by Marika Ray
I joined the group, coming to stand next to Poppy. The door to the shop opened and closed, a hush falling over the crowd. I didn’t turn to look, but I knew it was Jayden. Knew it in the way my heart thudded in my chest, my blood heated, and my skin vibrated with the need to touch him.
Addi gave me a quick hate-filled once-over before mistakenly dismissing me and addressing Poppy. Her cherry red lips, good looks, and confident attitude made me admire her even as I hated her. Couldn’t the mother of Jayden’s baby be a tiny bit homely looking? Was that asking for too much?
“I can be here anytime I want. It’s a free country, in case they didn’t teach you that in your sad little town school system.” Addi put her hands on her hips, matching Poppy.
The crowd gasped and murmured, not caring for her insult of our fine town.
“Pretty sure that restraining order Jayden has against you says otherwise,” I said calmly. “You need to leave.”
Her gaze snapped to me, startled perhaps that anyone knew about that pesky little detail. Then her gaze lifted directly behind me and I felt Jayden’s heat against my back. Every square inch of my skin shivered at having him so close.
“Jayden, honey!” Addi’s face morphed into a huge smile and that’s when I knew.
This chick was crazy.
Like certifiably out of her mind. And she was reaching for my man, her little grabby hands thinking she could touch what was mine after she rearranged his life and then tossed him away as casually as a used tissue.
Oh, hell no.
I put my hand out, palm colliding with her sternum and stopping her in her tracks. I felt a little like The Supremes when they sang “Stop in the Name of Love.” The attitude was flowing.
“Get your hand off me.” Addi looked ready to spit nails.
Too bad for her I had my armor on and it looked a lot like chain mail made from thousands of little loops of metal fashioned into heart shapes.
“You need to leave before I call the police, sweetie.” My mouth rearranged in what could be called a smile, but was mostly just me baring my teeth.
Madness entered her eyes and I knew she wouldn’t go calmly.
She batted my hand away roughly and I took it for what it was. The first hit. I was free to defend myself. And Jayden. And Red.
Today was the wrong day to mess with me.
My fist flew back of its own volition, fueled by righteous indignation. All the frustration from the week of being fired and broken up with condensed into this single punch. Only problem was my elbow connected with something behind me. I didn’t let it stop me, though. My fist went sailing right into Addi’s pert little nose, the impact jarring my whole arm. She went down while I flung out my hand.
“Holy crap on a cracker, that stings!”
Poppy clapped me on the back in what I could only assume was encouragement.
I didn’t have time to analyze it because the next thing I knew I was flying through the air, my legs swept out from under me. I hit the pavement like a sack of Pop Rocks, the impact only lighting me up even further. My gaze laser-focused on Addi’s snarl while she lay on the ground next to me. I rolled and grabbed, my fist clenching around a clump of blond hair and pulling with all my might. The group of feet and legs surrounding us backed up, giving us room to tussle and roll.
She was a spitfire, I’d give her that. She may have been fueled by crazy, but I was fueled by a week from hell and a heart that ached for a man I couldn’t have. I’d finally discovered sex could be magical and the G-spot was a real thing and free sex toys could have been a perk in my new job and all that got taken away from me in one fell swoop.
I could have tussled with her all day and still had energy to kick someone else’s ass.
Preferably whomever was pulling me off of Addi and pinning my arms behind my back. I kicked and snarled like the beast I’d become.
“Easy, love. She’s done.” The whisper did it. That low, gravelly tone that could only come from one person.
I calmed instantly, my body relaxing into Jayden’s, his arms coming around to hold me tight. Addi whimpered, her snarls having turned to big, fat crocodile tears. The mad disarray of her hair and the little drop of blood from her nose gave me perverse pleasure.
“What’s going on here?” Chief Waldo barged into the circle of protestors, his frown making me freeze.
