by Piper Rayne
Only now that it was happening, it felt like a burn all through his body. It scorched him from the inside out, charring his heart and his lungs. And it hurt like nothing else.
“You’re always going to see me as destined to fail.” A tear dropped onto her cheek and she whisked it away. Then she turned and walked out of his bedroom.
“Zoey, stop.” He followed, finding her pulling her bikini bottoms back on. “Don’t be rash.”
Ugh, maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say. Her jaw clenched and she yanked her T-shirt over her bare breasts. “This was clearly a mistake. I thought that if you could see how good we were together you might…”
“Might what?”
Her lip quivered, but she stayed strong, locking her shoulders in place as she stared him straight in the eye, strong as a queen. “That you might be able to pull your head out of your arse long enough to see how much I love you.”
The words froze him in his tracks.
Sure, he knew that Zoey had crushed on him since she was a gangly, freckle-faced teenager. Sure, he knew that she was attracted to him as an adult. But love? Actual long-lasting forever love?
She stepped into her jean shorts and pulled them up over her hips, not meeting his eye as she tugged the zipper up and stuffed her feet into her Havaianas. Then she bent over to scoop up the top part of her bikini and stuffed it into the back pocket of her shorts.
“Mack, you’re a smart guy but sometimes you’re really dumb.” She shook her head and walked across the room, right to the front door, and left without a backward glance.
Zoey loved him.
That wasn’t supposed to happen. Tonight was meant to be a release of energy, a calculated lapse in his responsibility. Not love. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he swore under his breath, remembering that he’d driven Zoey here. He couldn’t let her walk home on her own.
But by the time he made it outside she was gone.
MACK: Don’t walk home alone, please. Let me drive you.
ZOEY: I’ve already texted Gwen. I’m crashing at her place.
Gwen lived on the next street over, and Mack sighed in relief. But there was a hard knot in his chest. Zoey loved him and he was afraid of losing her. Both of these things didn’t fit with his view of the world. He was supposed to be chasing a stable life, looking to settle down and make a family with someone who matched him. Not falling in love with a wild, whimsical woman who revved his engine and made him break his own rules.
But as he walked back into his house, his legs feeling heavy and stiff as though they were filled with concrete, he knew that tonight had fundamentally changed things. He could no longer deny that his feelings about Zoey were purely based on responsibility. He could no longer deny that his attraction to her was more than skin deep.
Fact was, there was a very real possibility that he loved Zoey, too. But this possibility wasn’t a green light to act. What if he messed it all up and lost two people he cared about as much as if they were his own family? He couldn’t have that.
Risk didn’t always equal reward. He knew that better than anyone.
Chapter Ten
One month later…
The Sweet on You dessert food truck was about to make its debut. In the last four weeks Zoey had used every one of her charms to get the Westfalia into shape, diligently working through the list that Mack had given her. She’d called in favours, traded free coffee and treats for a discount, and dug into her savings once more.
Now the day was here… kind of.
She and Gwen weren’t quite ready to launch the business. They still needed to set up their website and socials, as well as a proper way of tracking their costs. Oh, and the Westfalia was unfortunately still rocking its scummy green look since the only custom paint place in the vicinity was booked out and not taking clients for another few weeks.
But an opportunity had come up that was too good to refuse. The local municipality was holding a “supporting young women in business” event and since Gwen’s aunt worked in the local government office, she’d extended an invitation. Serving their desserts to the local townsfolk would be a great soft opening. It had also helped to expedite their registrations, since it was for a government initiative.
But even as Zoey was setting up with Gwen, she couldn’t find it in herself to feel as excited as she should. After all, she was still suffering from the humiliation of blurting out that she loved Mack.
What had she been thinking? Clearly nothing at all. Perhaps multiple orgasms negatively impacted a woman’s brain function.
Someone should do a study on that. Reasons not to have sex—it causes bad decisions.
“Hey.” Gwen placed a hand on Zoey’s shoulder, startling her out of her thoughts. They were standing over some plastic tubs of baked products, loading them into the displays sitting atop the fold-down counter. “Are you okay? You’re really quiet.”
“I guess I’m nervous,” she lied. Truth was, she wasn’t nervous at all… not about the business, anyway. She knew that would be a hit.
Last night she’d stayed up late playing sous chef to Gwen, doing the menial jobs like chopping butter and washing bowls and measuring ingredients. Ever since the night she crashed at Gwen’s place, they hadn’t talked about Mack. By Zoey’s request. Gwen didn’t need to be bogged down with her crap.
But her empathetic and emotionally intelligent friend never missed a trick. “No, you’re not. You’re pining.”
“I’m not pining.” Zoey frowned.
“You are. It’s fine, you’ve been pining after Mack since you were dressing like Avril Lavigne.”
“Way to kick a girl when she’s down.” Zoey wadded up a napkin and threw it at her friend. “I do not need a walk down the dark alley of mid 2000s emo fashion, thank you very much.”
“All I’m saying is, there’s nothing wrong with how you feel.” Gwen used a cake server to carefully place her pieces of jelly slice onto a cake tray that would have a glass dome over the top. They could only fit about six or seven in there, which wasn’t ideal, as the rest would have to stay in a container and be replenished throughout the event. “At least you can go to bed at night knowing you spoke your truth.”
