“It’s okay, Sue Ann.”
“That’s right. It is okay, and it will be better than okay when you finally learn to leave Adam alone.” Heather paused to flick her hair, then sauntered toward us. “He never loved you, Julia. You were just his rebound girl. Pa-the-tic. Run along, now, and go find your friend Carter. He’s about at your level.”
“I’m gonna –” Sue Ann started.
I waved a hand and cut her off. Staring Heather in the eye, I accepted everything she’d said to me. It wasn’t like my reputation could get any worse. Heather and Carter had taken care of that for me. Now it seemed that Heather wanted to take everything else I had.
Adam.
I sucked in a breath, filling my lungs. I pressed my chest out and raised my chin until I looked down my nose at Heather. Steeling myself for the next battle, I knew I had a chance to win the entire war.
“This isn’t over. You can bet on that.”
I pushed past the evil witch, my cheeks burning with fire. I still had some fight left inside me.
God. I hope this doesn’t hit the evening news.
Chapter 27
Julia
“I’d say that I’ve never been this mortified before, but that would be a total lie.” I sat behind the counter in Sue Ann’s boutique, staring out at the street. People hustled by as I sipped on the fragrant tea in the china teacup.
Chamomile. Specially chosen by my astute friend to calm my frayed nerves.
Sue Ann had closed up shop, but she still bustled around, hanging a stunning new Hermes scarf on a mannequin, taking off a denim jacket and rearranging a rainbow of cardigans folded on a front table. She was a force of energy, a whirlwind, but I knew better. This was what my best friend did when she was stressed out.
Sort, sort, sort.
And I was the cause. As I took another gulp of my tea, welcoming the hot burn, I reflected and internalized Sue Ann’s distress. My friend didn’t deserve being demolished by the Julia Wales tornado of airborne shit.
Sue Ann paused and met my gaze. “You should’ve decked her. No, better yet, you should’ve let me deck her. I can’t think of one person who deserves physical violence more than that train wreck.”
“I didn’t feel like trying and failing to bail you out, too.”
“Don’t believe her, Julia. Don’t give up on Adam yet,” Sue Ann replied. She picked up her own dainty flower-patterned cup and drank from it. A ‘Sue Ann slurp’ as I always called it. Normally, the ritual of brewing and drinking the soothing tea in the beautiful antique china brought comfort to us both. Not today.
“Give up on him.” I shook my head, considering the implications of her words. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I tried to bail him out of jail, and he left. He hasn’t tried to call me. What does that say?” I combed my fingers through my auburn hair, leaving tracks through the usually silky strands.
“Maybe he’s recovering? Or he’s embarrassed? Maybe they confiscated his phone? I don’t know, there are plenty of reasons he could’ve gone all radio silence on you.”
“I know a lot of men like to hibernate after a crisis and disengage. But at least some of the possible reasons involve him getting back with Heather,” I replied and shifted my handbag out from under Sue Ann’s counter, where I’d stored it before we’d run off to the county jail. My mind drifted back to our nights together with Adam’s talented hands and mouth all over my body. That kind of passion couldn’t be faked, could it? Had he just been playing me?
“She was there alone, Jules. I mean, what was she even doing there after she’d bailed him out? Unless he’d just left without her. He left her. Again.”
“What does it matter?”
“Don’t you see? She’s clearly trying to break you down. Why would she stick around unless she suspected you’d turn up? And why would she care if you turned up unless she thought you were a threat?” Sue Ann downed the dregs of her tea and placed the cup back in its saucer. She lifted a cookie and bit into it. Crumbs fell to the floor. She grumbled about it but continued eating.
“He’s out, and that’s all that matters.” I opened my bag and dug around inside, checking my cell. No missed calls. No messages. Nothing. Pride wouldn’t allow me to call him. “I’m not going to run after him. I’ve got a failing business to deal with.”
“It’s hardly failing,” Sue Ann said around a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie.
