“And why would he do that?” I asked, my teeth set on edge.
Josh sighed. “Because when I mentioned you, I told him the main reason why I was here—to come and see if there was still a chance for us. And like I said, my friend knew you’d been seeing Jay…so I guess he thought the photos might change your mind about him. I know it was selfish, using the pictures to help get you on my good side, but I do care about you, Kate. And this Walsh guy is just an ass.”
A torrent of thoughts rushed through my mind as I mulled everything over. Jay didn’t tell you where he was going this morning, remember? What if he had another date? What if he has another fling who lives in another country and she’s just over here visiting? What if he’s really not set on giving up his old ways after all? You’re stupid for believing him, Kate. You never should have fallen for that garbage.
I blinked, not wanting to cry in front of Josh. I didn’t know why I was so upset. After all, despite spending most of the past two weeks together, Jay and I had yet to talk about our future, or if there even was a future for us in the cards. I shuddered.
“Not so eager to kick me out now, are you?” Josh said softly, raising an eyebrow at me.
“This doesn’t change anything,” I said slowly. “I mean, they could be faked, right?” Lowering the photographs to the table, I scrutinized them. They were grainy, but unmistakable. It was definitely Jay, and whether or not he knew he was being watched, he was definitely putting on a show.
Josh shook his head. “My friend’s paparazzi sources are legit. And if you’re thinking that I faked them, well come on…would I lie to you?”
Yes, I thought to myself. But as much as I couldn’t stand being around Josh, I knew that he’d come a long way to try and be with me. After all, hopping on a plane wasn’t exactly easy these days. Tickets were absurdly expensive, and even the most luxurious of seats started to feel cramped over flying across the Atlantic. And he had tried to warn me about Jay….
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.
“This doesn’t mean anything,” I said slowly. “And we are not getting back together. But I want to thank you for coming here and trying to warn me.”
I threw the rest of my croissant away, washed my hands, and walked back into the living room. My head was starting to ache and I felt tired, and like I needed a long bath and then a nap even though I’d only just woken up a couple of hours ago.
Josh smiled. “I knew you’d feel that way,” he said, seemingly oblivious of my first two statements. “Well, anyway, I know you said you want to spend the day with Lizzy, so I’ll take off, but how about dinner later? After all, I’m the new kid in town. Wanna give your sister a break and take me out?”
He winked at me with his deep grey eyes and I looked away. Josh had an insane amount of charm—it was what had first attracted me his way—but it wasn’t going to work. Not this time. I wasn’t going to let Josh Manning get under my skin for another second.
On the other hand, I did need a distraction from the awful photos I’d just seen, so I finally nodded.
“Only if you swear that you know this won’t lead to anything,” I said in a warning tone, trying to think of the least romantic restaurant possible. “And you know this isn’t a date. I’ll simply be showing you a good place to eat because you’ve flown all this way, and I’m grateful for your warning about Jay Walsh. And we also need to discuss whatever it is the showrunners asked you to tell me.”
“Fine,” Josh replied. He grinned at me and I felt a touch of….something. Not desire, but almost admiration. I couldn’t read his mind; I had no idea why he’d chased me across the ocean, other than over his infatuation, but I couldn’t help admiring his spirit, either.
“Promise me you know it won’t be a date,” I said, holding out my hand to shake.
Josh gripped my waiting fingers with surprising strength, and he squeezed. “I promise,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “This is definitely, certainly, not a date. Just colleagues discussing work.”
I smiled and relaxed my tense shoulders. Maybe Josh wasn’t as much of a disrespectful asshole as I’d assumed over the last few months, and maybe he was finally beginning to understand that a relationship between us was never going to happen again.
Maybe we could even be friends.
Chapter Fifteen
Jay
By the time I got down to the police station that Connor was apparently being held at, I was a wreck. I kept imagining him in the worst sorts of ways—strung out on heroin, choking on his own vomit. Drinking all day then blacking out and hitting his head on something hard. Snorting so much cocaine that he got a wicked nosebleed and passed out from blood loss. I’d been around a lot of men who liked to party, but right now I was picturing Connor taking the game to a whole new level.