N9ne: The Tale of Kevin Clearwater (King, #9)(62)

Penn clears his throat, forcing his wife to stop her ogling. He squints at Nine. “I know you from somewhere.”

Nine nods. “We met on a beach once. You were with a couple of friends.”

Pen’s eyes go wide and his mouth goes silent.

I hear Nine’s almost inaudible chuckle.

Lori turns her attention back to me. “Yes, about that. It wasn’t you. I told you as much. But, I am sorry I couldn’t put you up in the guest house. You know how remodeling goes.”

Sorry? She doesn’t sound sorry. In fact, the way she keeps looking over my shoulder tells me that she’s worried we’ll be spotted together.

“You were putting tile down in a small bathroom,” I point out. “Not tearing the house down and starting over. We were friends, and you left me hanging when I needed you most.”

Lori picks at pretend lint on the white collar of her floral sundress, like she’s growing bored of this conversation. “Yes, and you wouldn’t believe how hard it was to supervise that little project. Especially since my Italian isn’t what it used to be. I mean, when Penn and I were in Tuscany, I was practically fluent, but since…”

“Wait,” Nine interrupts. His grip on his beer tightens as he stares Lori down. It’s his turn to point at her. “Let’s cut the boring bullshit. You knew that your friend was being evicted from her home and didn’t have a dime to her name and you wouldn’t let her stay with you. Not even in your guest house, and you didn’t offer your assistance in any way when you know that Lenny would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it, if even if it was her only one.” He scoffs and takes a step forward and glares at her with all of the pain and anger she made me feel, like it was suddenly Nine who she’d rejected when he needed her most instead of me.

Lori’s smile falters. She grabs Penn by the arm as if to straighten the rod shoved up her asshole. “I mean, I would have, but like I was saying—”

“Let’s go, Lori,” Penn interrupts. “It’s obvious your friend has forgotten what being civilized means while she’s been slumming it on the other side of the causeway,” Penn says, pulling her away. “I told you we shouldn’t have come here. Let’s go.” Ined, who is still standing several feet away, looks downright mortified, not for them, but because of them. She pushes the stroller and heads to the parking lot as if sensing that something bad is going to go down.

Nine gnashes his teeth and takes another step forward. Penn flinches, and his fear brings me a wave of unexpected joy.

I grab Nine’s arm to prevent him from doing anything stupid. Cops are everywhere, and I don’t want this night to end with Nine in jail, especially not because of people who don’t matter. Not to me. Not anymore.

Nine growls at Penn and Lori like a caged animal ready to pounce. “You two are pieces of shit. Lenny is better off without you in her life.”

“And she’s better off somehow for having YOU be in her life?” Penn scoffs.

Nine juts out his chin. “No, but unlike you, I don’t pretend that I’m not good enough for her while you two lie to yourselves thinking that you’re somehow better than her. You’re not.” He shakes his head. “You think I’m garbage? Look in a fucking mirror.”

I’m…I don’t know what the fuck I am. He’s defending me and I’m elated but, it’s the other thing he said that gives me pause.

Nine doesn’t think he’s good enough for me? Has he thought about being good enough for me? About us? Is there an us?

“No wonder Jared left her,” Lori mutters, as they hurry away like mice afraid of the hungry cat.

Nine stiffens beside me once more, his jaw tightening. A vein pulses in his neck.

“No, please don’t,” I whisper to him, grabbing onto his clenched fist.

“Hey Penn, tell your friends from the beach that I said hi and that I hope to see them around again sometime,” he says. Penn’s face pales.

Nine’s posture doesn’t relax, but I’m not going to let him fight this battle for me.

I’m going to fight it on my own.

“Wait!” I call out catching up to Lori and Penn. Their nanny is now so far away she’s a blur in the distance.

Lori spins around on her heels and huffs. “It’s too late for an apology, Lenny. After what you said—"

“I don’t want to apologize,” I explain, “I want to give you something.”

“And what’s that?” she asks, looking down at her manicure as if I’m boring her.

“This,” I say, along with another non-verbal answer by way of my fist to her jaw.

Lori’s lip splits and blood drips onto the flowers of her white sun dress. Her eyes widen in shock.

I smile in triumph. “How’s that for uncivilized?” It feels so good, I might just do it again.

“You…bitch!” Lori shouts, holding her bloody lip. She looks around with a look of disgust on her too perfect face. Penn doesn’t come to her defense, if anything he’s moved even further away. “Penn is right. You do belong here, with these people. You were never one of us. Jared always said so.”

She turns on her heel as Penn leads her to the gate without another glance in our direction.

“Fucking cowards,” I mutter.