Amelia was right behind him, pushing past him when he stopped to survey the situation with his hands on his hips. Amelia wrapped an arm around my neck, but still Jayden didn’t let go, his hands tightening around my waist.
“You okay?” Amelia whispered.
“Pfft. I’m fine. The question is whether that girl is fine.” I looked pointedly at the ground, where Addi’s tears had ratcheted up with the chief’s arrival.
Poppy pushed back into the circle, pulling herself up to an incredible five foot three. “I saw the whole thing, Chief. This girl attacked Lenora.”
“What?” Addi popped off the ground, her tears vanishing as quickly as they came. “I’m here for my son and this woman just hit me for no reason.” Addi pointed at me.
Everyone’s gaze swept in my direction. “I told her to leave as she’s violating a restraining order. She refused and hit me. I merely defended myself.”
“It’s true, Chief. I have a signed restraining order that says she can’t get within fifty yards of me or my son,” Jayden spoke up, the timbre of his voice vibrating through me like the vibrators he’d soon be selling at The Hardware Store.
I turned to look up at him. His eye was red and swollen, the skin below looking like it was rapidly turning black and blue.
“What the hell happened to you?” I gaped.
His gray eyes dropped to mine, the corners crinkling in a smile I’d missed like a phantom limb. “You happened to me.” When I still looked lost, he continued. “You got a sharp elbow there.”
My jaw dropped, along with my heart. Holy crap, his eye must have been what I hit with my flying elbow.
“I’m kind of a badass,” I whispered, awed at the destructive nature that had just been sleeping and waiting for its moment to emerge.
Jayden swallowed a laugh and the chief cleared his throat. “Be that as it may, I’ll need to see a copy of that restraining order, son.”
Jayden gave my waist another squeeze and let go to pull out his cell phone from his back pocket. “Here’s the email, but I have the original at home.”
Chief Waldo zoomed in on the phone screen and read quietly, his bushy eyebrows drawn together. “You Addi Townsend?” he asked the girl, even though he knew damn well who she was.
She huffed and puffed but eventually nodded. The chief handed the phone back to Jayden and stood directly in front of her.
“If you leave in the next ten seconds and don’t come back, I’ll look the other way. If you choose to do this the hard way, I’ll be happy to escort you to the town prison. In handcuffs. Your choice.”
If I hadn’t thought I was already pressing my luck in the situation, I would have cheered and clapped. Instead I watched Addi take one last desperate glance at Jayden and then stomp her way over to the curb on Brinestone Way. She threw over her shoulder, “It’ll take me longer than ten seconds to get a driver back here to pick me up.”
I shook my head. “She used the competition to get here? That’s low.”
Amelia smirked. “Like you would have given her a ride anyway.”
I shrugged and whispered back, “I would have offered her a hug. And then we may have gotten lost somewhere in the forest when I dropped her ass off.”
The chief nodded at Addi and then addressed the rest of the crowd. “How about you all disperse and let this poor guy get back to work, huh?”
“Actually, Chief, I have some things to say,” Jayden said loudly.
All heads swiveled to look at him, including me. Now that the interloper was on her way out of town, what was there to say?
Nothing had changed.
Right?
2
2
Jayden
Before Nora popped me in the eye with her elbow, I’d already spotted Addi and called the chief. I’d also spotted Nora’s parents exiting the church on the other side of the roundabout and heading in our direction. The last thing I needed was Mr. and Mrs. Murphy over here witnessing my bad judgement in person. Addi was the least thing I was proud of in my life, yet the result of that night had produced the thing I was most proud of. It was confusing as hell and I certainly didn’t need Nora’s parents here to witness the carnage of my life.
And then Nora took my breath away standing up to Addi like an avenging hero. I wanted to kiss her feet and beg her to take me back. My chest finally cleaved in two from the pressure of the week and my heart flopped to the ground, no longer mine to control, but hers to do with as she pleased. How could I have messed things up so badly between us?