More like blurted it out in the middle of an argument… while I was naked.
But Gwen didn’t need to know that embarrassing detail.
Zoey filled a glass jar with Gwen’s homemade Iced Vovo biscuits. The iconic pink and red striped biscuits were an Aussie staple and would go perfectly with the coffee Zoey would serve from her espresso machine. They’d gone with an “pink and red” theme for today’s menu, which also included mini strawberry cheesecakes, pink champagne macarons brushed with gold dust, and peppermint fudge that had been tinted a pale pink and sprinkled with crushed candy cane. The effect was Instagram-worthy, to say the least.
“I made a fool of myself,” she grumbled in reply as she replaced the lid on the biscuit jar. “He thinks I’m this brash, impulsive girl who treats life like one big game.”
“Well, you are a little brash and impulsive,” Gwen said, nudging her. “But that’s what us serious folks love about you.”
Zoey laughed. Now that she thought about it, Gwen and Mack had pretty similar personalities. They were both highly responsible, Type-A, risk-averse types and Zoey was their foil, always pushing them to try new things and have fun. Clearly, she had a type—for both friends and love interests.
“He thinks I won’t amount to anything.”
“I don’t believe that.” Gwen shook her head. “Do you really think Mack would have spent the afternoon helping you clean up the green beast if he didn’t think you had any potential? Why would he waste his time?”
“Obligation.” Mack was good at that.
“No. I’ve known him my whole life and he has zero time for fools. Seriously, even when we were young if he decided he didn’t like someone it was as if they ceased to exist. And he most definitely knows you exist.”
It had certainly felt that way th
e night they slept together. It was almost as if once he decided to bring her home, another side of him came out to play—he was tender, funny, sweet, sexy. All the things she knew he was deep down, underneath his layers of armour. For a brief, glittering moment she’d thought that maybe everything she’d dreamed could come true.
But that story about his sister’s failure… it had socked her right in the gut. Because he thought Zoey would make the same mistakes, that her impulsiveness would bring others down. And that hurt.
“Whatever happens,” Gwen said, wrapping an arm around Zoey’s shoulders, “know that you are one hundred percent awesome and Sweet on You is going to be a success. If he doesn’t want a slice of that, then that’s his issue.”
In spite of the hollow feeling in her gut, Zoey smiled. Running a business with her best friend was something to be celebrated and she couldn’t be more grateful to have Gwen in her corner.
“You got that right,” she said, sucking in a breath and giving herself a mental pick-me-up. “Let’s do this thing!”
Mack had never been surrounded by so much pink in all his life. The Young Women in Business expo was being held in the indoor sports stadium of the local high school. The building wasn’t much bigger than a basketball court, and had been filled with booths showcasing all kinds of female-run businesses, including artisanal goods like wine from a boutique vineyard and preserves from a local berry farm run by the granddaughters of a longstanding Patterson’s Bluff resident. There was a booth aimed at helping female entrepreneurs get startup funding and another for a city university encouraging more women to join the technology field.
Mack was happy to see folks of all kinds showing their support—the place was packed. Outside, however, was where he was most interested in. The Sweet on You food truck sat beside a farmer’s market tent selling produce and a pop-up from one of the local restaurants selling fancy paninis and salads.
The sight of the ugly green Volkswagen Westfalia lifted the corner of his lip. He had to hand to Zoey and Gwen, they were certainly selling it. There was a line out front and both wore huge smiles and matching yellow aprons. Zoey was working the espresso machine and Gwen was managing the register, and they moved in unison. As one man walked back towards the stadium, he bit into a piece of jelly slice and audibly moaned while his partner commented on how amazing the coffee was. Mack couldn’t have been prouder of them both.
He’d been stewing on what to do about patching things up with Zoey. He hated how they’d left things. Or rather, how he’d left things. Because Zoey had taken a leap and told him how she felt. She’d been honest and upfront, and he’d returned the favor by letting her believe he underestimated her when, in fact, it was simply his fear of losing her.
But he’d never been too good with words. He was better with his hands, with actions, but when it came to love sometimes you had to spit it out.
Did he love Zoey?
It was a thought he’d pondered a lot the last month. In a way, he’d always loved her. The times she’d been living on her own and he’d felt the responsibility to check in on her—that was love. The times he’d picked her up from a bar at one a.m. because she was tipsy and her brother was still working—that was love. All the times he’d watched her blow out birthday candles, wishing that everything she wanted would fall at her feet—that was love.
And the night they’d spent together when he’d cradled her body, shocked with how content and complete he felt—that, too, was love.
His fears about losing her were real, and the worry of it all going wrong and ruining his relationship with her and her brother hovered in his mind. But what was life without risk? Zoey had taught him that. In many ways, her bravery and resilience were the things he loved most about her. Yeah, sometimes she leaped without looking, and to Mack, hope wasn’t a strategy. But to someone like him, who could get tangled up in all the things that might go wrong, she was a breath of fresh air.
Balance.
