by Sarah Peis
“I will definitely show you that again, but first something else,” he said, looking back and grinning.
Now I was intrigued. What was he hiding up here?
He walked to the second door on the left-hand side. “This is the master. The other three rooms are my office and the spare rooms where I just put everything I couldn’t be bothered to unpack.”
He opened the door but came to an abrupt stop, causing me to run into him.
“Wrong room?” I asked, bending around his big body to see what had caused him to stop so suddenly. And I nearly lost my eyesight at what was in front of me.
“Hello, lover boy. Miss me?” a sultry voice asked.
I dropped Oliver’s hand faster than you could say “cheater” and took a step back. What is going on?
“Lana. What are you doing here?” Oliver asked, his voice tight, his body ramrod straight. Guess he wasn’t expecting her.
“Since you never return my calls, I decided to come to you. At least now I know why you were avoiding me. Playing with the help again, Oliver? How common of you. I thought we agreed to no more outsiders. If you really want to play with someone else, I have a list of suitable and discreet candidates.”
I inhaled sharply, taking another step back.
Oliver grabbed a shirt from the floor and threw it at the woman on the bed. “Get dressed and get out,” he ground out between clenched teeth.
“Tired of me already? We’ve only been engaged for six months.”
My heart dropped, my throat closed up, and I clenched my fists so tight my nails were digging into my palms. I knew we didn’t agree to be exclusive until now, but that was hard to swallow. It was one thing for him to date other people, but another entirely to be engaged. I was so confused. And I had to get out of there.
I turned and ran down the stairs. Freedom was so close I could taste it.
“Maisie, wait,” Oliver yelled.
I didn’t look back and didn’t stop until I made it to the front door.
“Let me explain,” he said, now right behind me. He grabbed my hand to turn me around, but I pulled away and glared at him.
“I only need to know one thing to get a clear picture. Are you engaged?”
“It’s not as easy as that. She means nothing to me. And you mean everything.”
“It’s a yes or no question.”
“Yes, I’m engaged. But again, if you’d just—”
My brain shut off, my survival instinct kicked in, and I lifted my leg and planted it on his shin. He went down; I went outside.
But I only made it to the end of his driveway before powerful arms encased me from behind and pulled me against a familiar chest. His scent that I used to love engulfed me. Arms that I usually loved having around me now caged me in. I went limp and started shaking. I couldn’t do this. There must have been something wrong with me for this to be happening repeatedly.
“Please, listen to me,” Oliver said, his head pressed to the side of mine, his lips moving against my ear.
I didn’t know what to say. Not that my lips would move anyway. I was numb. I was devastated. I was breaking apart. This hurt more than all the things combined that any of the other jerks had done to me before.
He didn’t let go but turned us around and walked back to the house. He sat me on the couch and finally released me. I took a shuddering inhale but kept the tears at bay.
“Wait here. Please. I have to deal with Lana, and then I’ll explain everything.”
He must have taken my nonresponse as agreement because after one last glance, he left and went upstairs.
What a fool. As if I would just sit here like an idiot. I got up, emptied all his flour over his clean kitchen counters, and walked right out the front door.
And then I ran. I ran faster and farther than I ever had before. I was sweating; I was gasping for breath and tears were running down my face. After I couldn’t run any farther—unless I wanted to risk losing a lung—I dove behind a bush to regroup. It would just make my situation worse if anyone saw me in this state, so I had to hide until I could get out of there.
What I needed were my friends. And I needed them now. So I got out my phone—which was luckily still in my pocket—and texted Stella.
Me: Can you pick me up?
Stella: Where are you?
Me: On the corner of Petal and Stem.
Stella: Be there in 5.
Me: Just beep your horn when you’re here. I’m hiding behind the bushes and can’t see the road properly.
She really was the bestest friend a girl could hope for. I didn’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t answered her phone. I brushed my tears away, made sure I didn’t have any leaves in my hair, and tried to take a big inhale. I had to get my shit together. This was just another bump in the road. I could get over this. He did not have the power to destroy me.
A few minutes later, a horn honked, and I stumbled out from behind the bushes.
“Let’s go before he notices I’m gone,” I said and dove into the back seat.
“Who’s he?” Stella asked and pulled away from the curb.
“Oliver,” I said.
“Was that who you were with this whole time?” Willa asked from the passenger seat, ready to start her inquisition. I was so happy to see her I could burst into tears all over again.
“That rat bastard kidnapped me,” I ground out, hoping I wouldn’t lose my shit all over again.
“Was he over six feet tall, dark almost-black hair, blue eyes, and talked with a sexy deep voice?” Stella asked, confusion tinging her voice.
“Yes, that’s him. You can add conniving and good with his hands to that description.”
Hands I would sadly never feel again. Also, hands that belonged to a lying asshole. I knew it was too good to be true.
Willa cleared her throat and pinched Stella’s leg, and she yelped in surprise.
“I think we need an explanation, honey,” Willa said. “Let’s go back to my apartment. We’ll have a sleepover.”
“I’m in,” Stella said and turned at the next light to go back to Willa’s place.
