How to Catch a Rival

by Ana Ashley

I’d had enough within about five minutes of the whole thing starting but needed to fulfill the role of the grateful winner. Not that I wasn’t. Grateful, that is. I’d worked hard between the store and practicing for the challenges.

  The one thing running like a loop through my mind was Tom’s face when I’d reacted to him touching me. The shock, disappointment, and sadness. I needed to put it right.

  My parents had gone home hours ago and so had Ellie, Hannah, Ben, and Indy. As soon as I was free from the bake-off obligations, I called a cab to take me to Tom’s apartment.

  I rang the bell but there was no answer. I rang again and again. One of his neighbors came in with some shopping, so I offered to help her to her door for an excuse to be let in.

  She told me she’d seen Tom leave earlier in a cab, but she didn’t know where he went. I knocked on his door, but after a while I accepted that he wasn’t going to answer or he really was gone.

  My first stop after that was Spilled Beans.

  “Hey, Indy, have you seen Tom?”

  “Hey, congrats, man. Sorry we couldn’t stay earlier but had to come back to business.”

  “That’s okay, I really just wanted to speak to Tom. Have you seen him?”

  Indy narrowed his eyes. “I saw him leave the gym but thought he might have gone out for some fresh air before doing the whole award thing. Haven’t seen him since.”

  “Can you let me know if you see him, I really need to talk to him.”

  I wrote my number down on a piece of paper, put it on the counter, and ran over the square to Bookmarked.

  As soon as I walked in I knew both Ben and Ellie knew something because they looked at each other and then back at me with fake smiles.

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “Maybe, but why should we tell you?” Ellie said.

  “Did he tell you why he’s gone?”

  Ellie blushed and shook her head. “I figured he’d lost his job or something. Now that you’re back maybe you don’t need him.”

  “I need him more than he knows, more than even I knew. Please, I need to speak to him.”

  Ben looked at his cellphone and then back at me again.

  “He left for an important reason, Wren. Why should we break his trust for you?”

  I ran my hands over my face, feeling the scratchy scruff.

  “Look, I want to tell you but I think he deserves to know first, my family too. You both once had to keep secrets until you didn’t any more.” I let my statement hang. After a few breaths they looked at each other with wide grins.

  “He’s at Aunt Gina’s place,” Ellie said. “She lives outside of Chester Falls. If you want my advice, leave him for a couple of days. Once he calms down he’ll come home and then you can sweep him off his feet.”

  I didn’t correct her as I left the store, hearing Ellie behind me squealing, “I’m going to be a bridesmaid!”

  My next stop was home.

  My parents were both in the kitchen. Dad helping Mom out chopping vegetables.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey, Son. Are you all done with the interviews? Your mom is making your favorite for dinner.”

  “Did she promise you jelly beans?”

  My dad looked at my mom, who looked really guilty.

  “You mean there are no jelly beans?” he cried. “Damn, this is modern day slavery.”

  I laughed and my mom got up to give him a kiss.

  “Where’s Troy? I kinda have something I want to tell you all about.”

  “I’m here.”

  “Jeez, do you have super hearing or something?” I said.

  “No. If I can hear Dad cry about jelly beans all the way from my room, I can hear that there’s gossip I need to know about.”

  “Okay, so there’s two things. I’m not sure which one to start with so I’ll just get it out. I’m no longer playing professional football. I had an injury that basically was serious enough to bench me for life. I now work as a coach and physical education teacher in a high school in San Diego.”

  They all looked at each other, but it was my dad that spoke.

  “Son, do you think we don’t own a TV?”

  “What?”

  “Do you think we wouldn’t follow the career of our son?”

  My face heated up in shame. Of course they’d know. Just because they weren’t into sport it didn’t mean they’d lose interest in what I was doing.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked.

  “Why didn’t you?” my mom asked back.

  “I’m sorry, I guess I hoped I’d get back to playing, and then I was ashamed that after all the years of practices and games I was nothing more than a high school teacher.”

  “How much respect does this town have for Coach and Mrs. Johnson?”

  I shook my head and sighed, because my dad was so right.

  “Touché, Dad.”

  “What’s the other thing?” my mom asked.

  “Erm, thing is…I…” My words were stuck in my throat. They were all looking at me expecting something, and for the first time in my life I was afraid my family wouldn’t accept me for who I was. “I’m bisexual.”

  “Oh Jesus Christ, Son. You nearly gave me a heart attack,” my mom said, holding onto my dad’s arm. He was smiling and Troy was shaking his head.

  “What?”

  “Dude, I can’t believe I came out before you.”

  “You’re bi?”

  “Girls? Thanks but no thanks. I’m full Kinsey six gay.”

  “Since when?”

  “Really? That’s the question you want to ask?”

  I laughed and ruffled his hair.

  “Duuude,” Troy groaned.

  I got up to give my mom and dad a hug. Why had it taken me so long to do this? I already felt lighter than ever just for letting them see the true me, no lies.

  “So this means you’re staying and going to make an honest man out of our Tom?” my dad said.

  “How…how do you know?”

