Page 83 of Pick Six

“Some things aren’t your business, even if you are his agent.”

“You’re my business.”

I laugh. “I’m definitely not.”

“You’re my ex-wife. He shouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot fucking pole.”

“Ex. Ex-wife Drew. As in no longer, and he can touch me however and whenever he pleases.”

“I should have fucking known.” Drew looks a combination of pissed and amused as he shakes his head. “I knew he was going to go after you, but I thought you were too smart for his bullshit.”

“His bullshit? He doesn’t have any bullshit. He has some faults but lying and bullshitting aren’t on the list. You on the other handarefull of it.” I glare at him as I fold my arms because he turns me into a petulant child who wants to argue about every stupid detail with him.

“I should have known you’d be vulnerable and easy for him to manipulate. I should have warned you.”

“I don’t need you to warn me,” I say derisively because I can’t believe he’s taking this patronizing tone with me. I mean Icanbelieve he’d do it; it was a frequent habit of his I realized too late, but that he thinks he can do it to me now and I’ll listen is wild.

“You do. You don’t know what you’re getting into with him. How he treats women. How quickly he ditches them and replaces them. He’ll say whatever he needs to get them in bed with him, and then he’s a completely different person.”

“Are you his agent or Danica’s?” I roll my eyes. “I’m not worried.”

“Danica was the least of his problems. She at least knew what she was getting into with him. There have been plenty of others he’s left in his wake. Sam and I clean up his fucking mess every time. I don’t want to have to clean up after he does the same to you. And he will.”

“I don’t know the person you’re talking about. Because the Alex I know is very clear on where we stand and has been throughout all of this. Second, even if things don’t work out for us, I just want the best for him. There won’t be any mess to clean up. And most importantly—the only one of you who I can recall lying, manipulating, and leaving a mess in their wake is you. Thankfully Alex repaired most of that damage. You know, because he’s a good person, practically a Boy Scout in my experience.”

“A good person,” Drew scoffs.

“If you represent him, shouldn’t you think so?”

“I think he is who he is. He’s my friend—or at least I thought he was—and I think he’s a lucrative client when I get to constantly charge more for all the extra headaches he creates.”

“That’s sad then. He deserves better than you.”

“You deserve better than him.”

“Yeah, and who is that? You? The guy who cheated on me over and over again?”

“I’m not that guy anymore. I’m working on myself. Getting my shit together. I’m a better person now. Our divorce woke me up, and I’ve been doing my best to fix all the shit that went wrong.”

“You know, I hope that’s true. I hope that you figure things out and do better the next time.”

“Do you mean that?” He studies me like he’s skeptical.

“Yes, Drew. You hurt me, a lot. But at some point, we cared a lot about each other. I wanted good things for you. I still do even if you’re not my favorite person.”

“I want another chance to prove it to you.” His eyes go soft as he looks at me, and I almost feel guilty for what I have to say next.

“Drew… No. That’s not happening. I’m with Alex. It’s not fake anymore. I have feelings for him. I hate to be the one to tell you that, and even with everything that went on, I’m sorry it’s your best friend. But that’s just how it is.”

“Because you had feelings for him the whole fucking time and never gave me a real chance.” He lashes out.

“I did not.”

“He told me about you meeting him before me. Not wanting a one-night stand. So what was I? The consolation prize? Can’t have the guy you want so you take his friend instead?”

“That is not how it happened. I didn’t even know the two of you were friends when we met. I just thought you were friends with someone in Violet’s circle. I didn’t know it was him.”

“And when you did and didn’t want to tell me?”