Текст книги "Vice"
Автор книги: Rosanna Leo
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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 15 страниц)
Chapter Fourteen
That evening, Kate decided she needed to get out of Vice altogether. Liam hadn’t been thrilled, still worried about her seizures and Vaughan. However, she accepted his offer of a car and a drive from Wade.
The best medicine for her right now would be to attend a New Horizons meeting. She hadn’t been back since the attack, and she missed her pals, especially in light of Lisa’s comments. As much as she’d shied away recently, she was now eager to attend and just be there.
Of course, she had every expectation Lisa had given them a run-down on her activities at Vice, and her liaison with Liam. She hoped, however, that they’d listen to her and hear the voice of reason, unlike Lisa. After all, she’d spent years listening to them, supporting them through their trials.
Wade parked outside the building and Kate breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the group room. She understood these people, understood their challenges, and they needed her as much as she needed them.
Eager to see some smiles from some friendly faces, she looked for a free chair and sat down, feeling like the new kid entering class for the first time.
Heads turned in her direction, but not with warm welcome. Rather, her old friends regarded her with apparent distrust.
“Hey, guys,” she said quietly, smiling and waving a hand. “I know it’s been a while, but…”
They all looked to Rod now. He clenched his jaw, stood and came over. “Kate, can we speak outside, please?”
She stood and followed him out. “Okay.” She had a bad feeling about this.
Once out of earshot of the other group members, he laid it all out for her. “Look. There’s been some discussion in the group, and most of us don’t feel comfortable with you here right now.”
“What?” They couldn’t have passed judgment on her already, could they? Not without hearing her side first.
Rod turned a bit red. “Kate, are you going to make me go into detail? I was kind of hoping to spare you the embarrassment.”
“Um, too late.”
“All right, I’ll spell it out for you. Lisa told the group how you’ve been socializing with Liam Doyle. At Vice.”
“Socializing? Well, she was more diplomatic with you than she was with me.” As her heart began its sink, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Lisa has the wrong end of the stick, and so do you.”
“Well, you left me in charge of the group, and I still have to think of them and how things appear. We have some very fragile egos here.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m the leader, remember? The one who brought you all together.” Okay, now this was just pissing her off.
“I’m sorry, Kate, but I’m doing what I think is best. Maybe once you sort things out, you can come back.”
“Sort things out?” She squawked in disbelief. “Rod, the only reason I’m staying at Vice is because I was attacked. Liam saved me. He offered to help.”
“You were attacked?”
“Yes.” She put up a hand. “You know what? Never mind. I’ve devoted myself to this group and the minute my life goes to pot, I get booted? Well, then I really don’t want to be here.”
“Kate, wait…”
“No. You go back to your precious group. I’m sure they’ll be lost without their new head honcho.” Fleeing before she burst into tears, she raced outside and toward Wade’s waiting car. He opened the back door to the Escalade and she dove inside.
The security guard eyed her warily as he climbed in the driver’s seat. “Where to?”
Where to? She had nowhere else to go, no one to turn to other than the man in whose arms she’d come alive, but with whom she’d also lost part of herself. And as much as she wanted to run away from Liam and from everyone else, she was always drawn back to him, like a boomerang.
“Vice. Where else?”
She sighed, noticing how Wade tried to be stealthy in sending a text, no doubt to Liam.
Liam. As much as she craved him, craved his taste and his touch, this no longer felt right. Maybe it never did. She’d gained a lover, perhaps even someone she could fall in love with, but his acute attentions rattled her. His violent loving made her doubt her sanity. With him, although she’d experienced physical euphoria, it had left her numb and hollow.
He’d lost so much in life, and had made strides, especially by letting go of Michelle. But then he’d transferred those intense needs onto Kate. As much as she was glad she’d helped him with his abandonment issues, she was under no delusion that his demons had been vanquished. Not by a long shot.
He was two men in one. She might have fallen for the owner of those seductive grins, but she was scared of the man behind those dark appetites.
Oh God, I have fallen for him.
No. Impossible. She could never fall for anyone so grasping, so needy. In some ways, he reminded her of her father, someone who always needed more. More money, more friends, more attention. That’s what he really got out of his habit, but only for a time. She’d lived with lies and deceit all her life. If this was her new rock bottom, losing her friends, and she had to start over, she owed it to herself to start over in a healthier frame of mind.
What she had with Liam was in no way healthy.