I brought out the wad of bills I’d snatched off my entrance hall table this morning. Slapping them down on Sue Ann’s glass front counter, I raised my eyebrows. “I’m officially in debt. I can’t keep up with loan repayments right now. I can’t even pay for my Wi-Fi, thanks to that billboard and the rumors Heather must have planted around town. My cell phone hasn’t buzzed with a prospective client in months.”
Sue Ann walked over, brushing crumbs off her turquoise silk blouse with more grumbles. She stopped in front of the counter and picked up the envelopes, rifling through them one by one, her expression darkening as she went. “I’ll help you out, Jules. I’ll help you pay for what you can’t afford right now. That’s what true friends are for. Besides, I’m the one who basically shoved you into his arms. I really thought this relationship would be different. That he would be different. Everyone noticed the way you two looked at each other back in the day.”
“What’s the point if I can’t ever get the business back up and running again?” I asked, and despair grew inside me. A well of it threatening to overturn every other emotion. I didn’t want Sue Ann paying my bills. “I built my life around this. I can’t think of anything else. Design is my passion.”
Besides Adam.
But everything I’d been passionate about might end up in my rear-view mirror. I was a workaholic for a good reason. I loved my job, immersing myself in every project. And now… I shook my head, unable to even think the words, but I had to face the hateful truths. I’d never be able to bring my childhood dreams to fruition. I couldn’t fulfil my purpose. Marriage. Family. Thriving career.
“Don’t be such a nay-sayer,” Sue Ann said, finally placing the envelopes back on the counter with a slap. “You’ve never been this de-motivated before. Nothing is final, babe. Ever. Out of the ashes rises the Phoenix. You’re the Phoenix.”
“I’d like to escape to Phoenix,” I mumbled and dropped my chin to my chest to avoid Sue’s piercing eye contact.
Sue Ann rolled her eyes and popped a hip. She matched that by placing her hand on it and snapping her fingers in the air. “You, my dear, are Julia Wales, for God’s sake. And Julia Wales does not let a couple rumors –”
“And a billboard.”
“Right, a couple of rumors and a billboard –”
“And newspaper articles and gossip blogs.”
“Right, a couple of rumors and a billboard and newspaper articles and gossip rags, get her down. Does she?” Sue Ann’s stare challenged the hard businesswoman within my soul.
Out of the ashes rises the Phoenix.
“I don’t know. That’s a long list of stuff well designed to put me back on my heels. And then bring me to my knees. And I’m there, Sue. On my knees.”
“Seriously?” Sue Ann said, throwing her hands up in the air.
“I don’t know what to do, Sue. I don’t know how to bring myself or the business back from something like this. But I’ll figure it out. Right now, people think I’m a drugged up home wrecker. That’s a big label to bear. Even if it is completely without merit.”
I thought about all of my former so-called friends. Where were they in my time of need? Why was everyone so quick to believe this drivel and abandon me?
Why was Adam so quick to abandon me?
“So? People say all kinds of shit about me, and I still have my very own boutique. It’s not like you’re going to be applying for jobs. You already have your own business. You just have to get it up and running again.”
“How?” I asked, eyeing the unpaid bills. “We need to start putting our heads together for a
solution.”
“This is a whole lot of press.”
“Bad press.”
“Any press is good press, babe.” Sue Ann clicked her fingers and pointed. “Try using it to your advantage.”
“My advantage,” I repeated, and my vision glazed over. I focused on the crystal clean front windows without seeing them. Any press was good press. What if there was a way to turn it around? Could I make that bad press work to my advantage?
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before!” I squealed.
Sue Ann jumped, dislodging a few more cookie crumbs from her vibrant blouse. “What the heck? What is it?”
“Sue Ann, can I borrow some cash? I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
“Of course, but what for?” my friend blinked.
“You’re going to love this,” I replied, unable to contain a joyous grin and an uncharacteristic fist pump. A sliver of hope had wormed its way inside my tortured body for the first time in days. I felt myself becoming infused with my second wind. “I hope it actually works.”
