Justin exploded. “There is no such thing as love.”
“That’s enough, Justin,” Tucker told him in a warning voice. “Dial it down.”
Angel’s face paled. “Wait a minute. What’s going on here? Are you guys mad at me? I’m not sure what I did wrong here.”
Justin turned away from her, but Tucker finally answered. “I’m not sure mad actually describes it, Angel. But if your boss is handling the case, that means you’ll be working on it, too. Right? We just got this news before you got here, and it’s kind of hard to deal with you on the other side of the fence.”
“No, I—”
“Not hard.” Justin turned back to face her. “Try impossible. You toss the love word around pretty easily. And that’s all it is. Just a word. Easy to say. Easy to take back.”
“What?” She wrinkled her forehead in confusion. “What are you talking about?” She looked at Tucker. “Can you explain to me why your brother is so off the wall here?”
“Justin has some…issues here, honey. He—”
“I don’t have fucking issues,” Justin practically shouted. “I’m talking about the fact that despite you saying you love us, you came here to tell us you’ll be representing the man who’s suing us. Who can cost us a bunch of money. That doesn’t sound much like love to me.”
Angel shook her head vehemently. “No, no, no. Please. Listen to me. That’s not what I came here to say. I’m trying to tell you that I told my boss I wouldn’t work on this case. He should take me off the team.”
“That’ll certainly put a crimp in your plans for your big career,” Justin said in a scathing voice.
Angel pulled herself up to her full height, obviously trying to make herself as tall as possible. A mixture of emotions splashed across her face—pain, despair, then finally anger.
“So that’s it. Just like that. Without any chance for me to tell you how…to let you know…After everything we’ve…” She looked at Tucker. “Please, Tucker—”
“Tucker feels the same way I do.” Justin answered for his brother, shutting down the conversation. Her anguish clawed at Justin’s chest, nearly ripping it open, but his own pain was greater.
“Now I think it’s best if you just leave.”
Angel stared at him. “I thought we had something special going here. Something that also involved trust. Trust that went both ways. But if you’re willing to turn on me this quickly, to lose what we have because for whatever reason you don’t trust me…” She stamped her foot, angry now. “Oh, fuck it. If that’s the way it is, you two aren’t worth the loss of one night’s sleep.”
She stomped out of the house, slamming the door and leaving the brothers staring after her.
“Don’t you think we were a little too quick there, bro?” Tucker’s tone was mild, but Justin could sense irritation seething below the surface. Didn’t he understand what happened? “I mean, she did come and tell us.”
Justin shook his head. “But after Reece did. Besides, she works for the enemy. From now on, we have to consider her the enemy, too. It’s just like I told you, Tuck. History repeats itself and that’s what’s happening now.”
Tucker shook his head. “I disagree with you. This was a shock, sure, but she did come racing out here to us. You let your temper get the best of you, and now everything’s fucked. You’re letting one event in your life color everything else.”
“I was right then,” Justin pointed out. “And I’m right now. I told you ever since that disaster with Holly, you just can’t trust women that easily. I have no plans to let myself in for that kind of pain again.”
He was the one who’d been the most committed in the relationship. And the one who’d been hurt the worst. Maybe because while he gave physically with ease, he wasn’t so free with his emotions. When he gave them, it was without reservation. To have had them stomped all over had nearly destroyed him.
“We need to
“That’s enough, Justin,” Tucker told him in a warning voice. “Dial it down.”
Angel’s face paled. “Wait a minute. What’s going on here? Are you guys mad at me? I’m not sure what I did wrong here.”
Justin turned away from her, but Tucker finally answered. “I’m not sure mad actually describes it, Angel. But if your boss is handling the case, that means you’ll be working on it, too. Right? We just got this news before you got here, and it’s kind of hard to deal with you on the other side of the fence.”
“No, I—”
“Not hard.” Justin turned back to face her. “Try impossible. You toss the love word around pretty easily. And that’s all it is. Just a word. Easy to say. Easy to take back.”
“What?” She wrinkled her forehead in confusion. “What are you talking about?” She looked at Tucker. “Can you explain to me why your brother is so off the wall here?”
“Justin has some…issues here, honey. He—”
“I don’t have fucking issues,” Justin practically shouted. “I’m talking about the fact that despite you saying you love us, you came here to tell us you’ll be representing the man who’s suing us. Who can cost us a bunch of money. That doesn’t sound much like love to me.”
Angel shook her head vehemently. “No, no, no. Please. Listen to me. That’s not what I came here to say. I’m trying to tell you that I told my boss I wouldn’t work on this case. He should take me off the team.”
“That’ll certainly put a crimp in your plans for your big career,” Justin said in a scathing voice.
Angel pulled herself up to her full height, obviously trying to make herself as tall as possible. A mixture of emotions splashed across her face—pain, despair, then finally anger.
“So that’s it. Just like that. Without any chance for me to tell you how…to let you know…After everything we’ve…” She looked at Tucker. “Please, Tucker—”
“Tucker feels the same way I do.” Justin answered for his brother, shutting down the conversation. Her anguish clawed at Justin’s chest, nearly ripping it open, but his own pain was greater.
“Now I think it’s best if you just leave.”
Angel stared at him. “I thought we had something special going here. Something that also involved trust. Trust that went both ways. But if you’re willing to turn on me this quickly, to lose what we have because for whatever reason you don’t trust me…” She stamped her foot, angry now. “Oh, fuck it. If that’s the way it is, you two aren’t worth the loss of one night’s sleep.”
She stomped out of the house, slamming the door and leaving the brothers staring after her.
“Don’t you think we were a little too quick there, bro?” Tucker’s tone was mild, but Justin could sense irritation seething below the surface. Didn’t he understand what happened? “I mean, she did come and tell us.”
Justin shook his head. “But after Reece did. Besides, she works for the enemy. From now on, we have to consider her the enemy, too. It’s just like I told you, Tuck. History repeats itself and that’s what’s happening now.”
Tucker shook his head. “I disagree with you. This was a shock, sure, but she did come racing out here to us. You let your temper get the best of you, and now everything’s fucked. You’re letting one event in your life color everything else.”
“I was right then,” Justin pointed out. “And I’m right now. I told you ever since that disaster with Holly, you just can’t trust women that easily. I have no plans to let myself in for that kind of pain again.”
He was the one who’d been the most committed in the relationship. And the one who’d been hurt the worst. Maybe because while he gave physically with ease, he wasn’t so free with his emotions. When he gave them, it was without reservation. To have had them stomped all over had nearly destroyed him.
“We need to
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