by Marika Ray
And then the cavalry arrived.
Lucy, Lenora, Hazel, and Finnie all came through the front door of the hotel with the breeze ruffling through their hair and determined looks on their beautiful faces. My friends were badasses.
“We’re here, gorgeous! What’s the emergency?” Lucy rested her elbows on the check-in desk, a glow to her cheeks I admired and would have commented on in other circumstances.
“Titus and I broke up because I’m an idiot. We need to hatch and orchestrate a plan to get him back. Oh, and I have a mystery we need to solve.”
“Hot damn. I knew this weekend was going to be fun.” Hazel looked ready to burst out of her skin.
“Let’s head up to your room and hear every detail. Then we can decide the right tactic for going after Titus.” Lenora pushed us all toward the staircase and we headed up, Big Foot coming along for the fun.
Once we were all seated comfortably, which was hard in a four-hundred-square-foot hotel room, I launched into my tale of woe, making sure they understood how horribly I’d treated Titus. This was not the time for trying to make myself look good. I needed them to know the gravity of the situation and precisely how much groveling would be needed. Probably should invest in some high-quality knee pads. I finished up by getting them up to speed on my suspicions about the mayor and his paramour.
Lenora was the first to speak when I was done. “Okay, mystery aside, I have ideas percolating for your grand gesture, but first, I think we should do some reconnaissance to find out how Titus is feeling. Helps to understand the other side when heading to the negotiating table.”
“I’m not negotiating a contract, for Christ’s sake, Nora. I’m trying to apologize and get him to love me again.”
“No, I think she has a point,” Lucy chimed in. “Let’s find out where things went wrong from Titus’s point of view. It’ll give you the best chance at making the gesture that means the most to him. You don’t want to get your grand gesture wrong.”
“Oh my God, that would be so embarrassing!” Hazel’s mouth dropped open. “Can you imagine how quickly Poppy would spread that debacle around town?”
I loved the girl, but good Lord, I could do without the dramatics right now. I needed to get things back on track. I stood and clapped my hands to get their attention. Big Foot jumped at the first clap and turned around to give me his backside. Damn cats and their constant judgement…
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Lucy, I need you to do some sperm analysis on the used condom under my bed. Lenora, I need you—”
“I’m sorry, what?” Lucy nearly fell off the footstool she was perched on.
“Ew,” Hazel said simply, her jaw still swinging wide-open.
I closed my eyes and begged myself for patience while I took deep breaths. “Yeah, so I kept the condom in a plastic bag after I cleaned up M. Smith’s room last time, or M. Lizz, whoever she is. A simple picture of it sure shut the mayor up. So I figure we test the goods for reals.”
Lucy sat up straighter, realizing I was serious. “Hmm. Well, I can certainly try to run some tests to get DNA evidence, but the plastic bag or the room temperature may have degraded it. Although, it’s only been a couple weeks and it’s been relatively cool, so anything’s possible.”
“Sweet!” I could feel energy returning to my limbs as a plan came together. “Lenora, can you turn back into a car for hire and drive the woman back to the airport? I want to see if you can get a real name out of her. Credit card, app user name, maybe a name on her luggage tag?” Lenora used to be the only Uber driver in our little town, a job she retired from when she and Jayden opened up the Hardware Store.
Lenora grinned. “Heck, yes! This’ll be fun.”
Finnie hopped up on her knees where she sat on the floor. “I can infiltrate the guys’ circle and find out what’s going on with Titus. Charlie is all about the feelings, so I’ll get him to spill on what Titus has told them. Just need a jar of moonshine and the right lingerie to get him talking.”
The girls whooped and hollered. I would have joined them if things were better with Titus. As it was, I barely kept my emotions together long enough to formulate a two-prong plan: take down the mayor and whatever twisted circle of friends he kept, and save my relationship with Titus.
“I want a job too! Assign me something, Amelia.” Hazel had enthusiasm written all over her face.
I wracked my brain, knowing I’d hurt her feelings if I didn’t trust her with some part of my plan. Then it hit me.
