Page 121 of Falling for the Grumpy Bad Boy

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CLEMENTINE

Isat on my childhood bed, staring at the ceiling and wallowing in the kind of self-pity that would have made my normally optimistic self cringe. What was I doing with my life? That was the question that kept running through my mind over and over.

I was twenty-four. Fresh out of college and still living at home.

I didn’t have a job. Not yet. Yes, I could work in my father’s restaurant but I was determined to make it on my own.

Did I even want to cook?

I felt like everything was off. Everything I thought I wanted felt wrong. Was I a chef because my dad was? Did I love it enough to deal with the bullshit?

I was spiraling. My last night with Rhett felt wrong. Not wrong that we did it but wrong that we were both calling it the last night. Ten years didn’t feel like much of an age gap, but wasn’t it? If I thought about it in terms of him being sixteen and me being six? Ew. But in the adult context, it didn’t feel like such a big deal.

But wasn’t it?

What had I been thinking? That I could somehow make it work with a man like Rhett Voss? That our month-long maybe-but-not-really romance could survive the real world? I’d been so naive, so stupidly hopeful. This was what happened when you lived an untraditional life, reality eventually showed up to remind you that happy endings weren’t guaranteed.

Rhett Voss was Rhett Voss. Chef extraordinaire. Lady killer. Gorgeous. Experienced.

He was everything I wasn’t.

Maybe that was the appeal. He was the bad boy. The guy that I couldn’t have and that just made him so much more desirable. Okay, it wasn’t just the idea of him. It was all of him. Every glorious inch. I didn’t know how I was supposed to ever go out with another guy now that I had been with someone like him. Guys my own age were just not it for me. Honestly, I didn’t think they ever had been. I’d always preferred older men. Not so much because of their ages, but the maturity level. Everyone always said I was mature for my age.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Simone’s name flashed across the screen. I groaned just thinking about what she had to say. I liked Simone but she was loyal to Rhett first. I respected that. The friendship we developed couldn’t withstand that.

I considered letting it go to voicemail. But guilt won out.

“Hey,” I said, trying to inject some energy into my voice.

“Clem, thank God you answered.” Simone sounded frazzled. “I’m calling because I’m worried about tonight.”

“Worried how?”

“It’s Rhett. He’s, well, he’s always intense, but today he’s on another level. His patience threshold is basically nonexistent, and he keeps snapping at everyone for the smallest things. People are threatening to walk. Saying it isn’t worth it. They’re volunteers. They’re not getting paid to put up with his attitude.”

I closed my eyes. “Simone, this has nothing to do with me.”

“I just have a bad feeling about tonight, and I wanted to make sure that after everything that’s happened between you two, you’re still planning to come. He needs you. We need you.”

The question irritated me more than it should have. “Of course I’m coming! Rhett already tried to tell me not to, but he doesn’t get a vote in this. I’m not going for him. He is not the boss. Not in this.”

“I didn’t mean anything⁠—”

“I’m going for my father,” I continued, my voice sharp. “This soup kitchen is his baby, and he deserves the grand opening he’s been dreaming about. I’m not going to let Rhett ruin it. He can ruin it for himself if he wants. That’s his choice. He can be an asshole. He can choose to be an insufferable prick. That’s his problem. I’m not going to let him ruin this for my dad.”

There was a pause on the other end. “Clem, maybe I shouldn’t have called.”

“It’s fine. Look, I promise I won’t say or do anything that will get you in hot water with your boss. I’ll be professional. I’ll stay out of his way. But I’ll be there.”

“Okay,” Simone said quietly. “I’ll see you this afternoon for prep?”

“Yeah. See you then.”

I hung up and immediately felt bad for being so snippy with her. None of this was Simone’s fault. She was just trying to look out for everyone, including me. I was sure she knew I was the source of Rhett’s bad mood. Technically, it wasn’t my fault. It was the circumstances. We were both stuck dealing with the bullshit media and rumors. If it was just the two of us that had to deal with the fallout, I would be fine with it. I could handle a little bullshit, but it was my dad. My brother. They should not have to deal with any kind of blowback from my impulsive mistakes.

Needing a distraction, I headed downstairs and found Henry in the living room on FaceTime with someone. I could see a pretty girl with curly hair on the screen. She was laughing at something he said.