Chapter Three #2
"She knows you're cheating on her."
"What?" Now there was panic in his voice. "I don't know what she thinks she knows, but it's not true."
He was talking loudly, so Tory could hear him too. She snatched the phone from my hand, putting it to her ear.
"I walked in on you today talking to her. There's nothing to misunderstand."
“Let's talk,” Walter said.
"There's absolutely nothing to talk about.”
“For fuck's sake, our rehearsal dinner is starting in what, fifteen minutes?"
"You deal with that," Tory said.
Slowly, I was recognizing the sassy girl I fell for in college.
Not fell for, Leo. Befriended.
Usually, I'd give someone privacy for such a conversation, but I wanted her to know that I was ready to step in whenever she needed me to, ready to protect her. Hell, I'd do anything to make sure that no one hurt her again.
“Tory, come on. You can't be serious. That was nothing.”
Fucking hell, I wished the guy's voice wouldn't carry like that. It only made me see red.
“It sounded like it's been going on for months. You planned to sneak out of the hotel room to spend the night with her before our wedding day.”
I stilled completely. She'd overheard him telling his mistress that? Fuck, I couldn't imagine a worse way to get your heart broken.
“She means nothing. A quick fuck. I was going to marry you, wasn't I?”
"Oh God, I can't even.”
“Listen to me. I don't care what the fuck you think or feel. You can't make a fool of me. Get your ass back here for the dinner, and we’ll talk about the rest after.”
"I'm making a fool of you? Fuck you."
She disconnected the call, throwing the phone on the bed. “I need another suitcase. Actually, you know what? Never mind. I don't want to be here one second longer. I have more than enough in this one bag. We can go.”
“I’ll find a hotel for us.”
“I'll give you my credit card.”
“Stop, Tory.”
“No, really, this is my—”
"Tory," I said in a warning tone. "Let me take care of you, okay? I don't want you to think about any of that."
"I'll pay you back," she promised. "As soon as I get my shit together."
“No way in hell. I'll book us a hotel that’s as far as possible from the Marriott."
"Yes, please." The relief in her voice gutted me.
I looked on . In the background, I could hear her moving around, probably gathering a few more things while she waited on me. I found a five-star accommodation that looked more like a B&B in the Garden District. That would do.
"I've got it," I said loudly.
"Good. I'm done."
I focused on her stuffed bag and whistled.
"Think we can close that?" she asked me.
"Oh, come on. We've done worse, Tory."
She laughed. "Remember that one time my bag fell apart when I was flying home for Christmas?"
"Vividly, but this one won't break."
I pressed down on it with my left palm and zipped it with my right hand. It was child's play. I lifted it from the bed. It was heavy as hell, but that meant Tory didn't have to come back here for a while.
I kept a close eye on her as we slowly walked out of the bedroom. She seemed in a bit of a daze, looking around the house. I couldn't even fathom what was going through her mind. I put a hand on her back as we descended the staircase.
"I forgot to pack those." She pointed at two coats by the entrance.
"I've got them." I grabbed them, carrying both in one arm. “Anything else?”
Standing at the bottom of the stairway, she glanced at what I assumed was the door leading to the living room.
"No," she murmured. "Let's just go."
I took out my phone, ordering an Uber. "It’s coming in a minute. Wasn’t expecting such a short waiting time on Friday evening.”
"There are lots of drivers on Fridays."
After we walked out, she pulled the door closed with a lot more strength than needed and locked it. A horn blared, startling her.
"Our impatient Uber driver is here," I informed her. We descended the three steps leading from the door down to the porch. "You get in the Uber. I'll put this in the back."
After getting the bag into the trunk, I sat in the back next to her. We were completely silent on the ten-minute drive.
Her phone kept ringing. "You know what I'll do? I'll put my phone in Airplane Mode. Walter can deal with everything."
"Good call. Want me to keep it for the rest of the evening so you aren't tempted?"
“You're a genius, Leo Whitley.”
“That's music to my ears. You have no idea how many years I've waited to hear you say that.”
She lightly smacked my arm. “Hey, you’re the one who always wanted to copy stuff from my essays in college, so that's not my fault.”
“Exactly,” I said playfully.
“Let me just text Debbie. I didn’t even tell her what’s going on. Oh, and I’d better get in touch with Nancy too.”
Debbie was her best friend whom I’d met in college a number of times. I glanced away as she typed on her phone, then handed it to me. I put it in my empty back pocket.
We arrived at our destination a few minutes later.
"This is lovely," she said, gazing up and down at the B&B. It was a Greek-Revival Garden District mansion.
The elderly lady on the porch stood up when she saw us. "Are you the Whitleys?"
I stole a glance at Tory. She was blushing.
“It's Leo Whitley and Tory Daniels. I booked two rooms.”
“That’s right, I saw the booking when you placed it. Come on in, please. Feel at home. You've got the place to yourself.”
"Perfect.” I leaned closer to Tory. "Let's make a deal for this evening."
She turned around, eyes wide. "Ah, you and your deals."
"Tory," I said as seriously as I could muster.
"Mr. Whitley!" Her tone imitated mine.
"Let's not talk about him anymore tonight."
She sighed. "You’ve read my mind. I don’t want to think about any of it. But I can't make any promises."
I winked at her. "Leave it to me."