“Sounds good.” I sighed.
We all piled into her small apartment, where Willa made us change into some of her hideous pj’s. I had the honor of wearing her pink set that had cats with cowboy hats all over them and said “Check Meowt” on the front.
Stella was sporting a black pair that looked fine from the front but had a big bloody handprint on the back. We got comfortable on the couch, and Willa was sitting on her armchair, sprawled out.
The girls decreed we had to watch 300 and the first three Alien movies. I was more of a rom-com kind of gal, but anything would work to take my mind off things.
Stella fell asleep first. And really, she should have known better.
I looked at Willa. She looked at me. Without a word, we got up and went to her drawer. She kept all sorts of goodies in there. She chose empty Reese’s wrappers that she saved for special occasions like tonight, and I grabbed one of her lipsticks she had never put on her lips.
We silently crept back to where Stella was snoring on the couch, and Willa started braiding the wrappers into her hair while I drew a mustache, extra eyebrows, and a beauty spot on our sleeping friend. Once finished, we silently high-fived, careful to not make a sound, and sat back down to watch the end of the movie.
Willa turned the TV off and threw a blanket over Stella. I took a photo of our masterpiece, and then we climbed into Willa’s bed. We turned to each other, and she took my hand in hers.
“When you’re ready to talk, I’m here to listen.”
“I know. Just need a little time.”
“No more disappearing acts though, okay?”
“Promise. And I’m sorry.”
“And I want to know about your shop.”
I sat up and looked down at her. “How did you know?”
“I know everything. And Landon told me he visited you at the shop and walked in on you half dre
ssed. He’s mighty proud of himself for that one.”
I lay back down, this time on my back. “I’m so sorry I haven’t told you about the shop. I just felt so out of place lately. And I didn’t want to tell anyone in case it all failed. Which it still could.”
It was Willa’s turn to sit up. “Shut up. I would have helped you. In fact, I’m still helping you, whether you want me to or not. That’s what friends are for. And I believe in you. Doesn’t matter if you fail or not. I’ll be there for you. Now go to sleep. And don’t take too long to tell me what’s going on with you. Otherwise, there’ll be another intervention.”
“Thanks, Willa. Love you.”
“Love you too, crazy girl.”
“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”
“Pee in my parents’ suitcase.”
“How the hell did that happen?”
“Tequila.”
“Right.”
Willa was at the shop, helping me set up for the grand opening. It was just over a week away, and I was slightly losing my mind. And Willa pounced on my weakened state like I pounced on the last red velvet cupcake at Sweet Dreams.
She’d been trying to get me to talk all morning, but I just couldn’t. Every time I so much as thought about Oliver, my throat closed up and I had to fight to keep the tears at bay. Not always successfully.
My phone was off thanks to him blowing it up with calls and messages. Anna told me he called her no less than twelve times to see if I had come home last night. That inconvenience seemed to have set me back a few points on her redemption list. And I didn’t even care.
“What’s the best thing you’ve ever done?” Willa tried again.
“Share my chocolate milk with you in first grade.” Because it was the beginning of our friendship and hands down one of the best things I’d ever done in my life, becoming friends with the outsider who wore clothes that were even worse than mine.
“You always liked to take care of other people,” she said.
“Not anymore.”
“Don’t let some unworthy idiots turn you into something you’re not.”
“Too late. And besides, I don’t even know what I am anymore. At the moment, it’s 80 percent bitter bitch and 20 percent red velvet cupcake. But that could change depending on my breakfast choice of the day.”
Willa grabbed another dress and shoved a clothes hanger through the sleeve. I winced, hoping the fabric wouldn’t tear from the abuse. But somehow she got the dress on the hanger without damaging anything. For once I didn’t even care enough to lecture her on the right way to hang a dress.
I looked around the shop with pride. Another day of hanging up clothes and organizing shoes and jewelry in the display cases placed around the room and the shop would be ready. I was running ads for the opening in the local paper, the Hump, and had posted a few giveaways and ads on my social media and website. I also had a successful fashion blog that had attracted a bit of attention and income over the last few months.
Hopefully, all that would mean it wouldn’t just be my family and friends showing up for the big day.
“This place is awesome, Maisie. I know I told you earlier, but it’s the shit.”
“Thanks, Wills. I’m happy with how it turned out.”
“It was your vision that made this happen. Give yourself some credit. Even though you didn’t do the hammering and nailing yourself, it wouldn’t look the way it does without you.”
I studied the dress I was holding and was once again grateful for the awesome friends I had. Even though I had been a shithead and not talked to them much the last few months, they didn’t hold a grudge. They might remind me at times and get me to do stuff for them, like getting coffee three times in a row, but otherwise that powerful bond still connected us.
“You coming to my engagement party this weekend?” Willa asked and climbed up on a ladder to hang a necklace on an open drawer.
“Of course I am. Wouldn’t miss it for anything,” I said and watched with big eyes as she leaned to the side and tried to reach the drawer the silver princess necklace was supposed to go on. Why she didn’t just move the ladder before she climbed on it was a mystery to everyone but her.