She had to let him go, so they could both let go of the past. It was the only way. They’d been too wrapped up in each other, and it had become too easy to forget the outside world and pretend everything was okay. She couldn’t carry on this way, existing just for Liam.
And yet every time she remembered the way he caressed her, she grew weak in the knees. It was all so wrong. Hell, they’d barely had a real date. The night at Franky’s seemed so long ago. They’d gone from throwing barbs at one another to him throwing her on the nearest surface and fucking her senseless. Not exactly the basis of a stable relationship. How could she love him?
Maybe because she glimpsed something in him that no one else had ever seen. Even though he’d initially held back from her, he’d revealed his heart. She couldn’t forget that moment, as much as he’d walled it back up.
As she expected, by the time they pulled up at Vice, he was standing on the walkway, waiting for them. He was dressed for work, but his pressed shirt was open at the collar with no tie. There were dark circles under his eyes and his handsome face looked strained and pale.
Like an addict.
She slid her compact out of her purse, eyed her reflection, and saw the same qualities in her own face. She’d become a desperate woman, looking for her next fix.
She replaced the mirror in her bag and looked back at him. This wasn’t the same playfully cocky Liam Doyle she’d first met. Had that man ever existed? She wasn’t sure anymore. All she knew was, even though this Liam scared her, he also drew her like a six-foot magnet. She just didn’t know how to relate to him. She had questions he didn’t want to answer, and he wanted to explore carnal depths that made her only question him more.
He opened up the car door for her and she slid out. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Wade tells me you had a rough time. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it isn’t.” He let out a sigh and fiddled with one of the buttons on his shirt. “Listen, do you want to go somewhere and talk?”
Talk. Now he wanted to talk. Her heart walloped her insides in a beat she didn’t recognize. It was too late for talk.
She needed to do this. It was now or never.
This would be her true rock bottom.
“Kate?”
“You know, Liam, I’d say yes if I thought we were actually going to talk to each other, but that’s not going to happen, is it? We’ll go back to your room, or some other random room, and just fuck like we always do.”
He held her gaze, as if wondering where she was going with this.
“I’m checking out of Vice. I can’t be here. Just associating with you, being here in this hotel, has lost me my friends. I was wrong to come in the first place. I got carried away, got tempted by this glitzy world you live in, tempted by you, and now I’m paying for it.” She moved past him toward the lobby door.
He reached for her hand. “You can’t do that. You can’t go.”
“I can and I will.”
“Kate, it’s not safe for you out there.”
She whipped around on him. “Jesus, Liam. It’s not safe for me here! Don’t you get it? I can’t be around you. You make me…want things I can’t have.”
He drew dangerously close. His voice was deep and soft on her ear. “You can have them. You can have anything you want. I’ll get it for you.”
“Don’t you understand? I never wanted you to get me things. I just wanted to know you, to see where things might go. But we’ve become addicted to each other. You’ve avoided your work. I’ve avoided my life. I don’t even have a fucking job! We’ve just lived in a bubble with each other. It’s not healthy.”
He grabbed her hand and dragged her into a quiet alcove, away from the main entrance. “I don’t care if it’s healthy or not.”
“Don’t you get it? I’m your new Michelle. I’m your crutch, and you’ve become mine.”
Liam’s mouth fell open.
“I never wanted to be that for you. I want to be something better.”
He pulled her to him and lay his forehead against hers. “You are the best thing I’ve ever known.” His fingers clawed against her back, his nails dug into her clothing. He held on as if he was gripping a life preserver. “I can’t let you go.”
“You’d keep me here against my will?”
He looked at her, eyes tragic yet wild. “What do you think I am? A fucking maniac? I just want to love you,” he cried out. “Kate, I love you.”
Oh. There they were. The words that would echo in her brain and sear her as she walked away. But she had to do this, for both of them.
“You don’t love me, Liam. We don’t know each other well enough. You haven’t let me get close enough to really know you.” There, she said it, even though it made her heart break.
He drew her in and smashed his mouth against hers, thrusting his tongue between her lips and nearly destroyed her resolve.
“I know everything about you,” he said. “I’ve seen your fears and your dreams. I’ve seen your quirks. I know you cover your mouth with your hand when you chew your food. I know you always tie the left shoe before the right. I know how you play with your hair when you’re nervous. I know what makes you laugh and what makes you cry. I know how your body curls into mine when we sleep. I know how to make you whimper with need and how to make your body sing with joy. I know all the important things.” He stroked her cheek, his touch more gentle now, but no less desperate. “And the rest I can learn. You’re not my crutch, Kate. You’re my hope.”
