I tried for a careless shrug, but I knew that Dane misinterpreting what he saw between me and Beau was a real possibility.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m sure he’s moved on by now anyway.”

And that possibility was like taking a bullet to the chest.

AFTER I’D SAID my goodbyes to Beau, and he’d reassured me he was staying the night in a motel before driving back to Georgia, I headed inside. I opened the door, and it looked like I’d landed in hell.

Jade and Reid were having a screaming match, and judging by the sound of Jade’s voice she was winning. They were so wrapped up in their argument they hadn’t heard me come in.

“You’re an asshole, Reid Cole,” she shrieked angrily.

“Jesus, Jade, will you please just hear me out?” Reid looked exasperated. “I don’t understand why you’re so damn upset. You were the one who said you couldn’t do commitment!”

I cleared my throat, and they both looked at me in surprise.

“I didn’t meant to interrupt,” I said carefully. “I can leave… ”

“Don’t bother,” snapped Jade. “Reid was just on his way out.”

Reid exhaled, and hung his head. “So that’s it, then? We’re throwing away twenty years of friendship because of one night?”

“NO!” Screamed Jade, causing both me and Reid to flinch. “YOU threw it away when you had sex with me, and then decided to screw someone else as soon as we landed. This is all on you. Now get the fuck out!” Reid stared at Jade as if he didn’t know her.

“NOW!”

Jade’s shriek sent him into motion, and he stormed past me, shutting the door with a slam!

Jade collapsed onto the floor, and I rushed to her side.

“Ssshhh….” I rubbed her hair, and felt her body shaking. “It’s going to be okay.”

Ashley chose that exact moment to come in. She was beaming, and seemed completely oblivious to Jade’s emotional state.

“You’re never going to believe who just asked me out on a date,” she crooned, twirling around us. Seriously? Could she not see we were in the middle of an emotional crisis here? How had I not realized she was so self-absorbed?

She answered her own statement, and the single word that came out of her mouth shattered me. Completely annihilated me.

“Dane.”

I sat frozen, unblinking, and Jade’s head shot up.

“What?” She snapped.

Ashley rolled her eyes. “Weren’t you listening? I just said Dane asked me out on a date.”

“When?” Asked Jade. My mouth was too dry; otherwise I would have asked the question myself.

“Like, five minutes ago.”

Jade looked at me, and I had nothing to say.

Maybe he’d moved on, or maybe he’d seen me with Beau and jumped to conclusions.

Either way I didn’t want to care anymore.

I couldn’t.

Because caring only got me hurt, and I was done with that.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Dane

REID HAD FOUND me in the gym earlier pounding away at bag full of sand as if I was fighting for my life. For the last week it felt like I had been.

“You’re going to pull a muscle if you keep punching that thing so hard,” he’d grumbled. I’d politely told him to fuck off, and leave me alone.

Now it was Reid who looked like he needed to punch something. He stormed into our apartment, a mask of fury on his face, and slammed the front door hard enough to shake the walls. I had no idea what his problem was, and I wasn’t about to ask. He’d been testy ever since he’d come back from his trip with Jade. But then again, so had I.

I sipped my beer, and watched him walk around like a caged tiger. I would have told him to chill the fuck out and have a beer if I wasn’t worried he’d have my balls, for opening my mouth.

My phone rang, and when I saw my mother’s name flashing on the screen I decided not to answer it. I wasn’t in the mood for conversation. My phone stopped ringing, and when it started up again less than a second later, I frowned. My mother never called incessantly unless there was a problem.

I slid my finger across the screen, and held my phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hi, sweetheart. Is this a bad time?” My mother sounded nervous, and I detected an undertone of anxiety in her voice. That was never good.

“No mom, it’s fine. Is everything okay?”

Reid grabbed a beer from the fridge, and joined me on the sofa, staring daggers at the wall. What was his deal?

“Everything’s fine,” my mother replied. “I just…there’s just something…” she stuttered. My mother never stuttered. I sat forward, and my mind started racing with everything that could be wrong.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

I heard her exhale on the other end of the line, and waited for her to speak.

“I needed to warn you,” she started. “Your father’s court case with Anthony Monroe regarding the land dispute and oil drilling has turned quite nasty. Your father is making it personal, and the media are out for blood. I wanted you to know in case they decide to start bothering you for information.”

I screwed my eyes shut, and groaned. “You’re not serious, mom? Has dad lost his fucking mind?”

“Language,” my mother berated. “And I don’t know what your father is thinking. It can go either way, like most things like this tend to do when the media get involved. I wanted you to be aware of what was going on, before you saw it splashed on the news.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised at this turn of events. Not really. My father had a habit of twisting things to his advantage, and he relished any opportunity to drag Anthony Monroe’s name through the mud.

I wondered if Kennedy knew anything about it, but then realized I’d decided not to care about her anymore. I was still harboring some anger after I’d spotted her in the parking lot sitting on the tailgate of some guys’ truck. They looked friendly, and the way he’d had his arm around her suggested that they were more than friends.

I guess I’d never meant that much to her after all, if it only took her a fucking week to move on. It hurt like hell to see her with someone else, especially after the way I’d been feeling sorry for myself this week. But that was over now.

“Dane?” My mother’s voice interrupted my thoughts, and I shook my head.

“Sorry mom, I’m here.”

“You’ll let me know if anything happens, won’t you?”

I placed my empty beer bottle on our coffee table, and sat back. “Yeah, mom, I will. Don’t worry.”

“Okay, sweetheart. I have to go now, but call me if you need anything.”

“I will,” I promised. “Talk to you soon.”

I threw my phone back on the table and held my head in my hands. I was exhausted. I’d been doing everything I possibly could this week to keep from going back to Kennedy, and I’d been holding on to the tiniest sliver of hope that she was struggling like I was.

Guess not.

“What has daddy dearest done this time?” Asked Reid.

“I don’t really know, but it has something to do with Anthony Monroe. My mom wanted to give me a heads up in case we saw it on the news.”