by Chris Cannon
“Don’t forget the garage sale. We’re trying to raise enough money to fix this parking lot.” She patted the top of my Mustang. “Have a good night.”
It certainly couldn’t get much worse.
All I wanted to do was go home and go to sleep. I drove across town without incident. No dogs or deer jumped into my path. I parked my car and made it into the house without any fuss. All I wanted to do was collapse on my bed. My father blocking my path as I tried to walk past the dining room was my first clue the shit-storm my life had become was not over.
“Where have you been?” he asked. “How could you leave Lucinda standing there like that? It was rude and irresponsible.”
“Do we have to do this now?” I didn’t have it in me to play nice and act respectful. “Can’t you wait and yell at me tomorrow morning?”
“No, this can’t wait. Explain yourself.”
“Fine, but I’m not going to stand in the hallway while I do it.” I pushed past him and headed for the kitchen where I grabbed a glass of water. After downing half of it, I sat at the island. He could join me if he wanted to. “I wasn’t rude to Lucinda. You were rude to Haley. You knew I was there with her, but you tried to set me up with one of your friend’s daughters, instead. Why did you do that?”
“Lucinda is a much better fit for you. You have far more in common. Now, you are going to call her and apologize and then we’ll all have brunch at the country club tomorrow.”
“No. I’m sure Lucinda is nice, but she isn’t who I want to date. I’m sorry if that doesn’t fit into your social plan. No matter who I date, you will never be at the top of the food chain at the country club. Nathan’s family has more money than half the other members combined. Deal with it and stop trying to use me to work your way up the ladder.”
“And why do you think you’re friends with Nathan?”
What a stupid question. “Because I like him.”
“No. Since you were an infant I networked with his father, making sure you were involved in all the same activities so that when you grew up you’d be friends.”
Unbelievable. “Since I was born, you’ve used me to network with his family?”
“Yes. And it’s worked, which is why you need to listen to me and do as I say. Date Lucinda. Act like the perfect gentleman when you’re with her. I don’t care if you want to see this Haley in your spare time, but everyone needs to think you and Lucinda are the perfect couple.”
“You mean the way everyone thinks you have a perfect marriage, even though you’re screwing your secretary?”
His eyes narrowed.
A small part of me hoped he’d deny it, that there was some other explanation.
“What happens between your mother and I is not your concern. You will date Lucinda or some other girl with the same pedigree and you will do so with a smile on your face.”
“No. I won’t.” I set my glass down and headed up to bed.
Sleep wouldn’t come. I tossed and turned. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Haley, asking me to make a choice. And every time, I screwed it up.
…
Haley
Sunday morning, I lay in bed staring at the phone on my nightstand. What would I do if Bryce called? First I’d tell him what a wuss he was for caving and doing what his father wanted. Then I’d tell him how he’d screwed up and we were over because I deserved a guy who would always put me first. I sniffled and wiped at my eyes. That’s exactly what I’d do. And if he apologized his ass off, maybe I’d consider forgiving him. Maybe.
Kicking off the covers, I dressed in one of my old baggy turtlenecks because even though Bryce was gone, the marks he’d left on my neck were still there, which seemed sort of ironic. The blotches were now light pink and would probably disappear in another day or two. The last traces of my fake relationship gone. Good riddance. I don’t know why I’d been delusional enough to think anything that started with blackmail could turn into something real.
I took a deep breath and blew it out. I needed some coffee and maybe an entire bag of powdered-sugar doughnuts. That would make the world seem like a better place. Going down to the kitchen would mean facing my family. They hadn’t been around when I’d come home last night. I wasn’t looking forward to filling them in on the breakup. At least I could say I was the one who’d broken things off. That would make me look less pathetic. Right? I checked my reflection in the mirror. Massive bedhead, bloodshot eyes, and dark circles stared back at me. Fabulous. So much for maintaining my dignity.
In the bathroom I splashed cold water on my face and then brushed my hair, putting it up in a messy bun. And that was as good as it was going to get. Plastering a neutral expression on my face, I headed downstairs. My mom, dad, and my brothers sat at the table with a box of glazed doughnuts between them. Off to the side I saw an open bag of the powder--sugared doughnuts I preferred. Score.
