by Virna DePaul
The upstairs apartment was just as tidy and clean, and also bearing a fresh coat of paint. Once my mom got out of the hospital, she stayed at Miss Cecily’s, but we had plans for her to move into the apartment upstairs. With a little work by Uncle Daniel, we’d made the two-bedroom apartment into two separate studios, one for Mom, and one for me. A part of my heart twanged each time I remembered fantasizing about Corbin living there with me. What a joke, considering he was rich, flew all over the world, and was used to every luxury. I reminded myself of that constantly, as if doing so would make the loss of him hurt less, but it never worked. So I did the best I could. Distracting myself by throwing myself into work.
I’d spent every waking hour scrubbing the entire place clean and making improvements in the kitchen. I needed an additional oven, but based off my projections, I’d be able to make that purchase in under a year. Everything was set and ready to go.
The bell tinkled behind me and I pivoted to see Elmer Lamell enter. He held a large manila folder stuffed to the brim with papers under his arm. My loan and the mortgage to this place. This time, my smile was genuine and wide. I gestured to the best table in the house—the one facing Main Street. A basket of flowers hung off the streetlight just outside.
Elmer cleared his throat as he sat. “Aimee. You’ve done a great job in here. It looks good.”
Sitting across from him, I shook his hand, then smoothed my hands on my skirt, hoping they weren’t too sweaty. To say I was nervous was an understatement. After what had happened with Brad (who’d thankfully stayed away from me since that run-in with Corbin), I’d truly feared that even after I came up with the money, Elmer would find a way to back out of our deal. “Thank you, Mr. Lamell.” I reached into my purse and pulled out an envelope with the check I owed him. Fifteen thousand dollars. The entirety of my bank account. My life savings. And my food budget for the last month. Thankfully Uncle Daniel had allowed me to eat my meals at Evangeline’s on the house.
“It’s all there,” I said, confidently.
“Oh. I didn’t doubt it would be. I am surprised it’s your name on the check though, and not Corbin Ross’s.”
I frowned. What the hell? “Excuse me? What does that mean?”
Elmer held up his hands. “I didn’t mean any offense. But since he paid off the one loan, I figured he’d front you money for your business as well.” He shrugged. “I guess I misjudged the fellow. It was a nice thing he gone and done for Miss Cecily.”
“What did he do for Miss Cecily?”
Clearly puzzled, Elmer scratched his head. “You mean you don’t know?” When I shook my head dumbly he said, “Miss Cecily was behind on her taxes for the plantation house and all the land. She was gonna lose everything. He made all the back payments for her, and set up a trust so she can live there the rest of her life.”
“What?” Shocked, I barely could think, much less make sense of what Elmer was saying. Corbin had paid off Miss Cecily’s debts? And set up a trust for her?
“And that’s not all. He done went and set up with the internet company to put in a cell tower on the back of her property. Pontmaison will finally have good internet. Good thing, too. Brad and his girl? They’re talking again. And well, I—I didn’t give that a chance, their relationship, because I wanted my son here with me, but…” He shrugged, looking at me a little more intently. “A man has to live his own life. Choose the woman he’s meant to be with. And heck, if he moves to New York, now I can do that video chat thing people keep talkin’ about.”
Right. Now he could. Because the town finally had good internet.
I shook my head in disbelief. Why would Corbin do such a thing?
Why do you think? a voice inside my head whispered.
He said he loved you. Was this his way of showing you that?
No, I realized.
This was his way of showing he cared about Miss Cecily. About the whole town. That even after he left Pontmaison—even after we were through—that hadn’t changed. The fact that Corbin loved me? He’d proved that time and again in how he’d treated me. Supported me. Talked to me and made love to me and pleaded with me to give us a chance.
I hadn’t believed it could be enough. That he’d stay loyal to me. That I’d be enough for him, a rock star.
Now I understood I’d underestimated us both. His capacity for love. My ability to be strong and fight for what I wanted. Who I wanted.
Now, the only question is: what am I going to do about it?
* * *
Corbin
“Okay, wait. Earth to Corbin, come in Corbin!” Tucker shouted, waving his drum sticks in the air. I blinked and stared blankly at the drummer for Point Break and one of my best friends.
When I’d taken off from Louisiana three weeks back, I’d returned to L.A. to find the guys had returned as well. They’d taken one look at me and known something major had happened, and after a lot of denials on my part, they’d extracted the story about Aimee from me. They’d sat in stunned silence, then Tucker had said, “Work. It’s the best thing you can do right now. The music will get your head on straight, then you can decide what to do about your girl.”
I hadn’t bothered arguing with him. Instead, I’d been operating on auto pilot, and it was clear three weeks later that I was still doing so.
Tucker sighed. “Seriously, bro, you just started playing the bass line again during my solo. You’re the one who arranged this piece, don’t you remember?”
I wanted to groan and hide in my corner of the recording studio, not that there was a lot of place to hide in these kind of things. It was close quarters, filled with a ton of wires and recording equipment. Still, I’d zoned out yet again thinking about Aimee. It was going into week four and I still couldn’t fucking concentrate. I kept seeing those amazing eyes, that olive skin, and the way her laughter made me feel enveloped in satin.
