by Layla Frost
The little hint of light I’d let myself hope for disappeared with a poof, and I was left in total darkness.
He’d lied.
To me.
To the court.
I had no clue how much he lied about.
Everyone else around me seemed to know, though.
I was used to being alone. It’d been that way my whole life, for as long as I could remember. Even when I was surrounded by people, I was still alone.
But Theo had given me company. Love and affection. A family.
And now it was tainted with secrets and lies.
I had to get out.
My mind was racing, my chest tight as tears rolled down my cheeks. Betrayal churned my stomach.
I waited until anyone here would be asleep before sprinting into action. Throwing a few pieces of clothes into my big purse, I eased the bedroom door open. My steps were soft as I crept down the stairs. I reached for the keys on the side table, only to find them gone.
The keys were gone.
Not just mine.
All of them.
I turned to check the kitchen, and let out a startled screech when I saw someone there.
“Told you to drop it,” Luc said, leaning casually against the doorframe. His body may have appeared relaxed, but I wasn’t fooled.
“Where are the keys?” I asked.
“Give it time, Dahlia,” he said, not answering me.
“I’ve given it time! I’m even more in the dark now than I was before!”
“Be patient.”
“No!” Pushing my hair out of my face, I took some calming breaths but it didn’t help. My heart hammered in my chest, and I couldn’t seem to get enough air into my lungs. The darkness around me pushed in. “I have to go. I’m going to call a cab.”
“With what phone?” My stomach sank as he pulled my cell from his pocket.
“I’ll walk,” I shot back. It was late and dark, and I had the directional sense of a sleep deprived toddler with a paper bag on their head. But I’d do it.
Luc just shook his head, shifting to the side slightly so he was blocking the door.
My frustration mixed with the betrayal and hurt that swirled inside me. The letter from Theo had ripped open the wound of missing him, while giving me nothing to help it heal. He knew he was wrong, and yet he offered no answers or explanations beyond the mention of an eventual conversation.
Would I even get the truth then? Or would it be more ‘Don’t worry about it’ or ‘I’ll tell you later’ each time I asked?
Panic seized my chest at the thought of being kept in the dark forever.
And I lost it.
My sobs rocked my body, even as I held onto my anger. “I’ve tried! I’ve been patient. You keep promising me an explanation, but I’m more confused than ever. What, am I just supposed to sit here and wait? Fuck that! I’m done.” Even in the dark, I could see his eyes flair at my words, but I was beyond caring. “I chugged along like the good girlfriend, sure he’d clear up this whole clusterfuck of a misunderstanding. But instead he wrote me a letter that gave me nothing!”
Luc’s voice was soft, his words carefully chosen. “He can’t give you anything because they read his mail.”
Each time I got any sort of answer, it only brought up new questions.
“What does that mean? Why would it matter if they read it?” I shook my head. “No. It doesn’t matter. I won’t sit here being kept in the dark any longer. Now move.”
“You have to trust him.”
Of everything he could’ve said to calm me, that was probably the worst.
“Like he trusted me?” I yelled. “Like he was open and honest, trusting that I loved him enough to make it work?” My voice cracked, my resolve and heart shattering to pieces right along with it. “I love him, and he lied to me.”
Sympathy softened Luc’s expression as he reached for me, pulling me into a comforting hug. He seemed to war with himself, his body tense as he sighed before speaking. “He loves you, and he wants you to know everything. But he needs to be the one to tell you, and he can’t right now.”
“Why not? Why all the lies and secrets? He gave me everything for the first time in my whole life, and now I feel like it’s being snatched from me. And I’m scared.” My tears continued, weakening my already tired soul. “I’m so scared.”
Luc didn’t respond, but he held me close as I cried. When my exhausted body would’ve slumped to the floor, he helped me to the room I shared with Theo. As he left, closing the door behind him, I didn’t bother to say anything more.
I changed into one of Theo’s tees and crawled into his side of the bed. Holding his pillow to me, I couldn’t stop my mind from trying to analyze the letter.
Finally falling into a fitful sleep, my nightmares were a welcome reprieve from my reality.
···
I felt like I’d just fallen asleep when a quiet knock woke me.
“Dahlia?” Luc called through the door.
Dread squeezed my heart when I saw it was barely six in the morning. I didn’t have to work Java Brew and wasn’t planning on getting out of bed. At all, basically. Netflix and I were going to have a date like old times.
“Yeah?” I said, already halfway across the room. Opening the door, I was relieved to see Luc looking relaxed.
“Theo can have a visitor today, but we’ve got to be on the road by seven.”
The dread that’d been squeezing my heart earlier released, leaving it feeling light. I started to plan, only to remember what Luc had said about the letter and Theo’s guarded words.
“Will he be able to tell me anything?” I asked.
He hesitated slightly before giving a quick shake of his head.
“Then no.” I must have surprised him because I was able to close the door, quietly sliding the lock in place. Not to keep him out, but rather to keep me in.
“If you go see him, I’ll give you a ride to your interview on Monday,” Luc bargained through the closed door.
Why am I not surprised he knows about that?
“Until someone tells me the truth, I’m not going.”
