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I thought I knew who you were but clearly, I was wrong. No wonder I have feelings for you, for Clark. You’re one and the same and just my type. A big, freaking jerk that would walk away from a waiting woman instead of being honest about your lack of interest. You could have come over and sat down. At least had a drink and let me down easy. I treated the biggest asshole in the whole town with more respect than you showed me. You’re a coward and I’m sorry I wasted even a moment on you.
Don’t bother responding. I’m blocking you after I hit send.
KnottyGirl25
Merry hit send and did exactly what she promised and blocked his ass. She dumped her phone back into her purse and washed her hands before leaving the bathroom, hoping her friends wouldn’t notice she’d been crying. God, she wanted to go home, but one of them would have to drive her home and all of them had been watching her with sympathy, as if waiting for her to have a major meltdown. She didn’t want anger or pity.
When she exited, she ran smack into Ryan.
“Merry, hey. You okay, lovely? Your eyes are red and puffy.”
“I’m fine,” she muttered, wiping her wet cheeks.
“Yeah, you look it. Come on, hooker. Let’s get a drink and you can tell me all your woes.”
“Aren’t you here with someone?” she asked.
“Ricki was going to introduce me to the new bartender, but that can wait. Tell me what you need.”
Merry’s lip trembled despite her brain screaming at her to hold it together. “I was supposed to meet someone, but he blew me off. I came with my friends, but I don’t want to ask them to leave early and have them all feel sorry for me, but I don’t want to be here.”
Ryan stroked his clean-shaven chin as he studied her, as if weighing a heavy decision. Then he snapped his fingers and pointed at her. “Here’s what we’re going to do. Tell your friends I’m having a rough night and could use a friend, so we’re leaving now. Takes the attention off you and puts it onto me. We’ll go to your place. I want to see it and we can pick up drinks and water on the way because hydration is important. Then we’ll drink and online shop for the perfect dress that will make him regret every decision he made that didn’t end with him worshipping the ground you walk on. Deal?”
“We haven’t hung out since high school. Why would you want to tank your night for me?”
Ryan wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to him. “Because a long time ago, a very scared kid told his girlfriend he liked boys and not girls and she said ‘Me too.’”
“Oh God, did I really say something so stupid?”
“It wasn’t stupid. It made me laugh and then I was crying because it was such a relief to tell someone and you know what you did? You hugged me and told me that you were excited to get to know the real me. It wasn’t always easy growing up here but my family, you, and a handful of amazing friends made it worth a few narrow-minded individuals.” He tapped her chin with the end of his finger, smiling gently. “It’s my turn to comfort you.”
Merry leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Now, let’s blow this whiskey-soaked sex den.”
“We have to swing by my parents’ and pick up my puppy.”
He clapped his hands. “Oh, I love puppies!”
“Just keep anything you value off the floor. She’s teething.”
“I’ll risk it. My truck is parked in the back so I’ll pull around and grab you from the front. All right?”
“Sounds good. Thanks.”
“My pleasure.”
It took a few minutes of convincing, but her friends finally let her leave without one of them coming with her. As much as she loved them, she wanted someone who hadn’t witnessed her humiliation and wouldn’t bring it up every five minutes in an attempt to make her feel better about the bullet she dodged.
She stepped outside the bar and took a deep breath, the chilly air reminding her of Clark and how he loved breathing in the cold.
The fucker.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the front of the building, waiting for Ryan. A car door opened somewhere in the parking lot, but she didn’t want to say hi or chitchat. Heavy boots crunched on the gravel parking lot, drawing closer, and she opened her eyes when they stopped.
Clark stood several feet in front of her with his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. Merry’s jaw clenched as he stood there not saying anything, just staring at her like he didn’t know what to say.
Well, she knew what to say. She had a lot to say.
