by Alexa Woods
“Thank you,” Arabella whispered. “Just so you know, I didn’t…I didn’t
know this was your company when I applied. I need the job. Badly. I’m
going to do my best here. I really want to be a part of your success.”
June searched the words for hidden meaning as her eyes searched
Arabella’s face for deception, but there was none to be found. Either she
was very good at hiding it, or she really meant what she said. The same
humility she’d had in the meeting was still present. She looked humbled.
Not sassy and high on herself, drunk on her need to have people like her.
She was as professional as anyone June had ever met.
And as beautiful.
June ignored that. She didn’t like the fire in her belly when she
acknowledged that Arabella was gorgeous. She was not going to take that
further and let herself notice anything else. Arabella was still tall, curvy,
and lethally attractive, but June wasn’t going to go there.
“That’s great.” June made sure that came out sounding like she meant it.
“That was…your ideas were good. Good work out there.”
“Thanks.” Arabella’s smile nearly blinded June, not because of the
straight, white teeth or the perfect plush lips, but because it was full of
feeling. Real feeling.
“You coming to the company barbeque on Friday?”
June had already decided she was going to cave and bring Summer. It
wasn’t mandatory that anyone attend because that would just be twisted on
her part, to demand that employees attend a fun event, but everyone always
did come out, at least for a few hours.
“Yeah. I am. I just heard about it this morning, but…yes.”
“Okay.” June walked over to the door, her back burning as badly as the
rest of her as she felt Arabella’s hot stare there. She opened it quickly. “See
you then.”
Arabella left quietly. She turned right instead of left, the opposite
direction of her office, but June quickly closed her door and didn’t correct
her. She figured she’d see her in a few seconds, correcting her path. She’d
be seeing a lot of Arabella if she continued to work there. The one person
she’d always hoped she’d never run into again.
It appeared that Arabella had changed completely, but maybe that was
just a front. It was too early to tell, and like Summer, June still had her
suspicions, and those wouldn’t be easily dismissed. It would be hard for her
to put any trust into her ex-tormenter.
Life had a funny way of twisting things up, turning people upside down,
and making a crazy mess of things. June shook her head, not pleased in the
least by coincidence or fate or whatever had brought their lives back into
orbit.
Chapter 5
Arabella
Gosswin Park contained two man-made lakes which wound their way
through the acres of green grass. The small lakes, at their narrowest points,
intertwined and flowed past a three-tier flower garden bordered by stones
that looked as though they had been dug out of the lakebeds themselves.
There were various sculptures done in stone and bronze statues that were
set throughout the park. The footbridge was adorable and the water wheel
fixture at the far end, attached to a building that was purely there for scenic
value and nothing more, was utterly mesmerizing. It was the perfect
location for a company barbeque, and the fact that the whole company had
come out was unique.
The park was now dotted with blankets, beach mats, towels, and
screaming children. Arabella wasn’t sure how many people worked at New
Shooz 2uz or how many were family members or friends, but the park
wasn’t small, and it was full.
With so many people laughing and talking, setting out blankets, acting
out stories, throwing frisbees and footballs, or running after children to
make sure they didn’t end up in the water, Arabella had been certain that
she could avoid June.
She’d been intent on setting out the old quilt she brought in some
inconspicuous spot, hoping she’d be brave enough to introduce herself to
the people surrounding her that she didn’t know. She’d looked for Tina first,
and other members of the marketing department—Beth, Crystal, Payton,
Jim, Timothy, or Samantha—but she’d only spotted Tina when she’d
entered the park, and Tina liked June, so it made sense that she would want
to talk to her at some time during the event, which was what Arabella
wanted to avoid. She’d gone the other direction, choosing a shady spot
underneath a huge tree not far from where the two lakes twisted away from
each other to meander around the park in different beds.
It couldn’t be a nicer June day. The sun was out, but not punishing. There
was a slight breeze to keep the heat and the bugs off. The work event was a
casual thing, and since Arabella didn’t want to get burned, she’d chosen a
pair of skinny jeans, ballerina flats, and a long-sleeved cotton shirt. She’d
applied sunscreen liberally underneath her foundation, but she’d still opted
for a ballcap with her dad’s favorite sports team logo on it. She wasn’t sure
if it was baseball or football. She’d found it a few years ago and it had been
a spare, so she’d claimed it and she’d been wearing it ever since.
Arabella’s plan to avoid June lasted for all of thirty seconds. She’d been
sitting in her shady spot for ten minutes, entertained by a group of kids who
looked to be around ten to twelve who were tossing a football around,
having some sort of mini game. There were three girls and four boys, and
the girls were definitely kicking butt. That amused Arabella. She liked their
feisty spirits. All of a sudden, she looked up and saw June heading her way.
