Page 187 of Right Man, Right Time
“Okay, I can see where your head is at, but maybe something to consider, what if, I don’t know . . . what if it wasn’t her who wrote it?”
“What the fuck are you talking about? That’s the article she wrote. I read it before she turned it in. She told me she made a few changes. The part of me being cheated on, those were her changes. And why the hell are you defending her?”
“I’m not defending her. I’m just trying to figure this all out, okay? It doesn’t seem like Ollie would do that to you.”
“And you think you know her better than I do?”
“From what you know of her, is this something she would do?”
I glance away, my anger overtaking my common sense. “She knew about Sarah. She was one of the first to know. How did it end up in her article?”
“I . . . I don’t know,” Posey says as he scratches the back of his neck. “All I know is that I’ve seen the way she looks at you and cares for you. It’s hard to believe she would do this.” He pauses and then says, “What if . . . what if it was Sarah?”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“What if Sarah went and told someone? I mean, she did have that altercation with Ollie at the bar. Maybe Ollie pissed her off, and Sarah went in for revenge?”
I run my tongue over my teeth, giving that idea thought. “How would she even know who Ollie was, that she was writing an article to begin with?”
Just then, the person of question, Sarah herself, walks into the cafeteria. It’s rare when marketing people go on trips with the teams, but because she’s been helping fill in for Penny, some duties have been split.
Sarah glances around, and when she spots me, she heads right for my table.
But this time, instead of her trying to attack me with her sex appeal, she has a worried expression on her face.
“Silas, can I have a word with you?” she asks as she wrings her hands in front of her.
“Whatever you have to say can be said in front of Posey.”
She glances at Posey and then back at me. I wonder what’s going on in her head. Is she guilty? She has to know about the article. I swear everyone knows about it at this point. That thing spread like wildfire.
“Okay.” She clears her throat. “I wanted to talk to you about that article that was written. I’m already getting emails from other news outlets asking for an interview, for a comment. My name is being tossed around because I was your last girlfriend, and now my boss is questioning me. Why . . . why did you have her write that? I know I hurt you, but this is playing with my livelihood now.”
“So . . . you didn’t have anything to do with this article?”
“No,” she says in disgust and shock. “Why would I want to put that out in the world? I’m ashamed of what I did, Silas. I don’t want to be known as a cheater. There are comments in that article of people tearing me apart. Do you really think I would want to add that kind of disaster to my life?”
I’ve known Sarah for a very long time, and I know when she’s being manipulative, when she’s lying, when she’s sad, angry, and telling the truth. And I know, from the depths of my soul, that she had nothing to do with this.
She swipes at a tear and whispers, “I don’t want to lose this job.”
“You won’t lose your job,” I say. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“Dude . . .” Posey says. When I give him a death glare, he doesn’t back down. “She fucked you over. Made you feel like absolute shit. Made you self-doubt, and you’re just going to jump in and protect her like that? What the fuck, man?”
Sarah stiffens next to me. “Everyone makes mistakes, Levi.”
“That wasn’t a mistake,” he says, his voice harsh. “That was messing with my boy. You realize the kind of man Silas is? He would do anything for the people close to him, and you cheated on him, God knows how many times. Frankly, it’s disgusting you think you can ask for help without even apologizing or owning up to what you did. You’re a shit person, Sarah. Simple as that. If your name is being dragged around, then you fucking deserve it.”
“Levi,” I say, trying to calm him down.
“What? It’s true. You deserve better. Don’t sink to her level.”
“I’m not sinking to her level, but I’m also not going to just sit back when the girl I was with fucked us both over. Sarah shouldn’t lose her job because of what she did to me.” Even I’m not that petty.
“The whole reason you were even with Ollie is because of Sarah,” Posey practically yells. “Like where’s your fucking head at, man?”
I know he’s right.