Oh, Jesus, keep me strong. The tears broke free and he took turns wiping and kissing them away. She wanted to believe him, to believe their love wasn’t sick.
Rock bottom. Her words came back to haunt her. She hated rock fucking bottom.
Who was she kidding? Their affair was doomed from the start. She should never have set foot inside Liam’s office. She’d seen his tattered heart and had wanted to put it back together. He’d glimpsed her bruised soul and had hidden her away. She’d felt like Cinderella with him, but really she was no better than a two-bit Rapunzel, locked away in a tower.
They enabled each other. Their love was like a Vegas casino, bright and lively on the outside, but cloaked in darkness, heedless of time and responsibility. They’d reveled in each other, forgetting the outside world, rather than learning how to function in it.
They couldn’t really love each other unless they learned to stand on their own first. She needed to let him go and stop hiding. She needed to hurt him.
Hopefully it wouldn’t kill her in the process.
“We’re not good for each other, Liam. I can’t be with you.” She waved her hand, indicating the walls of his casino. “This was never the life I wanted. I lost track of my values. I can’t stay. I’ll never be able to separate you from what you do. Every meal we eat, I’ll see it as coming out of someone else’s pocket. Every dollar you spend on me, I’ll see it as draining some poor kid’s college fund.”
“Kate, don’t do this.”
“You think I want to? I can’t look at you and not see Vice. And no matter how much soul-searching I do, I won’t be able to stop it.” When he moved to brush away her fresh tears, she pushed his hand aside and wiped them herself. “It’s time for me to go home.”
His face drained. “I won’t be able… I can’t function without you.”
“I know, but I think we both need to learn how.”
He played with her pinky finger, as if holding onto whatever he could. “What about Vaughan?”
“I’ll manage. I did before.” She pulled her hand out of his. “Goodbye, Liam.”
He didn’t answer, but grew paler. She turned and sprinted for the taxi bay before she flew to him, trying to take everything back. She didn’t have any of her things, only her purse. The rest she’d ask for later. She couldn’t go into his suite to collect them now, or she’d never come out again.
The taxi driver opened the back door and she got inside, barely managing to give the man her address. The driver closed the door and she sat still, waiting for him to start the engine. She didn’t look at Liam, but expected him to run up to the car and bang on the window.
He didn’t.
As the driver pulled away, she gave into temptation and turned to look for him.
Like a dream upon waking, he’d already disappeared.
Chapter Fifteen
Kate smiled at the woman auditioning her for the chorus girl job, hoping it looked sincere. She handed her a copy of her headshot and resume, taking a moment to smooth out a wrinkled corner first.
“Do you dance?”
“I’m afraid not.”
She raised an eyebrow and then eyeballed her chest. “Comfortable with nudity?”
“Oh. Um, I was told this job involved no nudity, just singing.”
“Yeah, they told you wrong. All our girls are topless, but no hoo-hah. It’s expected.” The woman shrugged, no doubt used to seeing this reaction. “So, you willing to unleash the hounds?”
Shit. This was the fifth audition in the three days since she’d left Liam. And in all of them, the requirements had been the same: show us your tits. Sometimes she thought she lived in bloody Sodom and Gomorrah.
She remembered what Liam said about showgirl acts being demeaning to women. She certainly felt demeaned. One audition after another, and no producer was interested in her voice, just her cup size. They didn’t even care that she couldn’t dance, as long as her hooters were hanging out. Any talent beyond that was considered a bonus.
It was enough to make her seek out a nice, boring call center job somewhere, selling aluminum siding or steak knives.
Rock bottom. Rock bottom. This was just one small part of her journey. She would rise from the ashes like a phoenix.
If she could leave Liam standing there alone, ripping out her own heart in the process, she could get through a few embarrassing auditions.
“Look,” Kate said, eyeing the faded upholstery and trying to ignore the foul smell emanating from the kitchen. “You have a supper club in the middle of a vibrant city. Not every joint in Vegas needs to provide a strip tease. I have talent and drive. Maybe we could talk about trying a new act.” She smiled, willing her positive vibes all over the producer.