Not just June. No, it couldn’t just be June. Arabella’s luck was apparently
just shit as of late. Summer Johnson walked beside Arabella, her flaming
red mane impossible to miss. She was wearing an emerald-green maxi dress
that matched her eyes and made her tall, curvy frame look like a goddess.
Arabella felt a momentary twinge that wasn’t regret or panic, though she
felt bucketloads of those, but it passed quickly, as soon as her eyes swept to
June.
June was tall enough, around five seven. She didn’t have the curvy figure
that Summer or Arabella herself had. Arabella had made fun of her in high
school, saying she looked like a boy. She didn’t look like a boy. She looked
anything but. Her body might be on the slight side, petite even, but she had
gentle, tantalizing curves. Her skin was flawless everywhere, a silky cream
that made Arabella’s stomach twinge. Something deep in her chest vibrated
like a plucked bow string when she swept her gaze over June’s funky green
shoes, up to the yellow sundress she had on. Dainty straps stood out against
all that creamy skin, the sundress exposing legs that seemed to go on
forever. While the top was snug, hinting at the swell of her breasts, it
flowed from there, hiding a tiny waist and a ridiculously tight bottom.
Arabella was ashamed to say she’d checked June out thoroughly when
she’d followed her to her of
fice her first day of work.
June never had been one for makeup, and she wore hardly any at all.
Foundation, if that. Her lips were naturally pink, her eyes the darkest
brown. Her lashes were thick and long, velvety soft. She had an oval-
shaped face, but her chin was angular, her nose tiny, and her cheekbones
sharp, giving her more of a fairy-like look. Her hair was jet black and hung
in soft curls down her back like a midnight waterfall.
Without warning, both women came and plopped down on the grass on
either side of Arabella. She lifted her head desperately, keeping her gaze
straight so she wouldn’t look panicked at being flanked. This was no more
than she deserved. What did she expect? That because June said everything
was fine, she was willing to let a year of being treated terribly go, just like
that?
“Arabella,” Summer purred, a smile on her lips. “It’s good to see you
again. It’s been a long time.” She stuck out a hand, and Arabella was forced
to take it. She shook gently, without any force, then dropped Arabella’s cold
fingers. She felt cold everywhere, despite the warmth of the day.
June stared at the group of kids playing football. “Nice day for a picnic,”
she ground out, barely audibly.
It was beyond clear that Summer had dragged June over. Not physically,
but by convincing her somehow. She’d probably threatened to come alone,
and June would have been worried that she’d probably make a scene. It
wouldn’t be the first time she was stuck playing intermediary between
Arabella and Summer.
Arabella swallowed the lump in her throat. She wasn’t going to give
anyone a reason to need a mediator. In her most passive voice, she agreed.
“I-it’s been a long time. How are you, Summer? Your parents? And your
brother?”
“They’re good. How are yours? Your parents, I mean?” From the glint in
her eyes, it was obvious Summer knew everything. She’d probably looked
Arabella’s dad up online. There had been tons of articles about what he’d
done, after all.
“Oh, uh, they’re…” Honesty was probably the best policy in this case.
Summer could be ruthless if she found out Arabella was lying. “They’re
actually not doing that well. They live in my basement suite. My dad was
involved in this scheme a while back. It was bad. I don’t know why he did
it, but he got caught. He almost got jail time.” Arabella lowered her eyes
and studied her feet. If June didn’t know that, she did now. Maybe Arabella
would be fired, which would be a shame. She actually liked the company
and everyone she worked with.
Summer’s quick, sympathetic expression told Arabella that she had
indeed already known. “Oh really? That’s pretty crazy.”
“Crazy. Yeah. My mom didn’t know anything about it. It was hard for
her. They had to declare bankruptcy.” She reached to the side of the quilt
and dug her fingers into the cool blades of grass there. She deserved this.
This humiliation. She’d deserve it if Summer made her suffer right now,
really ground the salt into Arabella’s wounds.
But she didn’t.
Because June cleared her throat. “I’m sorry to hear that. Really. That’s a
terrible thing to have happen. Everyone makes mistakes. Is your sister
doing okay?” Her tone was completely genuine, but Arabella was afraid to
look up and confirm it for herself.
“She’s in college still. She’s working part time and studying part time.”
“Did you get fired from your last job?” Summer cut in. “For being a
witch?”
“Summer!” June gasped. “That’s—”
“A perfectly logical question.” Now that it was out in the open, Arabella
found it was easier to look up, to fold her hands in her lap and acknowledge
what she’d done. “No. I didn’t. The department downsized and got rid of
everyone but their executive staff. and they barely stayed on. Summer…
June…I’m really sorry. For everything that I did. I wish I could make you
understand how ashamed I am of how I acted in the past. I was the worst
person.”