I poured myself a cup of coffee, sat at the table, and inhaled a doughnut before I noticed everyone was looking at me. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “What?”
“Are you okay?” my mom asked.
Apparently my family had already heard the good news. “Word travels fast. Did someone put an announcement in the paper?”
Matt grabbed another doughnut. “Some of our friends who were parking cars at the country club last night said you broke up with Bryce. Is that true?”
My throat felt tight, so I nodded.
Charlie cracked his knuckles. “Can I hit him now?”
Part of me wanted to say yes, but that would be wrong. And if anyone was going to hit Bryce, it was going to be me. “No.”
“Can you pick a guy who is less of a douchebag next time?” Matt said as he grabbed a doughnut and headed out the door. Charlie followed him.
I laughed. My plan had worked. Dating Bryce had cleared the way for a real boyfriend. I should be happy. But I wasn’t.
“Do you want to talk about it?” my mom asked.
Talking would lead to crying and that would interfere with eating doughnuts, so I shook my head.
The phone rang, and I was up and out of my seat like a shot. Caller ID showed Jane’s name. “Hello, Jane.”
“I’m pulling up to your house,” Jane said, “and I have cinnamon rolls.”
“Thank you.” I knew once I saw Jane, the emotions would come flooding out. “Meet me up in my room.”
I bounded up the stairs to my room and sat on the bed. My eyes burned. Jane entered my room, closed the door, and came to sit next to me on the bed. She put her arm around my shoulders, and pressure built in my chest. I opened my mouth to talk and the tears came pouring out.
With her free hand, Jane handed me a wad of napkins. “I thought you might need these.”
“Thank you.” I focused on turning the waterworks off. I’d cried enough. Damn it. Tear ducts should come with an on off switch.
“The cinnamon rolls are still warm.” Jane held the bag out to me.
I grabbed one and bit into it. Guys might be jerks, but at least food could be counted on to make me happy. The warm icing and cinnamon goo made the world seem like a better place. “These are awesome.”
“Yeah, I ate two in the car on the way over.” Jane laughed.
It was unusual for Jane to be so quiet. She must be waiting for me to start the Bryce bashing. “Can you believe Bryce turned out to be so spineless?”
“No. And I don’t get it. Why would he let his dad push him around like that?”
“His dad is a certified asshole, but Bryce should have stood up for me.”
“Damn right he should have.”
“The part that’s making me crazy is if we’d met under different circumstance, without the blackmail, I think maybe things would’ve worked.” Then again, without the blackmail we probably never would have talked to each other.
Jane handed me another cinnamon roll.
…
Monday morning, I picked Jane up for school. After having ridden together for two weeks, driving alone sounded boring to b
oth of us. I’d convinced her it made more sense for me to drive since picking her up was on the way to school and then she could give me gas money.
“I bet Chase will come find you when he hears you broke things off with Bryce.”
“Maybe.” I wasn’t ready to jump into another relationship. Pseudo-dating Bryce taught me I could have a boyfriend if I wanted one, but right now, boys seemed like more trouble than they were worth.
“Are you okay?” Jane asked as I pulled into the Greenbrier High School parking lot.
Sure, I was great. I had stared at the phone for hours last night willing it to ring. Hoping Bryce would call. And then hating myself for hoping. The whole fiasco had been doomed from the start. And it was obvious he’d never been in the relationship for real. Time for me to suck it up, put on my big-girl panties, and get back to my life. A life where I could have a real boyfriend, if I wanted one. But none of them would be like Bryce. I closed my eyes, and my brain betrayed me by replaying what it felt like when he kissed me.
Jane was waiting for an answer. “I’m good. I mean, I’ll miss Bryce but I still have two free tickets to the Homecoming Dance next weekend. So there’s that.” I climbed out of the car and was hit with a strange sense of déjà vu.
“Is it me,” Jane said, “or do people seem to be staring and pointing at us?”