The older woman just shook her head and tossed the headshot back across the desk. “Sorry, sweetie. No tits, no dice. In case you hadn’t heard, sex sells.” She stood up and walked toward the audition room door. “There are plenty of girls in Vegas who are willing to take their clothes off. Some of them can even sing.”
As Kate left, she tried hard not to think of Liam’s offer to sing at Decadence. It seemed every thought led back to him. Everything she ate reminded her of the sexy breakfasts they’d shared in bed. Every breath she took recalled feeling his in her ear when they made love. Each look of indifference on another person’s face forced her to remember his, so full of passion and yearning.
She was beginning to think she hadn’t even glimpsed true rock bottom yet. Perhaps it was the difference between the ocean floor and the Marianas Trench.
What about Liam? Was he suffering without her? He’d said he loved her. As much as she wanted to believe it, did believe it, she couldn’t shake the feeling they were better off without each other.
Hadn’t she always been a loner? Her father’s addiction had lost her friends through the years, usually when he’d asked them for handouts. When her mom had taken her own life, Kate had been virtually alone in the world. As sad as her upbringing had been, she’d tried to rise above it, to be an independent woman.
Hiding away with Liam, she’d been on the verge of losing that independence. It had been so nice—no, so wonderful—having him cater to her. But under his roof, she’d become something less than herself. She couldn’t lose sight of that.
It was the only thing stopping her from racing back to Vice and burrowing herself into his embrace.
As soon as she walked out of the dingy club, the sun hit her square in the eye, making her squint. She put on a pair of shades and walked to the nearest bus stop.
And still she thought of him.
The hardest part of walking away had been realizing she never told him she loved him, too. And she did.
She knew it in the quiet moments, when the loneliness hung so heavily on her soul it felt like a tumor. She knew it at daybreak when his arms no longer wrapped around her, making her a willing prisoner to his voice, his touch, his very breath.
Unable to tolerate the lights of the Strip, she’d stayed away from it as much as possible. Luckily her auditions had been in out-of-the-way locations. Not that it mattered. Wherever she went, his image still haunted her. Every suit, every flash of navy blue silk, every man who bore the slightest resemblance gave her a lump in her throat. And every second bus stop she passed carried a poster advertising Vice. She couldn’t escape him. She didn’t want to.
She missed him. It was that simple. But for her sake, as well as his, she had to stay away. The need to stand on her own two feet kept her strong. The desire to see him vanquish his demons kept her on the straight and narrow.
He hadn’t called. As much as that hurt, it also gave her a measure of relief. A few syllables from his sensuous mouth and she’d weaken. Cold turkey was always best.
No one needed to know she went home each night and touched herself, trying to recapture some small wisp of their time together. Only then did she permit herself to remember how his stubble teased her inner thigh, and how hot and sweet his mouth tasted.
She stood at the bus stop and remembered how right it felt to love Liam’s fingers tangled in her hair. Lost in thought, she almost missed the man pacing a few meters away. Accustomed to making room for homeless people on the sidewalk, she automatically stepped back as he approached.
Only then did she recognize the auburn hair under his worn hat and that cocky gait.
“Katie-bug.” Her father grinned. “I’ve been worried sick about you.”
Kate’s lip curled as if of its own volition. “Have you? It would be the first time.”
Louis kicked at a beer can next to the bus stop and watched the stale contents drip onto the sidewalk.
“You sent a loan shark to my home, Dad,” Kate said. “He beat me up. He punched me and kicked me and threatened to rape me. Did you know he’d do it?”
Louis’s face fell, no doubt noticing her faded bruises for the first time. Of course, he’d feel badly. Just not badly enough to do something about it. “Oh, shit. Hugo promised not to get rough. I’m so sorry, Katie.”
“You’re not sorry for anything,” she shouted, not caring if the people walking across the street could hear her. “You’re only sorry I didn’t give him the money!”
He looked around her but avoided her direct gaze. “Will you…give him the money?”
“I can’t fucking believe you!”
“Watch your language, miss.”
She refrained from laughing. Her father might have many sins, but he’d always been a stickler when it came to his daughter cussing. To him, women swearing ranked right up there with murder. “Oh, right, because my language is the real issue here.” She shook her head. “Have you been following me? Did you trail me today just to find out if I have the cash?”
“I’ve been watching your apartment here and there. You were gone for a while.”
“Yeah. I should have stayed away, too.”
He drew nearer, his face torn by urges he barely understood. “Katie, I never meant for this to happen. The gambling. Your mom. None of it.”
