The Better Man Read Online Free PDF

the inn. The only sound came from
the antique grandfather clock that kept its tireless beat in the living room.
He couldn’t account for the emptiness.
    It wasn’t as if
he’d suffered any loss. Lori had never been his to lose, except for her
friendship. After last night, though, he wondered if he could ever go back to
simple friendship with her.
    Still, he
couldn’t bring himself to say he regretted spending the night with her.
    Now he’d just
have to play the waiting game while she figured things out.
    If he knew
where she was going, he’d try to contact her and assure her that no matter
what, he was there for her.
    “Where the hell
have you been?”
    Startled,
Will’s gaze shot to the kitchen door.
    Brian stood
there, dressed casually in blue jeans and a navy blue polo shirt. He held a can
of soda and leaned against the door frame like he didn’t have a care in the
world.
    Will wanted to
slug the smile off his face. Anger filled the void in his head and chest that
had momentarily been there, but he remained glued to his spot.
    “Got lucky last
night? Was it Connie? She has a thing for you.” Brian winked slyly.
    Will wondered
where he could dispose of the body. “You’ve got a hell of a nerve coming here.”
    The ridiculous
grin slid from Brian’s face. He glanced at the floor and had the good grace to appear
embarrassed. It wasn’t enough.
    “I did a bad
thing, I know that. I didn’t know what else to do.” Brian set the soda down
with a smack.
    “You could’ve
told Lori as soon as you figured out you didn’t want to marry her instead of
leaving her to face everyone in the church. You’re a chicken-shit bastard.”
    Brian nodded,
but Will didn’t buy the hangdog expression on his face. “How is she?”
    Will grimaced.
“How do you think she is? Devastated, but she hid it well. She’s a lot braver
than you. We had the reception anyway, and I hear she left for her honeymoon
this morning.”
    Will stalked
past Brian and into the kitchen. He needed coffee and something to eat, but
settled for coffee alone. Brian followed him into the room.
    “Damn, I really
wanted to talk to her.”
    Will chuckled
humorlessly. “You got a death wish?”
    “No, but we
need to talk about things like the apartment and our stuff.”
    Will glared at
his friend. “I wonder if you even listen to yourself. Did you actually think
that you were going to talk to her today about these things? Haven’t you done
enough damage? Give her time, Brian. She has a lot to deal with, thanks to you.
Give her some space.”
    Brian nodded, his
eyes narrowing and mouth tightening into a thin line. Will didn’t believe Brian
was concerned for Lori’s welfare. Brian always put Brian’s needs first.
    “Why did you do
it?” Will turned and leaned against the counter, arms crossed . Damn, he wanted
a shower but an explanation from Brian was more important.
    “Leave her?”
Brian slid out a kitchen chair and sat down heavily.
    “That and get
involved with someone else. What’s so special about this other woman that made
you throw away seven years with someone who loves you?”
    Brian shrugged.
He didn’t look at Will. “Lori and I were old. Safe. Somewhere along the way,
she lost that spark she had when we were first together. There was nothing
special anymore and I was tired of being bored. Tired of the monotony of coming
home to her every night. You know, we’d go through days of not talking about
anything interesting, never doing anything interesting. And sex? Man,
predictable, unimaginative. I only asked her to marry me because it seemed like
the next logical step. She expected it. Everyone expected it.”
    Will listened,
amazed at how Brian described her. The Lori he knew was bright, fun loving,
sweet and generous. Brian’s description certainly did not match the Lori Will
had discovered the night before. She was a fireball of passion, but he couldn’t
very well divulge that information. No, it was as if Brian was describing