I trust him, but I also understand his relationship with his wife comes before his relationship with me. I don’t blame him for that.
“I’m being respectful. I know you and Maddie don’t like to keep things from each other.” It pays to make sure everyone is on the same page before you say something you can’t take back.
“It doesn’t affect her, Lily, or me, so I’m not keeping anything from her.” Mitch also has a daughter who turned one last month, and he has become downright domestic.
“Okay, good. Because I need to figure this shit out before I talk to Ryder.”
“You have my word.”
I take a gulp of coffee, hoping the caffeine speeds through my system and jolts me awake. “Friday, after the Felicia situation, I was in a shit mood and stopped in some out-of-the-way dive bar. Jessica Moore, also in a bad mood, sat down next to me. We proceeded to take that bad mood out on each other. And before you ask, no, I didn’t get her name, and yes, I do know how that sounds. Now she is a ticking time bomb, waiting to detonate.”
Mitch starts to laugh and then covers it up with a cough. “Sorry, sorry.”
I stare up at my ceiling. “The woman is entirely unpredictable and unhinged, and you’re laughing?”
“Heard she’s pretty hot too.”
“That’s not the point. She’s utter chaos. I feel like I’m in an episode of I Love Lucy.” I stop, narrowing my eyes. “Who said that she was hot?”
A slow smile widens his mouth. “Sam.”
“Jesus Christ, why are you all such gossips?”
“This is Revival. What did you expect?”
“Fourteen fucking hours ago, I didn’t expect anything.”
Mitch holds out his hands. “Okay, calm down. We’ll figure it out.”
I don’t want to ask, I really don’t, but I’ve been exercising restraint since this disaster started. I’m low on sleep, and I’m weak. “What did Sam say?”
He cocks a grin. “Do you really want to know?”
I don’t want to think about what my gut is telling me. I change the subject. “Let’s get on topic. I don’t want to lie to Ryder. I can keep playing dumb, but that doesn’t seem to be working, and I can’t think of anything.” I rake my hand through my hair. “I don’t know. I thought if I said it out loud, something might come to me.”
Mitch stares at me without blinking for several long, uncomfortable moments. I clench my jaw to keep from filling in the silence.
It’s one of those things you learn in law enforcement. How powerful silence is. What people confess when they can no longer stand the sudden quiet in a too-loud world.
Once again, Jessica Moore is forcing me to exercise willpower, and I do not like it.
I do, however, manage to keep my mouth shut.
Mitch leans forward and puts his elbows on my wooden table. “That must have been some one-night stand.”
That wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I jerk my head back. “Are you deliberately missing the point?”
“No, but it must have been pretty good to shake you.”
“I’m not shaken.” The words come out quick, too quick.
“Uh-huh.”
Defensiveness crawls across my skin. “It was fine. It’s the mess after that’s causing me to scramble and bat cleanup. I talked to her last night, and we both agreed it was an isolated incident neither of us has any intention of repeating.”
Her cool casualness about the situation irrationally infuriated me. Of course she’s lying about my effect on her, but I can’t confront her about it without revealing I’m lying about her effect on me too.
“What’s her game plan?” Mitch asks.