  “Son, I had a heart attack, I’m not blind. And you two haven’t exactly been discreet with his coming up to the apartment after work and not leaving till the morning.”

  “Jesus, a guy can’t have any secrets around here?”

  “There’s one secret left. Are you going back to San Diego?”

  The truth was that I hadn’t thought that far. All I knew was that I wanted Tom back. I needed to tell him how I felt about him, and that I was done hiding who I was.

  If he wanted me and he wanted to live in Chester Falls then that’s what we would do. I had no doubt my apartment would sell quickly or I could rent it out for a regular income.

  “Coach Johnson did say he was considering retiring,” I said.

  My mom put her hands over her mouth, a tear running down her cheek.

  “Oh, Mom.”

  “I’m so proud of you, Wren. You’ve always worked so hard for all the things you wanted. You deserve to be happy many times over. I’m so so happy you’re considering coming home, but make sure you make that decision for yourself.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  My dad shook my hand and gave me a pat on the back.

  “Now, does anyone know how I’m going to get my prince charming? Because I’ve never swept anyone off their feet, and I know if there’s anyone who deserves it it’s Tom.”

  23

  Tom

  I’d lost track of time. Had it been two days since I left Chester Falls? A week? All I knew was that according to the positioning of the sun it was about time for Gina’s daily “let’s cheer up Tom” conversation. Okay, she had cocktails too, but I wasn’t even in the mood to drink sugary sweet drinks, and that was saying a lot.

  What would I do now? That was all I could think about. How could I go back to Mason’s and work with Abi and Jonas knowing all the secrets about their son and not even being able to ask for news.

  I’d also disappeared without notice. What were they thinking of me? No doubt my job was no longer m
ine, and that was another thing to worry about. I would need to start using the savings I’d put aside for the store just to pay the rent and bills.

  More tears spilled from my eyes, so I hid my face in the pillow.

  My stupid brain only wanted to think about Wren. The time when he’d been making the doughnuts while I’d read out the recipe to him, the time when he’d nearly broken one of his parents’ picture frames in his apartment because he’d been so eager to get his mouth on me he’d stopped halfway down the small corridor to the bedroom and pushed me against the wall.

  The ease in which he picked me up like I was feather-light and all his. The stolen moments in the storeroom in between serving customers. How his touch had made me feel special, wanted.

  I felt like such a fool for believing it, trusting him. Why did my brain refuse to move on from Wren? Was my heart in such control? Stupid, stupid heart.

  My Coco said once, there is time for work, and a time for love. That leaves no other time. What if there was a time for work, and a time for work? Surely there was no time for love. No time for heartbreak.

  I grabbed my cellphone from the bedside table and dialed my mom’s phone.

  “Mom?”

  “Tom, baby, oh I missed you so much. You haven’t called in forever.”

  “I know, Mom. I’m sorry, I’ve been kinda busy.”

  “You work too hard, honey. How are things in your new town?”

  “I’m calling because of that, actually. Erm, I was thinking of visiting with you for a little while.”

  There was a small gasp. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, Mom, well, no, but I just want to spend some time with you.”

  “Any time you want, honey.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Just hearing my mom’s voice made me feel a little better. I got up and went to the window. Gina had a lovely long yard that faced onto a field. Suddenly I felt like going for a walk.

  I put on a pair of jeans and a sweater and went downstairs.

  “Hey, Gina, can I borrow Cosmo for a walk?” And as if she knew we were talking about her, Cosmo, Gina’s extremely spoiled and bossy cat, came in from the living room, sauntering in like she owned the place.

  “Hey, sweetie, you’ve come out. Are you feeling better?” Gina asked.

  “No, but I can’t stay in the room for the rest of my life.”

  She looked up from her cellphone and then looked outside. “I’d love to join you on the walk, but I really could do with a cup of coffee. Do you want one before we go?”

  “Sure.”

  Cosmo jumped on my lap as soon as Gina placed a cup in front of me.

  “Hey, baby girl, aren’t you looking gorgeous today?” I cooed.

  She bumped her head against my hand, demanding that I scratch her neck. Cosmo’s love for me had been at first sight. I’d visited for the weekend months ago when I’d needed to escape the ultra-romance vibrations happening at the apartment between Charlie and Kris, and as soon as I’d walked in the door it was as if she’d known of my love of all things Cosmo, like the cocktail.

  “I think I need a cat like you, Cosmo. What do you say? Will you help me find a suitable candidate?”

  She purred and carried on nuzzling against me.

  I heard tires on gravel outside as Gina put a cup of strong black coffee in front of me.

  “Who’s that, Coco? Is that your daddy coming home from work early? Is it?”

  I kissed her little cold wet nose.

  “Oh my god, he’s worse than I thought,” the voice of my best friend declared from the archway between the corridor and kitchen.

  “Charlie!”

  I got up to hug my best friend. As soon as I was in his arms I started sobbing. He held me tight and let me cry for as long as I needed to.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to slobber all over you,” I said.

  Kris placed a kiss on Charlie’s head and left us.

  “Was he there all along?”

  Charlie laughed. “Yes?”

  I looked over at Kris before he turned to the living room.

  “Damn that ass.”