“Come shopping with me, Hazel. I need a killer outfit if I’m going to slay Titus. My apology will be well thought out and epic, but it never hurts for a girl to be looking her best.”
Another idea hit my brain. “Oh, and I’m even going to involve my dad. Remind me to call him and fill him in on his role. I want to put our plan in action by Monday at the latest, okay?” I couldn’t handle another week without Titus. And I sure hope he felt the same way.
The girls crowded in and we all put our hands in the middle of the circle.
Lucy led the cheer. “Ametus on three. One, two, three!”
“Ametus!”
25
Titus
Monday morning came faster than it had any right to. My head still throbbed from the week-plus of excessive drinking, my ass was on fire from the tattoo that was healing there, and my heart still felt cleaved in two.
But I had a plan and that was enough to get me up, dressed, and over to Coffee to indulge in liquid courage made from a meager coffee bean. I was going to build my house as a gift to Amelia, exactly as I’d planned before we broke up. If I couldn’t live there with Amelia, what was the point in even having it? It had been hers from the beginning and it would always be hers. With me by her side or not. And it was sure looking like not.
“Titus.” A meaty hand slapped down on my shoulder, startling me as I waited for my order, staring at the far wall like a man possessed.
I swiveled my head to find Chief Waldo next to me, his uniform looking freshly laundered. Clearly, he hadn’t had his donut and coffee yet.
“Morning, Chief.” I tried out a smile.
He grimaced at me and then waved me over to a nearby table. “Sit.”
When the town chief of police, or your ex-girlfriend’s dad, tells you to sit, you do it. The hard wood seats felt like spikes digging into my new tattoo. My leg jumped up and down under the table as I waited for him to lecture me. I didn’t know if Amelia had told him of our breakup, but given the extra wrinkle between his brows, I was pretty sure he knew. Best to beat him to the punch.
“I’d prefer it be quick. No strangulation. That takes too long. Same with drowning or a stabbing.”
Waldo’s bushy eyebrows did a dance right there on his face. “What in God’s name are you talking about, boy?”
I folded my hands together on the tabletop to keep them from shaking. I honestly wasn’t scared of Chief Waldo any longer. I was facing something far worse than his wrath. I was facing a life sentence without Amelia. Death by ex-future-father-in-law sounded better.
“If you’re gonna kill me, could you make it quick?”
“Listen here, young man.” Waldo’s beefy finger was pointed at my face. “I’m not here to kill you, dumbass. I’m here to tell you to make things right with Amelia.”
I couldn’t have heard correctly. Did he just call me a dumbass? “What?”
His hand slammed down on the table and I could feel heads turning in our direction. “Whatever happened between you two can be fixed. I’ve never seen Amelia so subdued. Even when our family dog died—God rest that lab’s soul—she was back to smiling and laughing by the afternoon. We’re going on ten days of mopey Amelia and I can’t take it anymore. She’s been coming over for dinner every night and spreading her black cloud. What’s the use in moving out if they keep coming back every single day? You two are clearly meant to be together, so fix it already!”
I shook my head, hating to hear that Amelia was upset, but there
wasn’t really anything I could do this time to fix things for her. That had been my job over the years: keep Amelia happy. And I’d done a damn good job of it. Until now. It was time to pass the torch to someone else. There was no way I could move on while still trying to be that person for Amelia when she didn’t want me.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Waldo. I wish more than anything that I could fix things, but Amelia…well, she doesn’t feel the same way I do.” I gritted my teeth to fight back the lump in my throat.
Waldo moved with the speed of a youthful lion, grabbing my hands and squeezing them tight. Whoa. A few gasps from fellow patrons enjoying the show could even be heard over the roaring in my ears. Since when did the chief hold hands with his daughter’s boyfriend in the coffee shop?
“You listen here. The Lord gifted me with five incredible daughters and not one son. I’ve not only resigned myself to that fact, but I’ve come to realize it’s a goddamn gift. But when you and Amelia started dating, I got my heart set on you being my new son.” The man’s eyes got suspiciously shiny. Or maybe that was moisture from my own eyes. “So, whatever this thing is between you, don’t you give up just yet. Try one more time, son.”
