by L. P. Dover
We’re in the straightaway, heading toward the finish line. There are five of us, neck-in-neck, with none of us able to take a substantial lead. Yates and Vance are busting their asses. Our arms are burning, we’re soaked from head to toe, and the sun the weather report promised us, disappeared behind a thicket of clouds, casting a dreary gray cover over us.
I’m trying not to pay attention to the boats on either side of me as I battle the wind. I need to keep my boat pointed in the right direction and depend on Yates and Vance to tell me if I’m too close. While I have a three-man crew, most of the ones I saw today and in practice yesterday, had a five-man team. I’ve always trusted Vance and Yates and can’t imagine adding two more. We can get the job done just fine. If we were participating in a bigger event, like the one that leaves from Newport and sails to Bermuda, I’d have to reconsider.
A massive gust of wind rolls over us. The boat tilts, almost putting the head of the sail into the next boat. I curse at how close the driver has put his boat to mine, but there isn’t anything I can do about that.
“Pull starboard,” Yates yells to Vance, who shifts his sail.
“Stupid mother fucker,” Vance hollers across the way, complete with a flip off. Normally, I might chastise him, but not today. The guy is too close.
Yates pulls on the sail again and catches the gust of wind just right. It propels us forward, giving us an advantage. I can see the finish line up ahead and the cheers of the spectators are starting to echo toward us. This is encouraging and we use this to our advantage.
We’re in the last stretch. It’s us and the boat on my port side, who seems determined to beat us since Vance told him to fuck off. I get it, I would want to as well.
Except he doesn’t and we’re the first to cross the finish line. As soon as we do, Vance and Yates ease off the mainsheet to slow us down. They come to me and we celebrate!
It’s an hour later by the time I reach my family. My mom is the first to greet me, followed by Mark. My stepmother kisses both my cheeks because she thinks she’s French after spending a week in Paris and my father shakes my hand. By the look in his eyes, he’s going to give a long list of things I should’ve done to secure a stronger victory. Crossing the finish line first isn’t enough when it comes to Sheldon Richmond.
Before I can react, arms are around my neck and lips are pressed to mine. They’re familiar, but not the ones I crave. I step out of the hold and look into the eyes of Alyssa. She smiles and instantly my stepmom is by her side.
“You must come to the yacht tonight to celebrate,” she says in a fake accent. “You know, this would be a good time to announce your engagement.”
My mouth drops open as I look from Drizella to Alyssa, who is waggling her left hand at me. Sitting there, on her third finger is a giant rock that looks like it could cut glass. I glance at my mother, who looks murderous.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I don’t direct my question to Brandy or Alyssa, either one of them can answer.
Alyssa steps forward and slips her arm around mine. “Honey, I didn’t realize you hadn’t told your family we got engaged.” She shrugs and acts sheepishly.
Just as I’m about to rip into her, her father appears. His hand lands on my shoulder and jostles me around. “There he is, my future son-in-law.”
Fuck my life.
“Come on, let’s go talk to the news. They want an interview.”
I’m whisked away from my family and pulled toward the small press area. Technically, I should’ve gone there first, but I wanted to see London. As much as I want to shake Alyssa from my arm, I can’t. Not in front of all these people. Following her father, I keep my eyes on the ground and cringe each time she says hi to someone or they congratulate us. I keep hearing, “Next summer in the vineyard,” knowing full well she’s planning something that is never ever going to fucking happen.
“Mr. Worthington,” people call his name out multiple times. He’s the major sponsor of this race and has sponsored my boat for years. He answers the questions, and every so often looks over his shoulder at me and smiles. I don’t even want to know what’s going through his mind right now. He beckons me forward and keeps me under his arm, like a proud father, something my father should be.
“Max, how was the race?” a reporter asks.
“It was good. The weather obviously turned on us, but we have to be prepared for anything when we’re out there.”
“You were the only boat with a three-man crew. Why do you think this works in your favor?”
“Yates and Vance,” I pause and look around for them. I spot them not far and holler for them to come join me. They do, standing on either side of Mr. Worthington. “We’ve been doing this since high school when we were part of the rowing team. We’ve always worked well together when we’re out there. I can’t imagine not having them by my side.”
“We hear congratulations are in order,” another states.
I nod. “Yeah, another win. It’s impressive.” I know full well this isn’t what they’re talking about, but I refuse to indulge in the bullshit that Alyssa is spreading. I thank everyone for coming out and for the support over the years and wave as I walk away from the media setup. I’m determined to find my mom but am ushered toward the yacht club to join the reception.
Fuck.
Everyone inside the reception claps as we enter. I want to feel elated but I’m so damn angry right now. My eyes scan the crowd for my mom and stepdad, once I spot them, I leave Mr. Worthington with whoever he’s speaking with and head toward my family.
“Mom,” I say, getting her attention. Her eyes throw daggers my way and she angrily grabs my arm. “Where’s London?”
“What on earth would you want with that waitress?” my dad’s voice rings out.
“Sheldon,” my mother chides him. “Knock it off. This is not the time nor place to discuss this.”
