Page 15 of Never Gonna Lie (Forbidden #2)
Chapter Fifteen
JAMES
P roof of how much the universe hated me came later that week.
Elbows deep in paperwork, my phone rings, snapping me out of thoughts of Raven and the weekend at Drew’s. Picking up, I answer it distractedly. “Smith.”
“James,” a voice purrs, one I don’t recognize but sounds like nails on a chalkboard. “It’s Tara.”
Tara… Tara… nope, not a fucking clue. I’m drawing a blank .
She huffs on the other end. “We met the other night, I came back to yours?”
Oh, her . I roll my eyes before responding, “How did you get my number?”
“I have my ways,” she laughs, and it grates on my nerves. “I was hoping to see you again.”
“Thanks, but I don’t do repeats.” I hang up the phone, putting it back on my desk. It buzzes again, not seconds later. “What?” I snap .
“Whoa, what crawled up your ass, man?” Theo chuckles.
I lean back in my chair and chuckle with him. “Long day.”
“Wanna grab lunch? I’m near your office.”
I glance at my watch and notice I’ve been sitting at my desk for hours without a break. “Sounds good. I’ll meet you at Nova’s.”
“Alright,” Theo agrees before disconnecting the call.
Pushing open the door to Nova’s, I see Theo already sitting at a table. Making my way over, I ruffle his hair in greeting before taking a seat opposite him.
Nova’s is an Italian restaurant just off Main Street that does the best food.
The welcoming aroma of fresh Italian food always causes my stomach to rumble and my mouth to salivate as soon as I walk through the door.
It’s a nice rustic place that reminds me of the times I spent in Italy over the years for work and pleasure.
An older couple runs the place, always welcoming you with open arms and treating you like you’re family.
“How’s it going?” I ask, signaling to the waiter for a drink.
Theo sighs. “It’s been better, but it is what it is.”
“I fucking hate that saying,” I grumble. “This is me, Theo. Spill it.” I raise an eyebrow, waiting him out.
Theo places his head in his hands. “It’s just hard, knowing she’s back. It’s a reminder of after , and it’s fucking with my head.” He clears his throat and swipes a hand down his face .
I know exactly what happened after; I was there to pick him up off the floor—literally. Those days were dark for Theo, and I don’t want him back there.
“Have you spoken to Mike?” I ask gently, suddenly on high alert.
“Not yet.” Theo shakes his head. “I’ll call him when I’m done here.”
“Make sure you do, Tips.”
I revert back to my nickname for him as a kid—he’d braided his hair and put pink beads along the bottom, making it look like he had pink tips. I’ve never let him live it down.
Theo chuckles. “Bringing out the big guns, I see.” He finally takes his head out of his hands and looks at me, sadness etched into the lines of his face. “I’ll deal with it, I promise.”
I nod my head. One thing about Theo? He hates being pushed on anything. You keep at him, and he’ll dig his heels in harder just to make a point, whether he’s right or not. But this is one slope I don’t want him going back down.
We finish up lunch, Theo back to his normal jovial self, but I know I need to keep a closer eye on him. I won’t let what happened happen again.