Zoey had been right about that. Their differences weren’t something to be feared, but to be celebrated. They were a strength rather than a barrier. He was going to tell Zoey how he felt. That he loved her. That she was right. That she was worth the risk.
But before he could even think of how to put it all into words, someone screamed, “Fire!”
Smoke wafted into the air from behind the Sweet on You food truck and bright yellow and red flames licked up the back end of the vehicle. Mack raced over as the crowd scattered, pushing past people with fear clogging the back of his throat. If Zoey hadn’t fixed all the issues he’d pointed out, then a fire could spread quickly. Or cause an explosion. If the generator hadn’t been replaced…
Stop it. Zoey knows what she’s doing. She came to you because she wanted to do it right.
The two women piled out of the food truck and Gwen ran towards him, wide-eyed. But Zoey was running in the other direction, towards the back. She had a fire extinguisher in her hands—one of the things he’d recommended she include in her upgrades.
The extinguisher hissed and released its fluid, creating a foamy substance that splattered the back of the truck and the ground where the fire had caught on a patch of greenery lining the walkway. In seconds, the fire was out.
“Thank God we weren’t on the oval with all that dry grass.” Gwen shook her head. Every Australian knew the dangers of a dry summer. She looked shaken and Mack put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. “I have no idea what happened.”
“You’ve gone into business with a bad egg, Gwen Marsh,” a voice piped up beside them. An older woman with thin, gold-wire glasses perched on her nose was shaking her head. It was Mrs. Harris, their long-retired high school history teacher. “That girl was a menace even as a child.”
“A menace?” Gwen gaped at the older woman. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“And you always were a gullible one.” Mrs. Harris shook her head again. “She’s just like her mother. Reckless, irresponsible. Comes from a whole family of troublemakers.”
“I’ll ignore the irony of you tearing down Zoey in the middle of a ‘supporting young women in business’ event,” Mack said, turning to face the older woman. “And simply tell you that you’re dead wrong. Zoey is nothing like her mother. She’s hard-working, kind, optimistic and resilient. If you don’t see that she has massive potential to be a great contributor to our community, then that is a failing on you, not on her.”
Mrs. Harris’s mouth fell open. She’d loved him when he was a kid—had always jokingly called him her “favourite student” because he was diligent and always did his homework, even when he hated the subject. But he wasn’t going to let her cast aspersions on Zoey in front of everyone.
“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen under her spell, too,” Mrs. Harris scoffed. “I thought you’d do so much better than that, Brian. It won’t last, you know.”
“Yes, it will.” When he said the words aloud, he felt it to the depths of his soul. “It’s forever.”
Suddenly he realised that he wasn’t only speaking to Mrs. Harris. All the people standing around were staring at him, including Zoey. The fire had been put out before it could spread but she still had the extinguisher in her hands. A woman in a black dress and a man with a bald head were inspecting the area behind the truck.
“Forever?” Zoey asked, shaking her head. “It’s not even for now.”
Beside him, Mrs. Harris made a noise of smug amusement. Oh boy. Mack really didn’t want things to go down like this—publicly, with his potential rejection on display for the whole town to see. Declarations with an audience were so not his style.
What would Zoey do?
She’d put herself on the line, just like she’d already done over and over. She would light up the sky with her message if that’s what it took. Because she was brave and fearless. Because she tried no matter how tough an obstacle appeared.
“That’s my fault,” Mack said, walking towards her. “Honestly, sometimes you terrify me
.”
“Gee… thanks?” Her silvery blue eyes were locked onto his as she placed the spent extinguisher on the ground.
“You live every day with your heart on your sleeve and you don’t care who sees it.” He shook his head, fighting the urge to turn around and tell everyone to get lost so they could have a private moment. But the fact was, it didn’t matter who saw him right now. The only thing that mattered was Zoey. “You operate with a level of hope and optimism that seemed impossible to me for a long time, because I misunderstood what it meant. I thought hoping meant acting without a plan, but it’s not that at all. It’s belief. Belief that you can make the life you want, belief that if you keep trying, you’ll make it to where you want to be.”
Zoey’s cheeks were flushed from the flurry of activity earlier, and a few colourful hairs had escaped around her face. She looked beautiful and real and Mack knew without a shadow of a doubt, this was the woman he wanted to spend his life with.
The only question that remained, was whether or not she would forgive him for being a fool.
Chapter Eleven
Zoey was on a legitimate rollercoaster of emotions. One second everything had been great—Sweet on You had happy customers, some already coming back for a second or even third treat. Then terror had set in as she smelled smoke and someone yelled fire. Instinct had gotten her to the fire extinguisher quickly and she hadn’t hesitated to run towards the smoke, desperate to save her business and prevent those around her from being hurt. Disbelief had clogged her lungs as the flames dampened, eventually snuffed out under the white foam.
How could this have happened?
She’d done everything Mack suggested. The insurance guy had been very impressed with her preparedness. Could she have missed something? Would people think this was her fault?
Her heart had almost split in two with the snide remark Mrs. Harris made—loud enough that everyone could hear. The old bat had hated her family ever since her mother was in high school. For a moment, Zoey wondered if everyone saw her that way. Inept. A genetically assured failure.