How could Nora be fighting on my behalf after I dashed her dreams and humiliated her in public? What kind of woman does that? And what kind of man lets that incredible woman go so easily?
“Is this your official statement?” A voice came from my left. I couldn’t see out of that eye very well, so I had to swivel all the way around to see the reporter I’d called standing there, notebook and handheld recorder at the ready.
I nodded, swallowing down the lunch that wanted to come right back up. “Yeah. Let me stand up on the sidewalk so everyone can hear.”
I gave Nora one last look, wishing I’d practiced what I had to say. Wishing I’d somehow sprouted an English-major brain that could string together the exact right words that would make things right between us. Knowing it was now or never, I climbed the three stairs to stand on the sidewalk directly outside of the shop. The sign I’d had designed was due to arrive tomorrow, making everything official.
I scanned the crowd, my attention faltering as a cat rubbed up against my pant leg. Yedda came walking down the sidewalk from the direction of the National Cat Protection Society, Bain and Lucy right behind her. I closed my eyes and said a prayer I didn’t blow it. Everyone who mattered to me stood before me, waiting for something meaningful to pop out of my mouth. If Nora could stand proud after I humiliated her in front of people she’d known her whole life, I could speak from my heart and lay it all on the line for her.
I guess if worse came to worst I could just hand out free dildos and hope that would sway the crowd. More than likely they’d use the silicone sticks to beat me to death. I cleared my throat and launched in, preparing for death by dildo.
“Thank you all for coming today. When I considered moving to Auburn Hill, I thought I’d just retire early and spend my days raising my son. But then the mayor approached me on one of my visits here about a business opportunity. If it wasn’t a good fit for the town, the mayor should have told me. Especially since he drove a hard bargain on the rental amount.”
“Where is the mayor anyway?” Poppy interrupted loudly. The crowd murmured and heads swiveled, but eventually all eyes landed back on me.
“Looking back on it now, when he said to keep it hush-hush until everything was officially open, that was a red flag, but to me then, it was the perfect opportunity landing in my lap. I’d bring jobs to Auburn Hill, a sense of purpose for myself and my son, and the place wouldn’t even be open to the public. The Hardware Store would remain unobtrusive, private, and discreet.”
My gaze shifted and landed on Nora’s dad. He no longer looked like he might kill me or damn me to hell, but he wasn’t exactly smiling either. Nora stood apart from them still and that distance killed me.
“You know, I didn’t even believe in love, having been burned too many times before. My parents certainly didn’t know what the word meant either. It wasn’t until I took a ride with Lenora that I had my eyes open to what love means in action.” I looked over at Nora and locked gazes with her. Everything I was trying to say was for her anyway.
“Love means putting the other person first. Always. It means being honest, even if it’s hard. Checking in and stepping in to give a hug when the other person needs it. Thinking about someone besides yourself.” My throat threatened to close. “So for that reason, I’ve decided not to open The Hardware Store.”
The crowd whispered amongst themselves. I heard Yedda tsk-tsk from the side. Surprisingly, I hadn’t assembled the press conference to say that. I’d wanted to drum up support for my side, but as soon as I saw Nora, I knew what had to be done. Bain and the boys had told me to sacrifice everything. And the crazy thing was, I was damn happy to. I didn’t need anything but her.
“This store is tearing apart Nora’s family and I won’t be a part of that. I’m in Auburn Hill to be closer to my own family, so how can I stand by and watch hers fall apart because of me?” I swallowed hard and said it before I lost the nerve to be completely, brutally honest. “I love you, Nora. And you probably don’t feel the same after I’ve kept so much from you and then caused such a ruckus—and you know, fired you—but there it is. I found that true love does exist because of you, so thank you for that gift.”
Nora’s hand flew to her mouth and her brown eyes flooded with tears. And just like that, the tiny fledgling flame of hope sputtered out. All I did was cause her more pain and embarrassment.
Bain was wrong. A press conference in front of all her family and peers was the last thing she needed. This was just more humiliation for her.
