I stayed till closing, though Brandon told me I could leave. I didn’t.
Derek went home. Brandon headed out. I insisted on doing the cleanup.
I had no clue when Zeke left or if he went with Kit. I went into the back, and they were gone by the time I came back out, but now, when it was almost three because I’d been dawdling, I heard a toilet flush in the back.
The door opened.
Footsteps sounded. Someone was coming down the hallway.
A shiver went down my spine. I thought everyone was gone, and I moved back, I’d already turned the lights off, and flattened myself against the wall. I could dart out the side door and run if I needed, but then the figure showed, and I released my breath.
It was Zeke.
“I thought you left.”
He made his way to me, through and around the tables with their chairs turned upside down. His head cocked to the side. “I was hiding.”
A snort left me, one that was a little too relieved if I was being honest with myself. I leaned back against the wall, content to let him keep making his way to me. “Hiding from who?”
He stopped just in front of me, and I could see his eyes from the parking lot light shining through the window. They were clear and very focused on me. He was sober. “You know who I was hiding from.”
Kit.
“You and she are none of my business.”
He took a step closer, still watching me. So intense. “Maybe I want us to be, maybe for one night?”
My stomach knotted up again. What was he doing?
I swallowed tightly. “I don’t know why you’d say that—”
“I don’t fuck married women.”
My eyes closed. He went right there, straight to the point. I opened them again. “Did you used to?”
“I used to fuck Kit, yes, but not since she was married. I can be called a lot of things, but I’m not a cheater and I’m not disloyal. I like Kit’s husband.”
“She’s a cheater.”
“Again. That’s not me.”
“Are you going to tell her husband she cheats?”
Gah. Why was I involving myself? All my life, I was “less than.” I was the working class. I never had money, probably never would. I’ll work till I die, but until a week ago, I thought I’d always have my family beside me. I knew different now.
I was breaking. Right now. Right here.
I was looking at something I wanted, even if it was just for a night? Could I?
Did I dare?
I wanted to, so badly.
Zeke sidled closer, his eyes almost glittering from how fierce they were looking at me. “Kit and her husband have an agreement. They both know what they’re getting out of their arrangement.”
My mouth dried up. “Are those the sort of agreements you like?”
“No.” Even closer. I could almost feel him. A slight twitch of an arm and we’d be touching. He added, “Again, a lot of words can be used to describe me, but I’m loyal. Once I care about someone, I lock on and I don’t let that person go. It’s a fault of mine.”