I heard his mumbles about stubborn women as he retreated down the hall.
Crawling back into bed, I tried to figure out what I was going to do for the day. I couldn’t hide out all weekend. At the very least, I needed to eat. And it wasn’t like Luc was going to snatch me up and force me into the car.
At least I didn’t think so.
I waited as the minutes tick by, each one bringing me closer to the seven o’clock deadline. With each passing one, I switched between being confident in my decision, doubting myself, and feeling like a petulant child.
As much as I wanted to get dressed and go, I knew I couldn’t. I couldn’t see Theo, knowing he’d lied to me. I was sick of being kept in the dark.
But deep down, I was also worried I’d give in. That I’d allow his dimpled smile and charm to convince me what we had was more important than the truth.
So I pretended to ignore the clock. I pushed all the doubt to the back of my mind.
And when time ran out and it was too late for us to leave, I pretended I didn’t feel like I’d just made a major mistake.
···
Grrrrr.
Grrraaaaggllleeee grrrrr.
I jolted awake the next morning, shifting back toward the headboard to get away from whatever ferocious beast had broken in.
Grrrrrrrrrr.
Looking down, I found the source of the growling.
My stomach.
I’d given myself the previous day to fully immerse myself in my moping. I’d had Ben cancel my plans with Rachelle and the girls in favor of hiding out and watching TV. I’d tried to figure out what I was going to do, but had come up empty. I knew I could’ve put my foot down and demanded to be brought… somewhere. But I had nowhere to go. Even if I did, I knew I wouldn’t want to be there.
I wanted to be with Theo.
That didn’t mean I was backin
g down. I still needed to know the truth. But I’d pretty much accepted I’d be kept in the dark, no matter how much I stomped and screamed. That left sympathy or affability as my best option.
My stomach growled again, reminding me I hadn’t eaten much the day before. I showered and shaved, piling my wet hair on top of my head. I threw on a cute bikini, one with a ruffled top, and a terry cloth cover-up dress.
Grabbing a book, I jogged down the stairs and avoided more packages on my way into the kitchen.
The full kitchen.
Luc and Ben were sitting at the table, along with Lou and Tina’s husband, Gabe. I couldn’t remember the name of the other man who was leaning against the counter, but I knew I’d met him. There were a couple other men sitting at the kitchen island, but I didn’t recognize them.
“Good morning,” I greeted with a fake smile, turning to fix myself a cup of coffee. When no one responded, I turned to see Luc eyeing me skeptically.
He wasn’t the only one.
Everyone watched me carefully, suspicion clear.
“Ohhhkay then,” I whispered to myself.
“Sorry. Traffic,” a man said gruffly, entering the room through the back entrance no one used. Once he could see me, he looked like he wanted to step right back out.
“Hey, you’re the guy from the T.”
The older man pushed his hand through his graying red hair, but kept his face blank.
“You threw that guy off me.” I turned to look at Ben, Luc, and Lou at the table. “It was amazing. These creeps were bothering me, and he literally… threw… him.” As my brain finally caught up with my mouth, I surmised, “And it wasn’t a coincidence that he happened to be there, huh?”
All of that had happened after my first date with Theo. Which meant he’d had someone watching me before we were even a ‘we’.
Was it overprotective since the man had ended up needing to help me?
It was a lucky guess any of my follow-up questions would be met with evasive answers. Instead, I mentally added to the growing list of things to discuss with Theo and continued with my original plan
“Coffee?” I asked him, holding up the pot.
The man shook his head, taking a seat at the kitchen island.
“Anyone need refills?”
When no one said anything, I scanned the room and saw they looked even more uneasy than they had before. I just shrugged and picked up my cup and book.
“I’ll be outside,” I said, humming as I went.
Collapsing into the hammock, I sipped my coffee and read. A shadow fell over me a couple minutes later before my big hat was dropped on my head.
“You’ll burn,” Luc said.
With the hat blocking the sun, I was able to look up at him. “Thanks. Now can I have my phone?” When he hesitated, I continued. “You can trust me.”
His snort of disbelief made it clear how he felt, but he handed it over all the same.
“Yeah, ‘cause, between the lax security around here and,” I shook my phone, “my tech savviness, I’ll easily sneak out undetected.”
He chuckled before crouching down. “We’re here because Theo wants us to be. But Ben, Lou, Rachelle, and I would be here anyway because we want to be.” That searing in my heart resumed when he emphasized, “Family support.”
Unsure what to say, I remained silent.
“But you aren’t a prisoner here, Dahlia. I’m not saying no one will follow you, but you can leave. For an hour. The day.”
“But you—”
“Because I don’t want to see Theo hurt. Or you.” There was something different in his tone, a low sincerity when he continued. “Decisions made based on emotions aren’t always the right ones.” With that, he stood and headed for the house before calling over his shoulder, “Lou’s grabbing sandwiches soon. Tell him your order if you want one, or I’ll pick for you. Anchovies and radishes!”
I grimaced as I powered my phone on. Loading my texts, I shot one off to Rosa.
Me: Hey, if you’re the one doing the shopping for Theo, great taste but cut it out. Also, let’s reschedule the girl time for next weekend.
