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He tried not to wince at the name. Connie had mentioned him only once in the last few
months, and that was only to wonder why he hadn‟t asked about his friend. Craven had told her
he assumed he was fine unless she told him different. Since he‟d basically shut down, she‟d let
the matter drop.
“I thought you had another semester at school, and you don‟t have a job yet.”
She bit her lip and lowered her eyelids. He paid more attention to her next words. “Well…I‟m
moving in with a friend.”
“What friend?”
She frowned. “Craven, you could be happy for me rather than giving me the third degree.”
He picked up his beer which the waiter had dropped off with Connie‟s drink and left. When
he said nothing, she fidgeted.
“Fine, I am moving in with my ex-boss. He‟s footing all the bills.”
Craven‟s eyes widened. “Your ex…boss. The man who fired you because his wife found out
you were doing him. The man who let you get thrown out on the street as a homeless person.”
“Oh, come on, Craven, you don‟t have to be so dramatic.” Her cheeks flamed red. “I was not
homeless. I chose to give up my place since it was becoming more difficult to find a decent job in
this economy, and I wanted to go back to school.”
He shrugged again, which he knew annoyed her. “You can‟t help who you love!”
No one knew that better than him. After a few minutes, he gave her a break. “When is this
move taking place?”
“This weekend,” she announced. “I could use your help with getting my stuff from storage
and the few things I‟ve accumulated at Trevor‟s.”
He wanted to ask if Trevor would be there, but dared not. He didn‟t want her to know just
how much he still affected him. Maybe it would be fine, especially since Trevor had made it
abundantly clear he wanted nothing further to do with Craven.
“Fine. I‟ll help,” he said. His cell phone rang, and he answered. “Hello?”
“Craven Ward?” asked a man with a brisk, businesslike tone.
“Yes.”
“This is Ben White. I am Trevor Scott‟s attorney.”
Craven swallowed, his throat having gone dry.
“The terms of your contract with your boss have come due for evaluation, and I‟ve arranged
to meet with him on next Monday at 3 p.m. Will you be available at that time, so we can go over
everything together?”
Craven blinked. He couldn‟t believe that Trevor instructed his lawyer to stay on top of the
contract he‟d made. And for the man to have already taken steps to meet boggled his mind.
Frustration made him clench his hands into fists and close his eyes. If anyone could send out
mixed signals at lightning speed it was Trevor. He didn‟t bother contacting him, but he made sure
his business was a success? And that was on top of all the other things he‟d done over the years.
Was it his way of buying Craven for sex? He didn‟t think so. Trevor might annoy him, but he was
a good man.
“All right,” Craven told him, “I can do that.”
“Good. See you then.” The call ended as fast as it began.
Craven finished up dinner with his sister and went back home to brood over what Trevor‟s
interference in his life could mean. He found no answers, and yet the weekend was hurtling fast
toward him. To his annoyance and shame, he chose the next afternoon to shop for something new
that looked both casual enough for moving furniture and showed him off in the best light as if he
had moved on. Too bad he didn‟t have a man to drag along to be sure Trevor—and himself—kept
his distance. Well he‟d get through it somehow.
* * * *
The weekend arrived, and Craven took extra care showering, shaving, and pulling on the
clothes he‟d bought. He‟d opted for cargo pants and a shirt that didn‟t have a rude saying on it or
some other dark phrase. He was probably an idiot for buying new clothes to do heavy labor, but
he would not look like a scruffy loser, which was probably how Trevor saw him.
When he pulled up to the house in a friend‟s borrowed car, he spotted a small van half filled
with odds and ends. He hadn‟t known Connie owned so much stuff. At least not at Trevor‟s place.
Trevor could have afforded a moving van and even movers, but he guessed Connie had refused
whatever offer he‟d made.
The garage door was closed, so he couldn‟t tell if Trevor was home or not, but his answer
came when a beautiful woman came bouncing out of the front door laughing and Trevor soon
after her. Craven froze at the sight of Trevor laying a light hand on her waist and leaning forward
to whisper in her ear. Pain shot through him. Obviously, he wasn‟t suffering the same way that
Craven was. And why would he? He didn‟t love Craven.
Trevor seemed to feel his eyes on him and looked up. His eyebrows rose, and to Craven‟s
surprise, Trevor moved his hand off the woman and stepped away. “Hello, Craven.”
He said nothing, only nodding. Against his will, his gaze slid from Trevor‟s handsome face to
the woman‟s. She was all femininity and softness with big breasts and a small waist, clothes tight
and skimpy, leaving nothing to the imagination. Craven suddenly remembered Trevor
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