I froze, emotion choking whatever I could have said in return. All this time, I thought the chief merely tolerated me, associating me with my deadbeat brother, but here he was, calling me son in front of everyone. He wasn’t ashamed of me at all.
He patted my hand and then stood, exiting the shop without his usual breakfast order. He was a man of few words, but when he did speak, those words were powerful, indeed. I blinked at the empty chair across from me, replaying everything until it sank in.
“Here’re the donuts and coffee, T. I threw in a few extra shots of espresso. Looks like you’re gonna need ’em.” Lukas plunked down my order and winked at me, obviously having overheard the conversation just now.
It was the splash in the face I needed to wake the hell up. Lukas was right. Chief Waldo was right. Bain, Jayden, Rip, and Charlie were right. I was such a dumbass. Amelia didn’t break up with me over that conversation with Jazzie. She was running scared, which was something Amelia didn’t do. Like, ever. She ran straight into the fray with a smile and usually got herself in trouble.
So, why was she running scared now?
I shot up from my chair and grabbed the food, ignoring everyone’s stare. I’d need the sustenance while I tried to work out the Amelia-sized puzzle in my brain. There was life in my step for the first time in almost two weeks as I made my way to the work site. If Amelia was scared of being with me, that meant she cared. In fact, it meant she cared so much she’d blow everything up before we really got started. Maybe she did love me. Maybe her breaking up with me had more to do with some dumbass idea in her head that was all wrong. Like my dumbass idea about the chief not approving of me.
Charlie greeted me at the jobsite, a green-smoothie mustache painted across his face. He looked at my donuts in disgust. Right back atcha, buddy.
“Ready to get started?”
I jammed an entire donut in my mouth and nodded while I chewed. We got busy putting up the first pieces of wood to start framing out the bed-and-breakfast. Charlie whistled a tune while we worked, ignoring my frequent breaks for another donut. The poor health nut couldn’t fathom ingesting that much sugar in one morning, but my system was used to it. One day I’d start to put on fat and I’d cut back. But for now, age and metabolism were on my side.
“This sure is a big house for one single guy,” Charlie said innocently, staring at the plans laid out across the makeshift table Amelia had knocked over the night we fought.
Using the nail gun to secure the last board of what would be the future kitchen, I pulled off my safety glasses and smiled at him. Dude wasn’t subtle.
“Yeah, I know. I had it designed to be a bed-and-breakfast. One Amelia could run while we lived here together.”
Charlie nodded. “And now?”
I shrugged. “It’s still for Amelia. Just because we’re not together doesn’t mean I don’t love her anymore. She still deserves to have her dream come true and I’m the man to give it to her.”
“Is that true, Titus?” Amelia’s voice came from behind me.
I spun, seeing her eyes well up as she stood in the dirt twenty paces away from me. She looked good. Tired, with dark lines under her eyes, but she looked beautiful to me. Her long dark hair fluttered in the morning breeze, an oversized sweater slipping off one shoulder. She shifted in her boots, looking uncertain.
“Seems like this ‘grand gesture’ thing is going to be easier than we thought,” Hazel whispered loudly to Amelia.
Shit, I hadn’t even noticed her friends, clustered around her like some kind of Charlie’s Angels squad. Things got even stranger when Poppy, Yedda, and Polly stood behind the cluster of girls. Chief Waldo and Susie strolled down the sidewalk to join the growing group.
“What’s going on?” My gaze went back to Amelia. I couldn’t care less why all those people were here on my property. I just wanted to talk to Amelia. See if we could work things out. I itched to walk over there and touch her skin. Tug that hair behind her ear and watch the way her eyes would melt when I got close. Fuck, I wanted that so badly I’d embarrass myself in front of the whole town by dropping to my knees and begging her to reconsider. Begging her to tell me what was wrong so I could fix it.