It buzzed a minute later.
Rosa: I’m not. Well, not all of it. I’ll see what I can do, but there are some awesome things…
Rosa: I’ll plan girl time. Rachelle, Tina, Julie?
Me: Sure.
Rosa: I’m on it.
I set the phone down with my book, forced a smile, and headed inside to pick out my sandwich.
One that didn’t include sardines or radishes.
Chapter Seventeen
Practice to Deceive
Dahlia
My kitten heels clicked on the city sidewalk as I made my way to the SUV. My tailored black pants and fitted cream blouse were professional and classy. I’d looked ridiculously out of place at the interview.
“So?” Ben asked as soon as I opened the passenger door.
“I’m pretty sure I nailed it.” Climbing in, I buckled up and looked at him. “He said he’d be in touch quickly, likely tomorrow.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah. But I don’t think I’m going to take it.”
Pulling away from the curb, he glanced at me. “Why not?”
That was a good question.
I shrugged. “They’re a bigger chain than Weggies, and busier. The hours would be more, and I’d for sure have to quit Java Brew.”
“Not seeing the problem. You’re used to working a lot of hours.”
I hesitated before admitting my real issue. “The store manager has been with the company for over twenty years. The other managers have all been there more than five years. Hell, the guy I would be replacing only left because he retired.”
“Okay…” Ben muttered, not getting it.
“The manager was going on and on about how long the employees stay with the store, and I kept hearing ‘Hotel California’ in my head. You know, like they can retire any time they’d like, but they can never leave?”
“I know the song. I’m just confused why stability is bad.”
“It’s not. But there’s stability, and then there’s complacency. And that’s what I think will happen. I’ll work a ton, telling myself I’ll get to the next step eventually. It’s what I’ve been doing for years, and I still haven’t figured out what the next step even is.”
“So do what Theo said. Quit the psychic café, and relax for a while. Go back to school. Do something different.”
“Do you like what you do?” I asked. “Well, besides all the glorified babysitting lately.”
He gave me a look, but otherwise ignored the last part. “I love chaos. Need it, even. That was part of why I wanted to be a chef, for the hectic kitchen. After my mom…” He shook his head. “But I love what I do now, even if it wasn’t my original plan.” Stopping at a red light, he met my eyes. “You never know what tomorrow will bring. Life’s too short to be complacent.”
I was torn. I wanted to feel secure and settled, but I didn’t want to feel like I was settling.
Ben looked away from me again. He opened his mouth before closing it, only to open it again a moment later. “Theo has a lot of… reach. If you want something, all you have to do is say so. He’s been holding back because he doesn’t want to overwhelm you.”
My eyes widened. “This is holding back?”
“For him? Yes.”
Jealousy churned my stomach, the burn of it seeping into my chest. I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Is he this generous with all of his… girlfriends?”
His face scrunched in confusion before he shook his head. “This is him holding back because he hasn’t taken complete control of everything.” Once again, he seemed to measure his words carefully before continuing. “In regards to previous girlfriends, I can’t say. I’ve worked for him for more than five years and have never seen him with a woman during that time. But he’s generous when it comes to those he loves and cares for. And since he hasn’t bought you everything under the
sun, yes, he’s been holding back.”
The burning jealousy was replaced with the empty ache and bittersweet pain. “I miss him,” I whispered.
“So go see him.”
I gave a noncommittal shrug.
Going to see him would weaken my resolve without getting me any closer to the truth. Without those answers, I didn’t know what I wanted to do or where we stood. It was like my life was at a standstill, and I didn’t like it.
“Pizza?” Ben asked, changing the subject. “We can even skip the toppings and just go straight extra cheese.”
“Deal. Want to watch Super Troopers while we eat?”
“How many times have you watched that movie?”
“Ever?”
“In the last two weeks.”
“Only a few times as of right meow. I switched to Mel Brooks for a while.”
Shaking his head as I grinned, Ben called to order the pizza. After he dialed Luc, the ringing going through the SUV’s speakers.
“Hey,” Luc greeted.
“What’s—” Ben started before Luc interrupted him.
“Hi, Dahlia. See you tonight, I’m bringing cannoli cheesecake home for dessert.” I didn’t have the chance to respond when he continued. “Ben, take me off speaker.”
Ben pressed a button and put his cell to his ear. He barely said a word, just a few mumbles of acknowledgement. “I’ll get them on it,” he said before hanging up.
“Everything okay?” I asked, though it clearly wasn’t.
Ben’s whole demeanor had changed as he drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. Just like when Theo would negotiate, Ben’s eyes were sharp and there was an edge to him.
“Just some stuff at Amaric,” he said.
“Oh no. Is the news coverage hurting the business?”
My heart hurt at the thought of Theo losing his company and all he’d worked for.
Laughing, Ben shook his head. “No, not at all. The opposite.”
“Really?”
“Theo and Luc are able to be picky about what companies they work with because they’ve got a waitlist a mile long. It’s doubled in the last week.”
I was surprised he was sharing so much, but I wasn’t about to turn away the info.
Maybe Ben is the ‘weak link’ I should be focused on.
