throw on a pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweater and grab the baseball hat I'd gotten at a baseball game when I did a food crawl at the stadium. I usually wear it whenever I want to hide, and right now, that's what I really want to do.
When I step onto the elevator to head down, I say a silent prayer that I don't run into Brooks.
If I do, I know there isn't a chance in hell I'll be getting to do this alone. He is rather hostile when it comes to people wronging me. I probably shouldn’t get a kick out of how riled up he gets, but I do.
It's kind of adorable, but I'm not telling him that.
He has already been plotting Felipe's death.
I thought he was joking at first, trying to get me to smile, but Brooks never cracked a smile himself.
I don't need my baby daddy and maybe fiancé going to jail. That would be a nightmare for both of us. Actually, I bet Brooks would still be praised, while I'd be the villain that caused all of this.
Well, shit, I internally sigh when the doors open and I see who is standing there.
It's not Brooks; instead, it's the girl who works for him that dislikes me. What did he say her name was again? Jill, Jessica—no, Gabby! Her eyes narrow when she sees it's me. I’m guessing she wasn’t a fan of the announcement Brooks made about us being together.
"You're still here." Wow, she's not even trying to hide her dislike for me. I can't help but think it's because she forged a note from me but still has a job. If Brooks is at work, he had to have seen her.
"Yep, I'm around." I step off the elevator. I play like I don't care, but damn, how is Brooks so protective of me in one area but not another?
I suppose this one actually touches his life. What if he has some attachment to her? It might not be sexual or whatever, but there must be some kind if he’s letting her get away with what she did. I hear her say something under her breath that I don’t catch.
“Did you say something?” I know I should keep my mouth shut, but she’s pushing it.
“Yeah, I did.” She lifts her chin, letting me know she’s taking her gloves off. I kind of want to hear what she has to say and why she doesn’t care for me. “Everyone knows what kind of person you are now.”
“And that is?”
“A slut.” Well, damn. I guess she’s been on TikTok. “Did you even think about how this might make Chef Brooks appear to the public? What impact your doings could have on his reputation? You obviously tricked him into sleeping with you. Men can be so stupid and only think with their dicks.”
Wow, we actually agree on one thing.
The last I checked, which was yesterday, all the comments in the negative were about me. Are they going after Brooks now too? I should look at his reviews. That's how a lot of people go after businesses. Shit, I hadn't thought about that. Has some of the tide turned?
"How's it going for you? Were you able to trick Brooks into sleeping with you?" I poke at her, knowing it will ruffle her feathers.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Gabby gives me a smug smirk. One that I would love to wipe off her face.
"I already know." Brooks can be a touch crazy, but I have learned he's not a liar. In fact, he is extremely blunt.
"You don't know shit," she snips back at me.
"Clearly, you don't know shit either." This conversation is over. "Nice running into you again. My Lyft is here." I walk past her. “See you around,” I say before I exit the building.
I hurriedly walk to the car, checking the details and then getting in. The last thing I need right now is for Brooks to come home, which might happen if Gabby is going to go run and tell on me. I need to get to the café and get this over with before he can show up.
It’s not long before I’m being dropped off at Lily’s, a small café in a quieter part of town. Once inside, I spot Sara at a small table in the corner. I take a deep breath and head in her direction. A whirlwind of emotions comes over me. We’d been friends for years.
Sara is staring down at her phone, scrolling away with a happy smile on her face.
Glad to see she’s not all torn up about any of this.
My mom was never a fan of Sara's. She and I have only ever had one fight before this, and that had been over her sleeping with a married man.
That should have been a giant flag for me.
I was so pissed when I found out. Sara had gotten defensive at first but then had a breakdown, saying he manipulated her and she wanted to be better. I now see this might be who she is.
"Hey," I say, making Sara's head pop up. That smile she had falls away, and an expression of sadness takes over. Tears even fill her eyes.
"Hey." She starts to stand.
"Don't." I motion with my hand for her to stay while pulling out the chair with my other to sit down across from her. "I'm here, so what's up?" I get right to it.
"I've missed you."
"Oh please." I roll my eyes. "You haven't spoken to me since I found Felipe balls-deep in you." Her shoulders drop. Sara should have been an actress. I think her bratty tale snapped me out of whatever fog her friendship had on me. "And did you set that up? I mean, you knew I was coming over."
"Slater, you have to?—"
"Don't try to sell me your bullshit." Sara's eyes narrow for a half second before she quickly hides what is truly behind the veneer of who she really is. “You knew I was coming over. You wanted to hurt me.”
“It’s not that I wanted to hurt you.”
“I don’t believe you. Now tell me why you wanted to meet up, or I’m leaving. Be straight with me.” Sara’s mouth forms into a line. I wait.
“You didn’t even like him.”
“If you liked him, why didn’t you say that?
You were always pushing us together. You introduced us!
” Sara folds her arms over her chest. “If you told me that you wanted him, I would have backed away.” Actually, I don’t think I would have needed to back up.
It was Feilipe and her always initiating contact with me.
"Fine, I want you to back away."
"I'm not anywhere near him. He's all yours. In fact, why don't you tell him to leave me the hell alone?" I mean, this has gotten ridiculous. All I want is for both of them to go away, but here we are.
"We're not talking anymore."
"Good, because he's a leech." I'm beginning to believe Sara shares this attribute. They should be together.
"He is not." Her hands slam down on the table, making me jump back in my chair. "He's sophisticated and smart." Oh boy, someone’s been drinking the Felipe punch.
Are we talking about the same person? Sure, he tries to come off that way, but over time you can see a lot of it is fake. She should be able to see that more than me.
"Why am I here, then?"
"I need you to talk to Felipe for me."
Holy hell. This is why she called me here? For me to somehow get her back in Felipe's good graces?
“What do you even want me to say to him?”
“You’ll do it?” Her smile returns. The screen of her phone lights up.
If I can get them together, maybe they'll leave me alone. “Oh, he’s live now.” Sara quickly snatches her phone off the table.
I start to get up, thinking I can slip out of here and block her.
It was pointless to come here. Not sure what I thought I would get out of this.
Can’t a girl just have badass best girlfriends?
When I hear Felipe's voice play out over the speaker of her phone, I start to get up. That is until I hear Brooks's voice. What the hell?
“Why is Brooks with—” I snatch the phone from her hand. Sure enough, he is there.
What the hell is going on now?