People had probably heard I’d dumped Bryce. And for the first time, I didn’t care what anyone thought. They could say whatever they wanted. That didn’t make it true.
“Opinions about my life by anyone who is not me no longer matter. I read that online somewhere. I’ve decided it’s my new motto.” Ice-cold wind drifted down the back of my V-neck blouse, creating a crop of goose bumps. “Let’s go inside.”
Above the entrance to the school there was a banner, which read, Golf-a-thon this weekend to benefit Hope Animal Shelter.
I stopped dead and looked at Jane. “Did you know about this?”
She shook her head. “No. Is this something you and Bryce planned?”
“No.” I crossed the threshold into the building and saw another banner. Come out to the Golf-a-thon so Haley Patterson won’t lose her car in a pothole at Hope Animal Shelter.
I pointed at the giant banner hanging from the ceiling. “That’s real…right?”
Jane nodded. “Come on. There’s another one up ahead.”
We ran down the hall. The next banner proclaimed. Support the Golf-a-thon because Bryce was an idiot and he should have chosen Haley.
Oh my God. “What is going on?” Another smaller sign hung on the wall. Jane, make sure Haley goes to her locker.
Jane laughed. “We were headed there anyway, but okay.”
Students lined the hallway, watching my progress. The closer I came to my locker, the more crowded the hall became.
We squeezed between groups of students. I kept an eye out for Bryce, but didn’t see him. Once we cleared the bottleneck, I stood and stared. There was a banner taped above my locker. Haley Patterson, will you be my girlfriend and go to Homecoming Dance with me? Love, Bryce
I stared openmouthed. If this was how he felt, why hadn’t the idiot called me?
“So, what do you say, Haley?” Bryce’s words startled me. He stood next to me, holding a single red rose, like he’d appeared out of thin air.
“Take him back,” a girl yelled from the crowd gathered around us.
And there was quite a crowd. Wall-to-wall students seemed to have gathered to see how this would play out. Didn’t these people have anything better to do?
“Don’t do it.” A voice that sounded suspiciously like my brother Matt’s rang out down the hall.
I grinned. “Can I have some time to think about this?”
His mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me?”
Of course I was, but he deserved some grief. “I wouldn’t want to rush into anything. Maybe we should start out dating on a trial basis.”
“A trial basis?” He leaned in. “Have I mentioned that you’re a pain in the ass?”
I laughed. “Guess what? I feel exactly the same way about—”
I didn’t get to finish my sentence, because he kissed me. It was a full-body contact, we-might-as-well-be-horizontal kind of kiss. Noise from the crowd around us increased. He didn’t seem to care, and neither did I.
When the kiss ended, Bryce leaned his forehead against mine. “What’s your answer? And in case you’re confused, the only acceptable answer is yes.”
“Yes.”
The crowd erupted into applause although I could hear a couple of males, most likely my brothers, booing in the background.
…
Haley
I didn’t know what to expect at the Homecoming Dance. Although I should have known that Bryce in a tuxedo would draw girls like moths to a flame, but I didn’t mind, because I knew he was with me. Okay, that’s a lie. I minded a little, but I was now secure enough in his affections that it didn’t make me crazy.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Bryce grabbed my hand and led me onto the dance floor where we danced awkwardly for a moment before we adjusted to the tempo of the song. Just like the bumps in our relationship. It took a little while for us to pull it together, but in the end we found our rhythm.
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Acknowledgments
There are several people to thank for bringing this book to life. Thank you to Entangled Publishing for making me part of the new Crush line. Thank you to Erin Molta for talking me off the ledge and assuring me that my writing doesn’t suck. Thank you to my husband for bringing me chocolate and coffee and listening to me go on and on about fictional characters. Thank you to my parents for their unwavering support in this endeavor.
About the Author
Chris Cannon lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and her three dogs: Pete the shih-tzu who sleeps on her desk while she writes, Molly the ever-shedding yellow lab, and Tyson the sandwich-stealing German Shepherd Beagle.
She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures or snarky romantic comedies.
You can find her online at www.chriscannonauthor.com.
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