I wanted her back, and badly.
But she’d given up on us. Hadn’t been willing to fight for what we had. She’d been just as bad as Kara; not because she’d been weak and needed me too much, but because she’d been weak and hadn’t believed that she was special enough to be all I’d ever need in a woman.
I loved Aimee, and she’d sent me away.
And now every part of me burned.
“I’m serious man, you okay?” Tucker asked, his brow furrowed in concern. “Hey, guys can we take a few?”
Liam, our lead singer, and Wes both nodded. They left, but not before Liam patted my shoulder and Wes said, “We’re here for you, Corbin. We always will be.”
“Thanks, man,” I mumbled. When they were gone, I looked up at Tucker. “I’m good,” I said.
“No, you’re not. And you’re not getting any better. The music should have cleared your head by now. Hell, I expected you to get your shit together and go after your woman weeks ago, Corbin. Since you’re not, we clearly need to hash some shit out.”
I wasn’t sure what Tucker thought he could do to help me. I’d tried everything: booze, exercise, even some stupid self-help books I was hiding deep under my bed. None of it was making me get over Aimee. I just didn’t see how a few pep talk words could do better, but I was desperate and I needed anything I could get.
I wasn’t expecting him to lead with, “You’re drinking way too much, man.”
What the hell. Tucker “The Fucker” Benning, party animal and reformed man-whore, was telling me I’d been drinking too much?
“You just think that because you watch Nikki and make sure she stays on the wagon. Now you think you see addiction and little pink elephants everywhere.”
It was a low blow and I knew it. Tucker was actually trying to give a shit about my depression, and I was trying to throw his girlfriend’s former issues back in his face.
Tucker stiffened but he didn’t fully rise to the bait. “That’s low, man. I know you’re hurting because of Aimee, and I know exactly how you feel. I came back from Paris after Nikki really spiraled, and I felt like my heart had been cu
t out with a rusty knife.”
I closed my eyes. Fuck, that’s exactly how I felt. “I thought it would get better, but it hurts to breathe, bro. I don’t sleep.” I opened my eyes and stared at my best friend. “When I do, I have dreams of her and sometimes they’re great but then I wake up and she’s not with me anymore. It’s worse than the nightmares because that just replays what happened that last night. It’s like the ultimate tease to have her in my arms and then wake up to nothing.”
“See and all that bullshit about distance makes the heart grow fonder is just that. It’s the same thing about time heals all wounds and all that other crap. Some things are so big that it only gets worse.”
“Like missing Aimee.”
“Exactly. And how I ached for Nikki until we figured it out, and you know without Abby that Liam’s completely lost.”
Laughing, I nodded again. “They’re cute together. Never tell him I said that, but they’ve channeled that couple vibe where they finish each other’s sentences. I thought I could have that with Aimee, but I can’t. I can’t, Tucker. She doesn’t believe she’s enough for me, and if she doesn’t believe it…” I shook my head. “It’s a fucking lost cause. Eventually, I’ll make her miserable. And she’ll make me miserable.”
Tucker shook his head. “She’s not Kara, Corbin.”
“I know that.”
“Do you? I talked to Jason. He said he’d never seen you happier than when you came out to help in Chicago. He told me that you even talking about Aimee lit up your whole damn face. You have to know that that’s the good thing, man. Hell, that’s the one thing. Did you ever have that with Kara?”
I hadn’t. Not even when things were the best between us. Aimee had made me happier than anyone I’d ever been with. Tucker was right. That was the one thing. But even assuming I could convince Aimee to give us another chance, were the cards stacked too high against us?
“She lives in Louisiana. I wouldn’t ever ask her to leave. And with us on the road all the time, a relationship wouldn’t work.”
Tucker blew out a breath. “Look, we’re all in the same boat. Well, not Wes yet, but who knows with that dude. What I mean is that we’ve found more to life than just the wild partying and indulging in the fame. I don’t have all the answers right now, but I know Point Break can make changes. Do fewer cities on our tours. Not waste time during recording sessions and whip our albums out instead of spending days fucking women and getting shit-faced. If you truly love her, man, you’ll find a way. You just have to prove to her what you’re willing to do to have her. You have to prove it to yourself.”
I stared at Tucker, emboldened by his words. And suddenly, a vision of myself, jumping into the bayou filled with alligators to save a woman I didn’t even know, ran through my head. And I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’d do the same for Aimee. Without hesitation (when believe me, I’d hesitated before jumping into the water to save that other woman).
I’d die for Aimee. Yet here I was, using the excuse that Aimee hadn’t been willing to fight for me to justify me not fighting for her.
And that was just not how things were going to go down.
If we were over, we’d be over despite the fact I’d done everything I could to convince Aimee otherwise.
“So,” Tucker said, “You want me to call Liam and Wes back in here?”
“Nope,” I said. “I want you to tell them I’ll be back in few days. And hopefully, I’ll be bringing Aimee with me to meet them.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Aimee
Elaine was standing in front of Aimee’s Decadent Desserts even before I’d arrived to open for the first time.