The ladder wobbled, and my eyes went bigger. “Wills, do you want me to do the necklaces?” I asked and sprinted to the wall of drawers she was swaying in front of.
Before I could reach her the doorbell jingled, and I stopped, distracted from my rescue mission. Jameson, Willa’s soul mate—something she liked to remind us every day, just in case we forgot—came through the door. He took one look at his beloved and sprinted to her side, picking her off the ladder.
“Hey, Maisie,” he said over his shoulder, holding Willa securely in his arms. “Shop’s looking great.”
“Hey, Jameson,” I replied and walked to where they were still standing in front of the ladder, now kissing. Yuck. Not on my watch. “Willa, why don’t you grab some lunch with Jameson?”
I knew how busy he was at his mechanic’s workshop where Willa worked in the office. I also knew he spent every free minute with her. They lived together even though she still kept her apartment and refused to officially move in, but half her stuff was at his place above the workshop, and she hadn’t spent a night in her apartment in months.
“Lunch sounds good. I’m starving,” Willa said, not making any attempts to get down. Something I could definitely get behind. Because if Jameson looked at me like I knew how to recondition a motor in less than an hour, I wouldn’t want to try to get away either.
“You want to get down, babe?” Jameson asked, a smirk on his face.
“Not really. You may carry me to the Tea Leaf. Because I’ve decided that’s where we’re going today.”
Jameson grinned at her and walked to the door. “See ya, Maisie,” he called on his way out.
“Later, bitch,” Willa said, and I saw her hand go up and wave at me.
“Later, Wills,” I called back and grinned at them walking down the street. Well, just Jameson walking while he carried Willa. They didn’t garner all that much attention since it wasn’t an uncommon sight.
I worked until it got dark, trying to push myself toward exhaustion, hoping to get at least a little sleep tonight. When I hung up the same necklace three different ways, I gave in and turned off the lights or risked falling asleep in the shop. I plugged in the fairy lights and sat down on the floor. The shop was almost fully stocked, and I was opening the doors tomorrow for a soft opening.
The big opening would be the week after. I was a muddle of mixed feelings. Excited shop owner on one end of the scale and anxious mess on the other.
I lay down on my back and looked at the ceiling, hoping a moment of quiet would get me back on track. I didn’t get more than a few minutes before the doorbell chimed again.
“Maisie, are you in here?” a voice I never wanted to hear again asked.
I was half hidden behind some boxes and clothes and hoped if I played dead, he wouldn’t see me and leave. But no such luck because Oliver started walking around, inspecting everything I had in the store. He would find me eventually, so with a sigh, I sat up. If only I had been the first person in Humptulips to lock my door while I was still inside the shop, I could have avoided him.
“What do you want, you cheating cheater?” I asked and stood up. I didn’t even smooth down my dress to make sure it fell down to my knees, such was my confusion at him being here.
“I want to talk.”
“But I don’t. Get out.”
“Give me five minutes, and if you still want me to leave, I will.”
I considered this for a full minute, the entire time staring at him, hoping he would show a hint of sweat or fidgeting. But nothing. He held my stare and showed no sign of discomfort.
“Five minutes,” I said and looked at my watch. “Starting now.”
“Let’s sit down.”
“Nope. I’m good. And I don’t have chairs.”
“We can sit on the floor. Th
at way you can’t run away too quickly in case you decide to not give me the full five minutes.”
“Four minutes and forty-three seconds.”
He sighed and brushed his hand through his hair. I wanted that to be my hand. Wait. What? Shut up, you stupid heart. We wish we had a broom in our hand so we could kick him in his stupid head, not brush our hand over it.
“In case I haven’t made it clear enough, I’ll say it again: I want to be with you.”
I didn’t answer, just stared at him.
“And I have no feelings for Lana,” he continued.
“You know how some people just have a way with words? Well, you’re not one of them,” I said.
“Maisie, I’m so sorry you had to find out about Lana the way you did. But I was going to tell you. It just didn’t seem like such a big deal.”
“That was even worse.”
“Our parents are business partners and always planned on us getting married. I eventually gave in. I got engaged to her the day before I met you.”
I felt sick at the thought that he was already with someone else when he hooked up with me.
“So you cheated. That makes this whole mess so much better. Thanks for clearing that up.”
“I wasn’t really with Lana. We were just engaged. But it wasn’t real. The only thing that’s real is what you and I have.”
“Still not seeing this getting you any closer to forgiveness.”
I crossed my arms and looked at my watch again. Oliver ignored the pointed stare at my wrist and stepped closer.
“I didn’t tell you because it honestly slipped my mind. The engagement happened, and I left town.”
“I’ve been the other woman since you decided it was a magnificent idea to start things with someone who wasn’t your fiancée. In what world is that okay? Or a good apology?” I yelled, done with his shitty explanation. Fact was, he was still engaged the whole time he was with me.
“You’re not the other woman. The engagement is only for publicity, but I’m not with her. And you were never the other woman. From the moment I met you, I knew I never wanted to be with anyone else. Just you.”
