Tied Up in Knotts Ch. 04

Thirty minutes later Lee squeezed passed me. "I'm going to get water, you want one?"

I shook my head and held the half full bottle I already had. Lee smiled and quickly descended the stairs and out the door to the parent run concession stand. Not even a second later the kids sitting next to me were being shooed away. Logan sat to my right, Ryan to my left, and Penn in front of me.

"You really hate us, don't you?"

"Of course not."

"Well, you sure as shit don't like us," Logan glowered.

"That's not true either. I like Ryan and Penn well enough."

Their eyes went wide and flicked with emotion.

Logan looked hurt. "What did I do?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know, it's hard to explain. I just don't like being around you," I shrugged. Logan blinked and sat back. I don't think anyone had ever said that to him. All the air had been knocked from his sails. Penn and Ryan watched their brother then looked at me with a mixture of irritation and confusion. It felt like we sat there for an hour while the three of them tried to take in my words.

"Ok," Logan stood up. "I'm going to go."

"Sit down." I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "Are you upset about what I said?" He looked at me like I had asked the stupid question in the world. Yes, of course he was upset. I looked at Penn and Ryan. "Are you guys upset about what I said?"

"Honestly? Yeah. You were kind of an asshole." I was glad to see anger in Ryan's eyes. It meant he understood.

"Now you understand where I'm coming from. And maybe now you know how I felt when I found out you didn't like my husband or how it felt watching him being excluded and pushed out. Just because you're being nice to him doesn't change anything. I know how you really feel and that makes me feel protective over Lee."

"I get it. We acted like assholes. And just so you know, we don't dislike him," Logan clarified. "He's just—it's complicated."

That response irritated me. It wasn't complicated, not for me. I pursed my lips and shook my head in disappointment.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. There's nothing complicated about it. Lee is sweet, generous, kind, funny, and loyal. Whether you like him or not, that's your prerogative. The only thing that makes this complicated is how you guys are treating him. Thinking it's okay to string him along the way you have. He might not have a clue but I do. You don't like him? Fine, but leave him alone. Don't invite him over, don't chit chat with him, and don't lie to him. That's the only thing making any of this complicated."

Without another word, I left. I caught Lee on my way out. He was surprised we were leaving early but I told him I wasn't feeling good. He seemed to buy it well enough and made me lay down as soon as we got home.

I barely slept that night. I didn't know how to handle the situation. As long as Lee thought they liked him, this was never going to get better. But how could I tell him the truth? It would devastate him. He would be humiliated and never want to show his face in public again.