Bain clapped me on the shoulder and steered me back inside the shop. Lucy ran to Nora and the last glimpse I had of her was her putting her head on Amelia’s shoulder and crying.
The door swung shut and I punched the wall. My hand stung like I’d stuck it in a beehive, drywall littering the floor and making a mess of things. Seems quite apropos.
“Well, that went over well, don’t you think?” Bain asked from behind me, completely unfazed by my outburst.
I spun around, anger like I’d never felt before itching for Bain’s face to be my new target.
“Are you kidding me? That was a fucking disaster!”
Titus and Rip burst through the door, excited smiles on their faces.
“What the hell is everyone so happy for? I just publicly lost my shop and any chance I had with Nora.” I grabbed the dish of paperclips off the front desk and threw it across the room. Totally unsatisfying to see hundreds of tiny paperclips ricochet off the walls and ping onto the floor.
Bain lifted an eyebrow. “That was impressive.”
I grabbed his uniform shirt and shoved him against the wall, getting in his face. “This was your stupid idea, asshole. What was I thinking listening to a dumbass like you?”
Titus and Rip were suddenly there, each taking one of my arms and pulling me off Bain.
“Easy there, killer,” Titus crooned.
His placating tone just made me angrier. My life went up in flames two minutes ago and they were smiling and laughing. What kind of friend does that?
“I may be a dumbass, but at least I have a hot woman, so I guess I know a thing or two.” Bain straightened his shirt and stepped away from the wall. “You gotta give it a bit of time. You can’t just drop bombs like that and expect Lenora to keep up. Give her a day to process everything and I guarantee you she’ll be back for your sorry ass.”
The anger took a sudden U-turn. Bain wasn’t to blame. I was. Everything was messed up because of me. If I needed to punch something, it should be my own face, like that scene in Fight Club where the guy kicks his own ass.
I pointed to the door. “But she’s out there crying.”
Titus waved a hand through the tension in the air. “Girls cry all the time, man. It’s like a release valve or something. She’ll blow off some steam and then she’ll want to talk to you.”
“Or she’ll hate you forever. It could go either way,” Rip added helpfully.
Titus smacked him on the back of the head and Rip kicked the back of Titus’s knee, almost toppling him to the ground. It was like the Three fucking Stooges with these idiots.
Someone knocked on
the door, making us all freeze. And like the idiot I was, my heart leapt in my chest thinking it could be Nora.
Bain opened the door to see Lukas standing with the town behind him arguing amongst themselves and paying us no attention.
“You might want to come back outside.” He glanced at me, uncertainty in his eyes and his hands balled up in fists.
Oh shit. He promised me he’d beat the crap out of me if I hurt his sister again and he was here to make good on that promise. I knew I could beat him in a fight, but maybe I’d let him win. What good would come from fighting back?
The boys looked over at me to see what I wanted to do. I shrugged and gestured for them to head out. We shuffled forward out the door and onto the sidewalk again.
I felt like I was on some sort of death row march, walking to meet my maker and kiss the life I wanted for myself and Red goodbye. I scanned the crowd, looking for Nora, needing to see if she was still crying. All I got was a glimpse of the back of her head while she stood hip to hip with Poppy. Which made me groan. Poppy and Nora banding together against me could only mean one thing. One way or another, my ass was grass. Death would be too kind of a punishment.
23
Lenora
I didn’t know what the hell was going on with me. Maybe I could blame the adrenaline finally exiting my body after the first fight I’d ever been in. Or maybe it was the way Jayden stood up in front of everyone and said he loved me like he meant it. Either way, liquid was leaking out of my eyes and people were hugging me, not the other way around.
Lucy and Amelia squeezed me until I couldn’t breathe. Then Hazel joined the group hug and it went from sweet to ridiculously overkill.
I tried batting my arms and once I connected with someone’s boob with that sharp elbow of mine, they got the hint.