In fact, that was exactly what I should do. My feet started moving, and before my brain caught up, I was standing toe to toe with her, my work boots kicking up a fine layer of dust to coat her shiny Dr. Martens.
“Titus,” she breathed.
Her cheeks turned pink before my eyes. I lifted a finger to stroke across her velvet skin, but she dropped to one knee before I could reach her. She looked up at me, her eyes begging me for something. Silly girl. Didn’t she know I’d give her anything she wanted? The beginnings of the house behind me was my entire life savings and I’d already decided to give it to her, even knowing we couldn’t be together.
“Titus. I’ve loved you as my best friend for longer than my feeble memory serves. You’ve been my sidekick through everything, but you’re so much more than a sidekick. You’re the guy who always stands by my side. You calm me down with a simple hug, you stick up for me in all those stupid fights I’ve gotten into, you make me feel better just by smiling. Everything about my past is colored by the presence of you. It’s always been you. You have been my foundation for as long as I can remember. It just took me a really long time to see that. I love you, Titus. Not just as my best friend but as my boyfriend and hopefully one day, my husband. Will you forgive me and promise to give me another shot?”
Amelia whipped out a gold band from her pocket and held it up, the midday sun gleaming off the shiny surface. My heart, the organ that had skipped a beat the second she started talking, stuttered over the sight of that ring.
“Are you…? Proposing to me?” In hindsight, that was a stupid question. Of course she wasn’t, but my brain needed time to catch up. The thing about eating so much sugar, your brain cells aren’t the sharpest.
Her lips tugged into a smile, the desperation not leaving her eyes. “I’m proposing a redo. A take two. A give-Amelia-another-shot-because-she’s-a-dumbass.”
My heart soared and I knew everything would be okay. More than okay. Perfect.
I reached down and picked her up under the armpits. Swinging her around, I put her up on the makeshift table, right on top of the construction plans. Nobody puts my girl in the dirt, not even my girl.
She swallowed hard and kept her hands on my shoulders, now a few inches taller than me. “I’m not a peacock. I know I try for attention way more than I should, but I’m working on it, I promise. And you know I keep my promises.”
I opened my mouth to let her know I accepted her proposal, but she interrupted me in typical Amelia fashion. “When I promised you I’d quit tagging the Welcome to Auburn Hill sign, I kept that promise. Right? So you know you can trust—”
Several gasps interrupted her verbal tirade. Amelia, realizing maybe for the first time that we had an audience, cut her gaze to the crowd. Her eyes got huge.
Jesus Christ. I hadn’t even officially gotten her back as my girlfriend and she incriminated herself in front of the town. I’d be bailing her out of jail before I could freaking kiss her overactive mouth.
A shout broke the charged silence. Reluctant to look away from Amelia even for a second, I saw the mayor push his way to the front of the crowd out of the corner of my eye. On closer inspection, his face was a disturbing red, and the vein trying to pulse its way out of his forehead didn’t bode well either.
“How dare you—”
Amelia threw my hands off her and crouched down to whisper something to the mayor, only half of which I caught.
“…evidence…rethink…quiet.”
Mayor Bennett pulled himself up tall and tugged on his suit jacket. Amelia stood back up and looked far more confident than a few moments ago. The mayor turned to the whispering crowd and announced his verdict, like he had any right to pass judgement anyway.
“I think since Amelia has agreed to stop vandalizing the sign, we should grant her immunity. After all, she did help the town gain a fun nickname.” He looked like he wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it rather than admit the nickname of Hell was a good one.
With a final nod, he walked off and disappeared. Amelia cleared her throat and addressed the crowd, which had grown while Amelia laid it all on the line.
“Okay, nothing to see here, folks. Time to move on with your day.”
She looked down at me and whispered, “See? Not an attention whore anymore.”
I chuckled and pulled her to me, slipping the ring onto my left ring finger. As far as I was concerned, it could be my wedding ring. I was as taken as a married man.
“Amelia, I—”
“But we haven’t heard Titus’s answer yet!” Poppy seemed particularly outraged we hadn’t put our entire relationship on display.