“Happy first day on your new job!” I said excitedly, then yawned.
“Honestly, Aimee, I thought you buying this place and starting Aimee’s Decadent Desserts meant you didn’t have to work so hard. That you’d be able to get some sleep,” Elaine grumbled as I stuck the key in the lock and turned the handle.
We walked inside, the tinkle of the bell a delightful sound overhead. I gazed around the place. It was beautiful. And it was all mine. Everything I’d worked for over the years, all the sacrifices I’d made, the ways in which I’d pushed myself, it was all here, right before me. I had everything I’d ever wanted….that is, until I’d wanted Corbin. He was the only missing piece.
“I had something to do last night. I needed the internet, so I drove the twenty miles over to Verdant Crossings and stayed most of the night parked outside a Starbucks so I could use their Wi-Fi.”
“You did what? Why?”
I plopped my purse down on the countertop and pulled out a sheaf of papers, then handed them to Elaine. “Printed those out at an all-night print shop. Take a look.”
Elaine perused the papers, a frown causing two lines to form across her brow. Finally, she looked up at me. “I don’t get it. What does this mean?”
With a nervous smile, I said, “It means you might have to increase your hours at Aimee’s Decadent Desserts. If that’s okay with you.”
“Of course it’s fine with me. I need to get out of the house and my mom adores taking care of little Bryan. But this, Aimee—” she shook the sheaf of papers at me “—what does all this mean? Why did you give me a list of cities around the world? And what’s with the addresses next to the names of the cities? I don’t get it.”
I sucked in a huge breath before starting. “I found Point Break’s next tour schedule online. And I found professional kitchens in each of the cities they’ll be playing at. I can get most of my online orders prepared and mailed out that way, and you can handle the day-to-day operations. But that’s just when Point Break is on tour.”
“You’re going to go find him,” Elaine exclaimed happily. “Oh, Aimee, that’s wonderful news!”
I gnawed at my lip. “Of course, this is all contingent on Corbin wanting me.”
“He’d be a fool not to.”
“Well, I was a fool to push him away, so we’ll see. I mean, he might feel differently about me now. Might not want to give me another chance.”
“He’ll want you back. You said he’d found himself when he was here, with you. That has to matter for something, right?”
I nodded. It mattered. I know it did. “I’m still scared. I mean, I’m just Aimee Bodine from Pontmaison, Louisiana, a town of three thousand. And—”
The tinkle of the bell over the door stopped me mid-sentence.
“And Aimee Bodine will always be enough for me,” Corbin said, stepping through the doorway. “I’m not leaving this time until you believe it, Aimee.”
At Corbin’s sudden entrance, my heart nearly exploded with joy.
He grinned. Behind him stood a middle-aged man with long, wavy black hair that went down his back, loosely holding hands with a woman who was dressed in fashionable jeans and a silk sleeveless top in a bright and cheerful pink that matched her cheerful grin. A young woman and a teenaged boy stood behind the couple, their expressions open and eager.
My first set of customers at Aimee’s Decadent Desserts, but I only had eyes for Corbin.
“Did you mean it?” he asked. “About figuring out how to join me on tour? I heard everything.” He jutted a thumb to the open window behind me. “We all did. I don’t feel differently about you. I do want you back. As whirlwind as our romance was, it was also the most real thing I’ve ever experienced.”
“What are you doing here?” I managed to get out.
“Winning you back?”
The fact he’d said the words more as a question instead of a defiant answer sent tingles up my spine. The intense case of nerves I’d carried with me since I’d made my decision to go find him relaxed, and suddenly I felt giddy. Elated. He wanted me. Corbin wanted me back.
“Aimee…” Elaine said my name. “Don’t hate him for what he is. Love him for who he is.”
“I already do,” I whispered.
“You do?” Corbin asked, his eyes filled with hope and shimmery. Behind him, the
older man and woman squeezed their hands together, smiles on their faces. The young woman behind them squealed and grabbed the teenaged boy in a big hug. My first customers probably had expected beignets, not a declaration of love. I’d have to give them a dozen cookies on the house in celebration.
But first, I was going to make Corbin work for his treats. Just a bit.
I cocked a hip and put on a naughty smile. “Don’t men usually bring flowers when they try to win a woman’s heart?”
The open expression in Corbin’s face tightened just a bit. He cleared his throat. “Um…yeah, that didn’t go so well last time. You kinda rejected that bouquet I picked from Miss Cecily’s garden and then kicked me out of your life. So…uh…I brought you something else. Something I hoped would mean more to you.”
My knees wobbled and I had to catch hold of the countertop to keep myself steady. He wasn’t about to get on bended knee and propose, was he? Because as much as I loved Corbin, we needed time to find our feet under us before thinking about the rest of our lives. “What did you bring me?” I managed to get out on a strangled breath.
Corbin pivoted and faced the customers who’d followed him inside. He gestured, and they came forward a few feet, until they were in a semi-circle behind him. “I brought you a—”
“Look! She has the exact same hair as Daddy.” The young woman nudged the teenaged boy in the ribs.
“And Dad’s eyes. Same eyes as Grandma June’s, grey and green at the same time,” the boy answered.
