Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

7

Chapter 17

Although Tanya’s presence had been annoying, it didn’t ruin my appetite. I enjoyed a large plate of creamy pasta before heading back to the office.

As soon as I got there, I received a call from Lindey. I hadn’t been home for two days, so it was normal for her to call. “Hey, Lindey.”

“Rea, don’t stay at your friend’s place too long. Come home tonight. I made gnocchi with cumin and ground beef,” Lindey said, making me smile.

already.com

It seemed Jace had already come up with an excuse for my absence.

I had decided to move back to the apartment in Emberholm, so I had to go to the Johnston

place to pack my stuff. I told Lindey, “I’ll be back tonight,” and left it at that.

As the workday was ending, Demi came up to me. “Keira, you doing okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, puzzled.

“Office gossip. Ignore it. I’ve seen how much Mr. Johnston cares about you,” Demi said, hiding her phone behind her back.

“Hand it over,” I said, my tone serious.

Reluctantly, Demi gave me her phone and opened their private gossip group. The stuff they were talking about was similar to what I had heard yesterday Jace’s past.

Turns out they were college classmates, along with Desmond. There were even rumors about a love triangle back in the day.

I hadn’t known any of this. Even if it was just gossip, there might be some truth to it.

After giving Demi her phone back, I drove off. But instead of heading to the Johnston residence, I went to see Steve at his pool hall.

When I arrived, he was playing billiards and invited me to join. “Want to play a few games?”

I had been here before with Jace. He was the one who taught me how to play pool.

I

I took off my coat, grabbed a cue, and joined Steve.

“Not bad, you’ve learned from the best,” he said, complimenting Jace.

“Did you go to college with Jace?” I asked as I lined up my shot.

“Yeah, why do you ask? Digging for some school–time gossip?” Steve was sharp.

“Did anything happen between him and Tanya back then?” I asked bluntly.

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Steve stopped and looked at me.

I smiled faintly. “I know you won’t lie to me.”

“There wasn’t,” Steve said as he made a perfect shot. “I guarantee it.”

He looked at me. “Why the sudden interest?”

“Just curious,” I replied and took a shot.

“You’re supposed to get married tomorrow. If you’ve decided to be together, you need to trust

each other,” Steve added. “Congrats in advance on your wedding.”

“We broke up,” I said, making Steve’s hand falter.

After a moment, he nodded. “Better to break up now than divorce later.”

He was straightforward. Remembering his earlier advice, I said, “Thanks, Steve.”

“Yeah?” he responded, puzzled.

I didn’t explain further and left, heading back to the Johnston residence. As soon as I entered, I saw Jace’s car already parked in the driveway.

Walking toward the house, I heard Matthew’s angry voice from inside. ‘Rea is your fiancée! How could you be carrying another woman outside the office

Apparently, the office gossip had reached Jace’s parents. Now I knew why they had called me back.

“Jace Johnston, if you don’t marry Rea tomorrow, don’t bother coming back to this house,” Matthew yelled again.

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