“Why’d you do it?” Summer kept rolling, not sparing Arabella. She’d
always been very direct. Some people would call it lacking a filter.
“I don’t know. I’ve thought about that a lot. For a lot of reasons, I guess.
Because I was insecure back then. Jealous about others.” She looked June
in the eye. “I was jealous of you. You were always so effortlessly smart. I
would have killed to have your grades. And you were pretty. So, so pretty.
And just so unique. Everyone knew you were going to do something
amazing after high school. I wanted to be liked. I wanted to be popular. It
gave me a rush to be mean, and I’m completely ashamed of that.”
“It’s been ten years,” June said, her gaze shifting to Summer. She titled
her head like she was telling Summer silently to let it go. “We’ve all
changed.”
“But you applied at New Shooz 2uz for a reason,” Summer pressed.
June made a gurgling noise.
“I swear I didn’t know it was June’s company,” Arabella protested. “I
applied to lots of places. I hardly got any calls back. I was going to take
something totally not in my field if I had to. I needed to. My parents aren’t
working right now.”
“You’re supporting them?” Summer gaped at her.
“Summer, that’s enough,” June insisted sharply. “Lunch is going to be
here soon. I want to get everything set out before the horde of hungry kids
runs us over.”
Summer scowled at the interruption. She clearly wasn’t finished. There
was no way she was going to let Arabella’s past behavior go just like that.
Arabella understood. It would take a lot to forgive what she’d done. And
trust? She didn’t expect to just be taken at her word that she’d changed. All
of a sudden, Summer’s frown left.
“We’re going to our family cabin for a girl’s trip with my mom and
June’s mom. Tomorrow. Just for the weekend. It’s on Brookville Lake, an
hour from here.”
“Oh. That would be nice. I’ve never been.”
“No, I don’t suppose it was posh enough back in the day.” June made
another noise of warning and Summer got to the point. “If you wanted to
come, you could.”
“What? Summer!” June gasped. She was horrified. Her twisted
expression said as much, and her tone was little more than a breathy gasp.
Summer shrugged. “I thought it would be fun. We could get to know
each other better.”
“You mean that you could keep an eye on me, try to figure out if I have
sinister, ulterior motives for joining the company, and/or punish my high
school version of myself for being a royal turdbag. That is your pet name
for me, right? But if you plan to tie me up and interrogate me, you should
just stick to the city. I don’t want to end up being fish food.”
“What?” Summer gaped at her, then burst into laughter. “Oh my God, no.
Our moms are going to be there! They wouldn’t agree with feeding you to
the fish or tying you up and whipping you wi
th a wet noodle. My mom used
to threaten me with that all the time, but she never got around to doing it. I
don’t think it would actually hurt. It would probably tickle. It would be
weird though, that’s for sure.”
“Summer, please,” June insisted. She stood up and brushed at the back of
her dress. “Let’s go.” She paused for a second. “I’m sorry, Arabella. She
insisted on coming and I let her be my plus one, even though I knew her
behavior would be deplorable. I knew I’d never hear the end of it unless she
came to see you for herself.”
“Hey!” Summer pouted. “That’s rude.” She crossed her arms and stared
up at her best friend.
June shook her head, but it was obvious she wasn’t mad. Embarrassed,
yes. Summer would always be June’s best friend. More than that, probably
They’d been friends all this time and they probably thought of themselves
as sisters.
Arabella could only wish she’d had a friend like that, but none of her
high school group had actually been true friends at all. After the shit with
her dad went down, no one from her old neighborhood talked to her. Or her
parents. They’d lost all of their “friends” as well.
“Okay, it was rude,” Summer confessed, then studied Arabella. “I mean
it. You can come if you want. You sound like you’re in need of a good
getaway with some people who are going to be real about crap. Plus, it is
the whole keep your enemies closer thing.”
“I’m not your enemy,” Arabella insisted.
“That remains to be seen.” Summer stood. “Oh, and if you’re actually out
to hurt June in any way, fucking with her company or whatnot…” Summer
glanced at the kids and lowered her voice after dropping that f-bomb. “I will
string you up and whip you with a wet noodle for real.”
“I’m sure that has her quaking in her boots,” June stated dryly.
“I know where you live,” Summer threatened as she brushed grass off her
dress. “Well, I don’t, but I can dang well find out. I have friends in high
places now.”
“Or June could just check out my HR file,” Arabella deadpanned. “It has
my address clearly written on it.”
“Right.” Summer crossed her arms again. “So, we’ll find out where you
live.”
“No, we won’t, because that would be completely unethical,” June
