The Better Man Read Online Free PDF Page B

a
stranger.
    “I needed to
get out but didn’t know how.” Brian pressed his face into the palms of his
hands and groaned.
    Sick anger
simmered in Will’s head. A part of him wanted to throw the bastard out the
door, yet he needed answers. Brian obviously would talk freely, so he’d force
himself to listen. “You found a way. What about this other woman? Roxanne, is
it? What’s so special about her?”
    At the mention
of the other woman, Brian looked up. His eyes brightened considerably. He sat
straighter in the chair and smiled. “She’s wonderful, fun, gorgeous, wild. She
makes me feel like I’m twenty again when I’m with her.”
    The coffee
finished brewing, but Will craved something considerably stronger to cool the
irritation brewing in his mind. He turned to the counter, and grabbed a cup.
The heavy porcelain mug hit the counter with a clatter that nearly sent it to
the floor. He steadied it then filled it with coffee.
    “What does she
do for a living?” He sipped the hot, strong liquid, burning his lips. Penance for
the previous night.
    Brian paused
before answering. “She’s a dancer.”
    Will shook his
head, picking up the reluctance in Brian’s voice. “What kind of dancer?
Ballet?” He didn’t really care, but wanted to know what kind of woman would
make Brian desert Lori.
    “No, not
ballet.”
    “Then what kind
By the red tinge creeping along the edges of Brian’s ears, Will knew exactly
what kind and it no doubt included poles and laps.
    “It’s not like
that. She also teaches at a dance studio. She’s really good and wants to go
places.”
    Will rolled his
eyes, but bit back on his reply. “Would she give it all up for you?”
    Brian blinked.
“Why should she?”
    “Because you
made Lori give up her future for you. I was just wondering if this new woman
would do the same.”
    For a moment,
Brian just stared, and then it was as if a veil dropped over his face. He quickly
pushed away from the table and glared at Will.
    “Fine, I’m a
bad guy. I thought you might understand, thought you’d like to meet her. I love
her and you’re not going to change that.”
    The urge to
take a swing at Brian teetered on a knife’s edge of control. He gripped the mug
so hard he thought it would break. “Right now, Brian, I don’t understand and I
have no desire to meet her. Not when I witnessed what your newfound happiness
did to Lori.”
    Without a word,
Brian walked out, ushering  back the empty feeling Will had come home to.
    * * *
    Five days
passed without a word from Lori. Not that he expected her to call and talk
about her thoughts and feelings, but not knowing how she was doing drove him
nuts. At last, he decided to call Connie, hoping she’d have some clue about
Lori’s whereabouts and state of mind.
    “She called two
days ago, actually,” Connie told him.
    Relief swept
through him.
    “She’d just
left Maine and was heading to the White Mountains for a couple days.”
    “How did she
sound?”
    There was a
pause. “Lonely. Sad, I guess, but who can blame her? But she swore up and down
that she’s fine. She said if I talked to you to make sure to tell you not to
worry.”
    Lot of good
that did. He’d worry every moment until she came home. “If you talk to her
again, please give her my love.” He didn’t think Connie would read too much
into that, though he was pretty sure Lori would.
    “I’ll do that.
Oh, and guess who I saw the other day? Brian with some bimbette draped on his
arm. She looked like she was about sixteen. I wanted to kick him in the family
jewels, but when he saw me, he headed the other way. I can’t believe the way he
parades her around.”
    “Well, don’t
give in to your instincts, Connie. I don’t think Lori would approve.”
    “No, she’d want
the first shot.”
    Will hung up,
and glanced at the calendar. Lori was nearing the halfway mark in her trip. As
soon as she got back, they were going to sit down and talk. He didn’t want the
night they