“I can’t take the suspense. What are you talking about? Spill it. Let the cat out of the bag.” Sue placed both palms on the counter and leaned forward, her eyes wide.
I tapped the side of my nose. “Follow me and you’ll find out,” I said, then pushed my chair back. I looked down at my worn outfit and laughed. “But first, I’ve got to change into something presentable.”
Chapter 28
Adam
The historic McNeal home had been built to impress with its classy lines and premium craftsmanship, but it looked ostentatious to me. A cheap knock-off of real wealth, though the family had been living there for ages. Old money. Maybe I was biased. My whore of an ex-fiancé lived there at the moment, which had everything to do with it.
She’d better be home. I’ve got to get to Julia before the end of the day. Got to tell her how I feel. How much I love her. How the thought of going on without her doesn’t feel like any kind of life at all.
But first, Heather and I both appeared to need closure. I strode up the front stairs and stopped in front of the towering mahogany door. A stained glass window had been inlaid toward the top, a vibrant scene of Gooseberry Falls commissioned by a local artist. I remembered Heather bragging about it when the artwork had been installed.
Heather’s father’s car wasn’t in the drive, which meant daddy dearest wouldn’t be home to protect his daughter from the impending conversation. The one that was long overdue.
How dare she bail me out of jail after our interaction at my house over Chai Lattes? It wasn’t her place. I’d rather have rotted in the county jail for beating Carter’s shady ass than have her be the one to “save” me. But apparently, staying in a cell after bail had been posted was out of the question. I’d demanded it. Called for my lawyer. Everything short of resorting to violence again. The officer had just looked at me with pity and told me to get my ass out and hit the street.
Man, I’d walked out of there, seen her and walked right the fuck past, because I hadn’t been in a clear-headed position to be able to deal with her at that moment. But then… I’d really never been able to deal with her. When I looked back now, shame choked the air from my lungs at all the ways she’d manipulated me without my knowledge. I’d been so trusting. So loyal.
I was an ignorant asshole. The only woman I knew that even came close to being a woman like my mom was the woman who didn’t live in the shithole I stood in front of now.
Julia.
When I’d fled the jail, I’d been too dirty, tired, hungry. You name it.
Now, I was ready. I had to make it clear as fucking ice to Heather that she was out of my life for good, and we couldn’t even remain friends. No contact whatsoever. That Julia Wales had replaced her. No, that wasn’t right, either. Julia had a new position, a deeper one, right in the middle of my fucking soul. Never to be betrayed. Never to be eradicated.
My attraction to Heather had been convenient. Shallow. Julia was the real deal. And I wouldn’t allow Heather to threaten that. No matter how hard she tried with her reality TV antics. She’d always wanted to be famous. Maybe that’s why she was grasping at shredded hope and lost dreams.
I raised my fist to knock on the polished dark wood of the front door, rapping my knuckles against it. The door swung inward, slowly, without a sound. Weird. This reminded me too much of the night I’d caught her slutting it out with my brother.
I chewed on my anger, grinding my teeth, then squared my shoulders. I sure as fuck wasn’t going to waste a second visit on Heather Sleep-around McNeal. I wanted this over and done with so I could get on with my life.
“Heather?” I called out, then took a single step into the vanilla scented interior of the McNeal abode. “Where are you?”
Silence greeted me. Was this her idea of a joke? Or was it another of her games? She was the female Machiavelli, and I’d been enough of a dumbass to fall for it.
“Heather,” I repeated, tapping my booted foot as I scrubbed a hand down my beard growth, welcoming the prickles against the skin of my palm. My patience had run out.
This time, it was less than silence. The distant rumble of voices behind a close door. I went into the house, keeping my ears pricked. Someone was home. Why hadn’t the door been latched in this weather? Almost like someone had invited me inside to overhear something. Was this staged? I strode down the hall I’d walked a hundred times before. Remembering. Flooded with memories I wished I could forget. Each night we’d spent in the dining room with Heather’s parents, having family dinners which were more dick-measuring contests than anything else.
