Better Man by Cheryl Douglas

Author:Cheryl Douglas [Douglas, Cheryl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cheryl Douglas

Chapter 9

Reed

* * *

Ronin was doing a good job, but I just couldn’t get my head in the game. We’d visited all my old haunts and he’d nailed a few candids I was confident we could use, but the only thing I saw when I stole a sneak peek at the images was misery.

“Why don’t we take a break?” Ronin gestured to the bleachers. “Grab a seat, maybe a drink?”

I nodded, following behind him. I hated being around myself lately, so subjecting other people to my morose mood seemed like cruel and unusual punishment. Especially my poor mama, who didn’t know what the hell to make of my hangdog expression half the time. I didn’t get home to visit often, and when I finally did I brought my shitty attitude with me. Real nice.

Ronin grabbed a bottle of water from the small cooler he brought and handed it to me. “You want to talk about it?”

I wouldn’t consider Ronin the kind of friend I’d open up to about my deepest and darkest secrets, but he knew Brook well, so it wouldn’t hurt to get his perspective. “I should kick your ass for that stunt you guys pulled.”

I sat down on the old wooden bench, remembering the days when I’d dominated this field as the high school quarterback. Those were simpler times, when the only thing that mattered was getting laid and winning the next game.

Ronin laughed. “You probably should, but you won’t. You can’t blame Brook for trying to protect herself, Reed. You did quite a number on her.”

I scowled, wishing he didn’t know so much about my relationship. “Yeah, well it goes both ways.” I was tired of being the villain, especially since it felt like she’d been the one to pull the rug out from under me this time.

“I imagine it does.”

Ronin sat down a few feet away, stretching his long legs out in front of him. He was wearing tight black pants, rolled up, with shiny black shoes and a tight fitting pink shirt. Hardly the kind of attire most people were used to seeing in my small hometown, but he’d connected with everyone I’d introduced him to, including my mama. No wonder Brook counted him among her closest friends.

“You can’t have a breakdown in a relationship without both parties sharing the blame. I know Brook takes her fair share for the things that went wrong between you two.”

It didn’t feel like that. It felt like I carried the weight of defeat solely on my shoulders. “She shouldn’t. She didn’t do anything wrong.”

Ronin side-eyed me, like he was measuring me up. “Then you don’t blame her for leading you on on the tour?”

“She didn’t lead me on. I asked her for one day at a time. That’s what she gave me. I told her if it wasn’t working for her anymore she could cut ties, no hard feelings.” I took a long pull of my water. “That’s what she did. And I meant it, no hard feelings. I could never hate that girl.

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