  Charlie pinched my nipple.

  “Hey! Okay, sorry. Are you sure he’s safe with Gina?”

  “Yeah, he has a whistle if she gets too close. So do you want to do this here or upstairs?”

  “Do what?”

  “Your pep talk.”

  I went over to the coffee maker and filled a mug for Charlie. He followed me upstairs without saying a word.

  “So what’s going on? Aunt Gina called worried about you. She said you haven’t come out of your room in three days.”

  “Did you really come here from Lydovia to give me a pep talk?”

  “Yup, now spill.”

  So I told my best friend about Jonas’s heart attack, meeting Wren, the bake-off, our push-pull relationship, and how I ended up falling for a guy who was in the closet, and his reaction to me as soon as he’d won the money.

  “Wow,” Charlie said.

  “I know.”

  “No, you don’t. I mean, wow, is this how it feels?”

  “I’m not following, Tinker Bell. You want to start making sense?”

  “When I called you to talk about Kris and you had no second thoughts about telling me to go for it and be honest about my feelings. Is this how it feels?”

  “I want to say your coffee is laced with something,” I said. “But I poured it for you.”

  “Sweetie, did you tell him how you feel about him?”

  “No.”

  “Is it possible that the way he reacted to you was a misunderstanding?”

  My face heated up. Yes, okay, I had considered it, but I was being a brat and didn’t want to consider it.

  “Yes?”

  “Then what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be having that conversation with him?”

  My chest deflated like a sad balloon.

  “He’s probably already back in San Diego, living his old life. He said it himself, he likes it there and has friends out there. Not to mention he’s out in San Diego, which means he’s free to date whoever he wants.”

  “I’m going to take a wild guess here that he’s not interested in anyone else, he hasn’t gone back to San Diego, and that he feels exactly the same for you as you do for him.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What’s the worst that can happen? Besides, if it doesn’t work you can go to Colorado to lick your wounds at your mom’s.”

  “Holy Coco, are there bugs in this room? How do you know?”

  “The walls in this room are paper thin, Gina overheard you talk to your mom. Oh and by the way, when you find that I’m right and you get your guy, if you ever visit Gina, don’t stay in this room.”

  It took me a while to get it, but when I did I burst out laughing.

  Not long after Kris walked in the room. I was nearly crying with laughter.

  “Please tell me she recorded it,” I said as I tried to get my breath back.

  They looked at each other.

  “Noooooo.”

  “Yes,” they both said.

  “Gina is a legend.”

  Kris sat on the bed next to us and pulled Charlie into his arms. Charlie melted into him so fast I had to rescue the coffee mug.

  “So, my adorable Tom Jones, what magic do you want me to weave so you can get your own prince?” Kris said.

  “If you mean your bottomless credit card, then I think I just need a ride home. But if you fill up my fridge with champagne and buy me a bottle of Chanel Blue I’m not going to complain.”

  “Got it.” He gave Charlie a kiss that even I felt and then left.

  A mere hour later I was on the way home in Kris’s very fancy hire car, sipping champagne, and holding a very large gift bag.

  24

  Wren

  The best hundred dollars I spent in my life were undoubtedly on Tom’s elderly neighbor who had no qualms about asking for compensation in exchange for
calling me as soon as she saw Tom return. She also let me in the building for an extra twenty bucks. The woman drove a hard bargain, but I would have paid much more than that just to make sure I could see Tom again.

  It had been a grueling three-day wait, but I’d made the best use of it by setting everything in motion. I just hoped it wouldn’t blow up in my face.

  I wore a pair of jeans I knew fit me really well and showed all the work I’d put in the gym and by running, and paired it with a navy V-neck long-sleeve shirt. Fall was in full force and soon winter would bring the freezing temperatures. It was already chilly enough in the evening that I couldn’t be out without a coat.

  So there I was, in front of Tom’s door, dressed in my best outfit and holding a gift bag in one hand. I raised the other to knock at the same time as the door opened and Tom nearly crashed into me.

  Our proximity reminded me of the first time we’d met, when I hadn’t been able to form a coherent thought in front of the man that would eventually steal my heart.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  “Erm, do you want to come in?” he asked.

  I nodded and walked past him.

  “Were you going somewhere? I don’t want to keep you.” I couldn’t read his face. I wasn’t sure if he was mad or upset with me.

  “I was but I don’t need to anymore.”

  “Oh, okay. Erm, I’m here because I need to apologize to you and explain my behavior after the competition.”

  Tom gestured for me to sit on his couch while he pulled the wooden coffee table back and sat on it. We were face-to-face, our knees nearly touching but not quite.

  “When they announced me as the winner I didn’t really pay attention, I thought they’d say your name so I wasn’t expecting it. Everything happened so fast and then all these people ran to me to congratulate me. Tom, all I wanted was to shout that it was a mistake and they should give you the prize instead, but I couldn’t see you in the sea of people.

  “Someone pulled me and when I turned I saw Zack. I didn’t recognize him at first but he threatened me, my family, and you unless I gave him the prize money.”

  Tom’s face was one of shock. He shook his head.

  “What did he threaten to do?”