She reached for his hand, noticing how he flinched. It had probably been some time since someone touched him. “Will you let me get you help, Dad? Because I will take you to Gamblers Anonymous right now. I will do whatever it takes, but you have to want it.”
For a second, he looked tempted, or at least defeated. But then, with disappointing swiftness, he pulled his hand out of hers. “You don’t understand. No one does. I’m in too deep.”
“It’s never too late.”
“Katie, the only way you can help me now is by giving me the money. I can’t go to any meetings if I’m dead.” He stared at her, his gaze almost heartless as he eyed her pearls. “Maybe if you sold some things, like your choker. Your mom got that from her grandmother. I could get a good price for an antique necklace like that.”
Her last shred of hope for him died when he suggested pawning the only memento she had of her mother, his own wife. Had he forgotten her completely? If not, he’d shelved her memory, unable to deal with it. Unable to accept the part he’d played. For him, denial really was just a river in Egypt.
She offered him a sad smile, and did something she never thought she’d do. She reached behind her neck, unclasped the necklace, and handed it to him.
He snatched it out of her hands and thrust it into his pocket as if someone were watching. “You were always a good kid, Katie. I know you probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you I was proud of you, but I am. You won’t regret helping me. I just have to do this one thing and then I’ll get help. I promise.”
She might as well have been listening to a tape recording of him. “Dad, listen to me. We’re done. I never want to hear from you again. Ever. I hope you get help. I really do, but it can’t come from me anymore. You don’t have a daughter anymore, and I don’t have a father.”
Louis pulled the pearl necklace out of his pocket. For a moment, she thought he was going to give it back, but he shoved it back into his pocket. He rubbed his mouth, turned and walked down the street.
As he turned the corner, Kate whispered, “Goodbye, Dad.”
Hugo Vaughan had clearly been paid. Or so Kate assumed. After all, he’d never come back to collect. Whatever price her dad got for the choker, it must have fit the bill to cover his debts. She wasn’t sure her mom had ever had the pearls appraised, but she knew the necklace was old and in impeccable condition. She didn’t have to work for Antiques Roadshow to know it cost a mint.
It was probably the first time she’d wasted a thought on Vaughan since leaving Liam. In a way, she had almost expected the loan shark to show up at her door, demanding more cash. She just hadn’t cared. He could come if he wanted. Hell, he could stay for tea and biscuits.
It didn’t matter because every moment away from Liam seemed to ensconce her further down in the hole she kept calling rock bottom, a place she now hated with all her might. She worried about ever being able to claw her way out.
One bright spot was her new job at Percolate, a quaint coffee shop that catered to hipsters and hipster wannabes. She’d walked into the shop, talking a big talk about providing them with some much-needed musical entertainment. The place served great coffee but was far too serious. The manager had offered her a job as a clerk instead, saying she could sing after her shift serving up coffees for tips.
Granted, it wasn’t anywhere close to being her dream job, and it certainly paled in comparison to crooning love songs at Decadence, but for now it would have to do. She’d answered ads for every entertainment-related position in the city, but none had panned out. This wasn’t such a bad deal. The clerk job offered a bit of money and a whole lot of brain-numbing repetitive work, and at least she could keep her pipes warmed up with the hour of singing she did after the shift.
As she prepared for her shift, she noticed a newspaper lying on the break table. Taking a closer look, she almost gasped. Left open to the entertainment pages, the photo showed Liam surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women at Vice, each of them looking at him with adoration. She looked at the date on the paper and saw it was only one day old.
A stabbing pain assaulted her heart. “Well, you seem to have moved on.”
Someone crept up behind her. Her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of blond dreadlocks and piercings. Cynthia, her nineteen-year-old coworker, motioned toward the article. “Liam Doyle, huh? Fuck me. I would totally let that man shave my pussy.”
Kate turned to her, frowning. “Uh…”
Cynthia turned to her. “What? You’ve never let a man shave you before? It’s super-hot.”
Kate bit her lip, remembering how much Liam loved playing down there. She decided to keep that juicy memory to herself. “Too much information, that’s all.”
Cynthia picked up the paper. “Hey, did you hear that guy just…”
“Actually, I’d rather not hear about Liam Doyle. Please.” She tried not to look like she was a simpleton.
