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My blood curdles. What? Spencer is the ex she kept ranting about the night we met? The one who I agreed was an asshole? No freaking way.
We’d…I slept with my brother’s ex? I crossed a line I shouldn’t have crossed. I still believe that he was a total dick for cheating on her, but she’s his ex. She was—is—off limits.
“Is that true, Spencer?” my mother asks, putting more dishes on the table. She doesn’t sound impressed. “What else don’t I know? Do you hit women too?”
My brother groans. “I would never.”
“Well, I hope it was some misunderstanding.” She sighs and shakes her head. “We’ll talk about that later. I don’t want dinner ruined because of you. I’ll go get your father.”
She storms away, her footsteps heavy with the anger she's suppressing. Our mother had always raised us to be gentlemen, teaching us to treat our partners with respect. Even though I'm not one for dating, I still hold women in high regard. However, something went wrong with Spencer. He goes against everything our mother taught us. It's been his downfall, and she won't go easy on him for it.
“Christ,” Spencer says, his voice heavy with annoyance. “Anya, you shouldn’t have said that. It’s been years.” His words are sharp and pointed, lacking any hint of remorse. I feel a surge of anger towards him, but I quickly swallow it down. I can't risk showing any sign of weakness in front of my family. Before I left for home, my therapist told me that I might experience some elevated rates of anger caused by the incidence of PTSD.
Anya's gaze locks onto mine, her eyes piercing and unyielding. "So, you're his brother?" she asks, her tone cool and curious.
My throat tightens as the memories flood back to me. It's been two long years, but not a day has gone by where I haven't thought about her. Thought about what could have been if fate hadn't intervened and sent me on that mission.
I give a small nod in response.
She scoffs. "You bear some resemblance to him. I was such a fool not to have noticed it before."
Spencer looks back and forth between us. "Wait, you two know each other?"
I open my mouth to speak, but Anya beats me to it. "Yes, we do. And I won't be explaining the details."
My brother narrows his eyes at me, trying to make connections. But since Anya doesn’t want to disclose anything, I can't tell him the whole truth. He might not react well if he found out about my past involvement with his ex-girlfriend – she's supposed to be off-limits. It’s an unspoken rule between us.
"So, what brings you here to Meadowvale?" Spencer leans in closer to the table.
"Work." She clearly not in the mood to engage a conversation with Spencer.
To alleviate the tension at the table, Mr. White interjects and asks Spencer if he will stay in town for long. They chat in the background whilst Anya’s eyes meet mine, they are filled with a mix of sadness and anger.
My knuckles turn white as I clench my fists under the table. She sits across from me, her posture straight and confident, making me feel uneasy in her presence. My heart is working overtime and my blood is pumping faster than normal.
There’s so much I need to explain to her, but I wonder if it’s of any use now. I would never have made a move on her if I’d known that she and Spencer were exes.
Shit.
I run a hand over my hair. If anyone finds out about us, we’ll be the talk of the town for weeks, maybe months. I don’t care about my reputation though, it’s Anya that I’m worried about. I don’t think she’ll find it easy to fit in if the whole town starts gossiping about her on her first day.
My mother returns to the dining room with my father. His face lights up once he spots Anya. “You must be Ms. Houston.”
She nods with a smile. “I am. Nice to meet you, Mr. Jackson.”
“It's my pleasure,” my father says as he takes the seat at the head of the table. He turns to me, “How are you adjusting to your new living situation? I imagine it hasn't been easy.”
I let out a sigh and slump my shoulders “It's exhausting, but I didn't really have a choice.”
My father nods in understanding before turning back to Anya.
“I heard Mr. White gave you an extra day off,” he says.
“He did. He's quite generous,” Anya replies, gives Mr. White a nod.
“For years, we have been the closest of friends. He has always been loyal and kind, no matter how successful he became in the bustling city. Instead, he chose to stay in our small town and open a Veterinary clinic to care for the pets and animals in our town." Mr. Jackson turns to Mr. White with a smile and turns to Anya again. "I heard you were once one of his students, and quite intelligent and hard-working at that."
Anya’s cheeks turn red at the compliment. "Mr. White was a highly respected professor at our university; he even encouraged his students to come work for him here. I was thrilled when I found out this was the clinic I would be joining."