Who had the best car, the best clothes, the best life. And I’d been Heather’s perfect asset. Her trump card. The sports star boyfriend.
I stopped and listened. The noise came from the den. Walking forward a few steps, I pressed my ear to the door, heart pounding.
“You bailed him out, too?” It was Carter. There was no mistaking his nasally whine.
“Of course I did. Don’t forget why we’re doing this, honey,” Heather purred. Then the sound of a wet kiss. “It’s not about you and me.”
“I guess,” Carter replied. “I just didn’t expect you to bail him out right away. After he hit me again, I thought you’d let his cocky ass sit for a while. It’s no more than what he deserves. He’s always thought he was better than everyone else because he got drafted.”
“Listen, babe, as much as I love that fat cock of yours, I can’t be on it exclusively. I hate to say it, but I need Adam’s money. I need his status. You know that producer in Hollywood? The one that’s courting me for my own reality show? Well, it’s in the contract that Adam Spencer comes with the deal or the deal’s off the table. The minute I have him back, we can carry on the way we did before he found out about Mark and me.” Another wet smooching sound. This one went on for longer.
Numbness floated through me, and I wasn’t even angry. Fuck it, I wasn’t shocked. She’d always talked about how both our faces were made for television. With the reality show boom, she’d found a way to get her foot in the door. I wouldn’t put anything past Heather anymore. Obviously, I’d underestimated her, and I never made the same mistake twice.
Fucking three men at the same time? Carter, too?
Nausea hit me like a puck to the stomach. Thank the heavens I’d been tested during the last few months since I doubted Heather had used protection with any of her new boy toys. Who knew how many more there were? She was probably fucking her way to the top.
“Mark,” Carter said, his tone turning bitter. “Why do you need him too?”
“Oh baby, you’ll never understand,” Heather replied with a small tight laugh. “That’s why you’re only number two.”
“Number two?”
“Yes. Don’t worry, you’ll always be number two. Mark comes in last. He doesn’t have the body, the dick or the money to keep me satisfied,” Heather said, her voice sultry. I’d heard her use that tone in the bedroom wit
h me. “But you, Carter, you’re my masterpiece.”
I grasped the brass door handle.
“Help me get out of this skirt,” Heather purred. “I want you to fuck me dirty, Carter. I want you to slide that massive cock inside me until I feel like I’ve been speared in half.”
“Whatever you say, babe. I love pounding that sweet ass.” A zipping noise and the rustle of fabric. Another zip.
I couldn’t take the ball of discomfort in my gut a second longer. I opened the door and stepped into the room. “Well, this is a nice surprise, Heather.”
She screamed and grasped at her bare pussy, trying to cover it up. Carter jumped away from her, mirroring her action, his pants around his ankles.
“Adam? Oh,” Heather said, then sucked in a breath. Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes. “Thank god you’re here. He was trying to attack me. He wanted to –”
“Save it,” I replied with a wave of my hand at their disgusting nakedness. “I heard everything. And man, I couldn’t give a fuck who you’re sleeping with. I just came to tell you that you’d better stay the fuck away from Julia.”
“Baby, I –”
I raised my hand. “If you so much as look at her in the wrong way again to set up the drama for your little TV show, I’ll pay a visit to the local papers. Hell, I’ll go the news stations and let them know just how much fun you’ve been having lately. Don’t contact her. Don’t contact me. Consider this your Adam Spencer restraining order.”
I shot her a grin, filled with the mirth I didn’t feel and walked from the room. The image of her shocked expression, the slack jaw, the fear widened eyes stuck in my brain. And I really didn’t give a shit.
When it came to Heather McNeal, I now felt nothing.
Chapter 29
Julia
“This is crazy,” Sue Ann said, rushing up the stairs alongside me. “I love how crazy this is, don’t get me wrong, but it’s still crazy.”
“I think it’s about time I do something crazy. There are so many of these damn rumors floating around about me, I might as well go ahead and match them with some truly off the wall behavior. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right?” I asked, but inside I was on a leash of nerves. Freak on a leash?
Benched Page 17