The girl shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Feeling lower than ever, Kate adjusted her T-shirt, pasted on a smile and took her station at the counter. Luckily the shop was dead and she didn’t have to face anyone right now. She grabbed a wet cloth and proceeded to clean, mentally reviewing her set list of songs for the end of her shift.
The idea of Liam cavorting with socialites made her stomach lurch. Kate took deep breaths and tried to concentrate on her work, sorting prepackaged bags of fair-trade brew. Someone had mixed up the decaf with the strong Columbian and she set about restoring order to the display. The writing on the coffee bags began to blur from her tears. She blinked them away.
You were a fool to think you could be part of his world.
“Hey.”
Kate jumped at the soft voice next to her and turned. Kate’s eyes widened when she saw Lisa at the counter, Georgie and Sarah at her side. Georgie ran around the counter and hugged her, almost making her burst into tears again, but she held it back so as not to startle the poor kid.
Georgie sniffed her work shirt and said, “Auntie Kate, you smell like Grandma after she comes back from bingo.”
Kate let out a laugh, even as Lisa scolded him for the comparison. “You’re right, George.” Cynthia always smoked out back on her breaks but the smell managed to cling to Kate’s clothes anyway.
Lisa turned to her daughter and handed her some change. “Sarah, take your brother and go get a chocolate bar next door.”
The girl grabbed her little brother by his collar and hurried out.
“So,” said Lisa, sighing.
“So.”
“I, um, thought I saw you from outside. Thought I’d grab a coffee.”
Kate nodded and poured Lisa her usual black brew. She handed it over. “How are you?”
Lisa took the cup and rummaged in her pocket for change, letting out a puff of air. “We’re okay. Day by day, right?” She handed over some change.
“Yup.” She ground the toe of her Keds into the floor.
Lisa put down the cup. “Look. Rod said something about you being attacked. Is it true?”
She nodded, not wanting to say more.
“Oh, Kate.” Lisa’s voice quavered. “I’m sorry.”
Her head bobbed up and down. “I’m sorry, too.”
They hugged and Kate finally gave into her grief and her fear and cried on Lisa’s shoulder. After a couple of minutes, Lisa wrangled herself from their hold and looked at her. “Please tell me Liam Doyle wasn’t the one who hit you. Because I will kill him.”
“No. Not him. Never him.” She gulped back bile. “I love him, Lisa.”
Her friend sighed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “So I see.” She narrowed her eyes and peered at her neck. “Where are your pearls?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Well, I think it’s time for a catch up session. Come for a coffee, or something stronger, after your shift?”
She managed a grin. “I’d really like that.”
Lisa kissed her on the cheek, and just like that, some of the weight that had been holding Kate down lifted. She felt she could breathe again. They said a few more words before the kids bounded back inside, eager to return home so they could play videogames. Lisa smiled and said goodbye. Kate waved as they left.
She turned back to the packages of coffee and decided they looked just fine as they were.
Lisa handed her what had to be her seventeenth cup of coffee that day, after stirring in cream and two heaping teaspoons of sugar. Kate waited a moment, stared at the mug, and then added another teaspoon of the sweet stuff.
Her friend giggled. “I see we’re back on sugar.”
“Sugar and I were never meant to be apart.” She stirred the hot beverage and licked the spoon, enjoying the tingle on her tongue. “Have you seen Donny?”
Lisa nodded. “When he rushed over to tell me about you and Doyle, he acted pretty excited to be at home. Personally, I think he was just happy seeing someone take the heat for once.”
Kate put her hand on Lisa’s arm. “But then he disappeared again?”
Lisa gave a short laugh, though it lacked in humor. “Actually, no. Even though I was angry at you, I read him the riot act for trying to get someone else in trouble just to try and get me on his side. We talked. For a long time. I mean really talked.”
“You did?”
Lisa nodded. “At first it was the same old song and dance. He was just trying to ‘protect’ me by pointing out what a shitty friend you were. Sorry, his words.”
Kate smiled. “That’s okay.”
“But then he just went on this crazy rant. Talking about how he hated the world for messing up his life. Our lives. He blamed Doyle, he blamed you, he blamed the security guard who threw him out. He blamed me, and the kids, and my mom. He blamed his boss for not giving him a raise, and his co-workers for undermining him. Then he blamed his car for breaking down and the mechanic for ripping him off. And I think it was around that time he realized he was blaming just about everyone he knew. Except himself.”
Kate said nothing, but her eyes widened.