“Yes, it is,” I retort. My mother isn’t having it though and points toward the wall and motions for me to follow her. I do, with Mark, my dad and Drizella following. Mom waits for the four of us to step into the small conference room and shuts the door.
“Why’s he here?” Dad points to Mark.
“Because she’s here.” Mom does the same thing to Brandy.
“I want to know what the hell is going on, and I want to know where London is. I need to find her.”
“She’s just a waitress. An easy lay,” Brandy says as she looks at her fake nails.
“Just a waitress?” Mom questions. “If I remember correctly, you were a stripper when you got down on your knees and sucked my husband’s—”
Brandy’s mouth drops open, as does my fathers.
“Now, now,” Mark says, interrupting my mom. I want to laugh, but don’t. There is nothing funny about this situation.
“Listen,” I say, holding my hands up. “I don’t know where this shit with Alyssa started, but we broke up. I didn’t put a ring on her finger. I didn’t ask her to marry me. Hell, I didn’t even suggest we get married. I am not with her and I don’t plan to be with her. I want to know what happened today and where London is. Please.”
My mom stands tall after giving my dad and his wife a snide look. “London was with us and everything was going fine. Your father and his wife, while not overly gracious, weren’t rude either. However, Alyssa suddenly arrived,” Mom pauses and looks at Brandy, who is once again looking at her nails. “I have my suspicions, but I’ll keep my theories to myself. She started flashing her hand around and telling us that you asked her to marry you last night.”
“And London was there?”
Mark and my mom nod.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. I wasn’t with London last night, and London is already apprehensive about things with me because she doesn’t feel like she fits in. If I had to guess, she thinks I’ve used her all week for sex, which is the farthest thing from the truth.
“Unbelievable.”
“Son, this is a bl
essing. Girls like her—”
I hold my hand up. “Don’t. Don’t give me some half-assed lecture about women, especially London. You have no right. You don’t know her, and you completely looked past the idea of her because she’s not on your self-imposed social ladder. Newsflash, Dad. London is better than you, and way better than your gold-digging wife.”
I’m heated and angry. While I should be celebrating, with London by my side, I’m in this room, dealing with family bullshit and social rankings.
“I’m not marrying Alyssa Worthington. Not today, tomorrow or a year from now. Hell, not even ten. I don’t like her. I’m not in love with her. In fact, I can’t fucking stand her. I’m going to walk out of this room and I’m going to find London.”
I go to my mom and give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll call you later.” Mark and I hug, and when I get to my dad, I step by him like he’s not even there. As soon as I step into the reception, Alyssa is by my side. I take her hand, give her a twirl, much to everyone’s delight and spread my arm out with my hand pointing toward her while still holding her hand. She’s soaking it all up.
“If I could have your attention please.”
Someone clanks their fork against a glass, and everyone quiets.
“This here is Alyssa Worthington. The only woman I know who would fake an engagement in order to upset another woman. A woman she has deemed to be beneath her.”
Alyssa drops my hand and looks away sheepishly, but I don’t let her get away. I pull her to me and lean in. “You disgust me. I don’t ever want to see you again.” I leave her there in the middle of the room, with people who have no idea what they’re supposed to do or how to act.
7
London
I knew being with Max was too good to be true. How could I be so stupid? For a hot second, I thought I could fit in with his crowd. Wrong. Everything was going great until she showed up; Alyssa Worthington, followed by Max’s father and his evil stepmother. I’ll never forget what happened for as long as I live. The embarrassment, the shame. I’ve never felt so low in my life. I don’t see how anyone could ever say to someone what they said to me.
My phone rings in my purse, but I’m too pissed and upset to look at who it is. The regatta should be over by now so it could easily be Max. I have no clue if he won, and right now, I don’t care. All that matters is that I get away from Newport fast.
“Want to talk about it?” Kim asks.
I toss my bags into the trunk of her car and she does the same. “Let’s get on the road first. I want to get away from here.”
We’re both supposed to work at the yacht club tomorrow, but I called and quit. I refuse to be around Max and his yuppie friends and family who think they’re better than everyone else. I have to exclude his mother and Mark from that. Kitty tried to get me to stay for the rest of the race, but I couldn’t stomach being around Alyssa and hearing her talk about how Max proposed to her last night, followed by an extravagant night she’s too ladylike to talk about. It took all I had not to rip her fake hair extensions out and smack her in the face with them. I’m not a violent person, but being around her enraged me. I’d give anything to put her in her place one good time.
Once Kim and I are in her car and on the highway, I breathe a sigh of relief. I want to forget everything that just happened. Getting away for a few days will help. Who knows, I might decide to stay away a lot longer than that.
“All right, London, spill. If I quit my job for you, the least you can do is tell me what happened.” She glances over at me, her eyes sad. It takes all I have not to break down. I can’t give Alyssa and Max’s bitch of a stepmother and father the satisfaction. Even though they can’t see the damage they did to me. Why do I even care? The answer’s simple…I fell in love.
Her pitying stare makes my heart hurt worse. I turn toward the window and peer out, ignoring my reflection in the glass. I hate myself for being weak, for falling for a guy I knew was bad news. My phone rings again, but I reach into my purse to shut it off.
“What happened at the regatta, London? You were so happy when you left.”
I scoff. “Yeah, until Alyssa Worthington shows up parading around with a ten-pound engagement ring on her finger. Apparently, Max was with her last night.”
Kim gasps. “Seriously? What an asshole.”
The anger comes back with a vengeance. “Oh, and that’s not all.” Clenching my fists, I turn to her, my cheeks hotter than fire. “His dad had the gall to say I was nothing but a minimum wage waitress used as a fuck buddy to quell his son’s needs before walking down the aisle.”
Kim’s mouth gapes. “Holy shit. I’d love to ram a hot ass poker up his ass and say it quells my need to punish him for being a dick. What kind of man says that crap to someone?”
“A man like Sheldon Richmond,” I say through gritted teeth. Tears form in my eyes. They burn, but I refuse to let them fall. “Things were going great there for a while. I was sitting with Kitty and Mark, drinking mimosas, and having a good time. Max’s mother is so sweet.”
Kim huffs. “Obviously, he didn’t get the sweetness from her.”
“Exactly,” I scoff.
Closing my eyes, I replay it all in my head. I don’t want to, but it’s like it’s on a rapid loop through my brain. I’m sitting there laughing and smiling, watching Max on the water. Everything feels right. But then it all goes to shit when Sheldon and Brandy Richmond show up with Alyssa. I’ve never hated anyone in my life, but I loathe them. They’re bad people. You can feel their toxicity oozing off them in droves. How miserable do you have to be to cut someone down the way they do?
I shrug. “I feel like such an idiot, Kim. Why would Max use me like that? How could he do it?”
“Because men suck major assholes, my dear friend. Sometimes I think I need to be a lesbian. Women know what other women want.”
She has a point, but something tells me it doesn’t matter if I’m with a guy or girl. There will always be complications. Love is never easy, especially with my luck. I have one failed marriage under my belt, and I’ve been used by another man who I thought cared for me. Guess it goes to show how naïve I am.
“I’m going on a detox while we’re away,” I say in all honesty. “A man detox.”
Kim giggles. “So, will I. Then again, I don’t think we’ll have much of a choice in Maine. Your parents live in the middle of nowhere. There probably isn’t a man our age in sight.”
After everything that happened at the regatta, the only place I knew I could retreat to was Maine. My parents are ecstatic to have me and Kim stay at their house for a few days. They think we’re coming there for vacation, but in all honesty, I’m running away. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back to Newport. My job is gone, which in a way, really sucks. I won’t get the management position now. All that hard work was for nothing.
“We’ll be fine,” I promise her. “Remember, a man detox. Maine is a beautiful state. We can go to the beach and go hiking in Acadia National Park.”
“How long are you planning on staying? I need to head back to Rhode Island in a few days.”
How long? I don’t know exactly. I look over at her and sigh. “I’ll stay as long as it takes.”
Even though Maine isn’t where I grew up, it feels like home. Then again, my parents are probably laying on the charm pretty thick because they want me to stay. I can’t complain though. I’ve missed them.
They bought a small farmhouse on a couple acres of land. It’s not much, but they’re really happy with it. They have a chicken coop in the backyard, a beehive where they raise their own bees for honey, and an empty barn that could house several animals. In a way, I hope it stays empty or else they’ll have me out there mucking the stalls. I never thought my parents’ dreams were to own a tiny farm in the middle of nowhere, but it’s what they wanted. At sunrise, I went out to the chicken coop with my mom and helped her grab all the eggs while my dad mowed the lawn. Kim stayed asleep the entire time which didn’t sur
prise me.
“What made you want to come home so fast?” my mother asks. She flips the last pancake and scoops it onto the plate with the others. When she looks at me, I turn my focus to the massive spread in front of me. I don’t want her knowing anything about Max and what happened.
“I figured it was time for a visit,” I lie even though there’s some truth to it. I really did want to see my parents.
She sits down at the table and scoops some eggs onto her plate. “How long are you staying?”
I fill up my plate with eggs, bacon, and two pancakes. “At least a couple of weeks. I had some vacation time built up at the yacht club that I needed to take.”
She grins. “Nice. You must like it a lot there.”
If she only knew how much I hated it now. The last thing I want to do is go back and have to serve Max and his new fiancé. Luckily, Kim strolls in, still in her pajamas, and waves. “Morning.”
My mom laughs at her. “It’s practically afternoon for us. We’ve been up since the crack of dawn.”
Sheepishly, Kim looks over at me and I nod. “It’s true. We have. After breakfast, you and I are going hiking. Hope you’re ready for that.” It’ll be nice to get some fresh air and time to think.
Kim’s stomach growls and she clutches it. “I’ll be ready as soon as I eat. I’m starving.” Mom and I laugh at her as she fills her plate completely.
“Don’t you ever eat?” my mom asks her teasingly.
Kim scoops a bite of eggs into her mouth and moans. “Yes, but the food back home isn’t as good as this.”
