by Anna Albo
“You cannot tell them!”
“I’m sure they will be so happy for the two of you. Forget the scandal of you screwing around with my girlfriend’s dad. I’m sure that happens all the time.”
“I know you’re pissed off, but nothing happened! And even if it did, you don’t control my life.”
“Fine, Genie. Do what you want. And I’m going to do what I want. So pack up your shit and get out of here. I don’t want you here when Emma comes back.”
“I live here,” she said, standing my ground.
“No, not anymore. Get your stuff, whatever you need, and leave,” I said with an almost growl.
“Where am I supposed to go?”
“Back home? Pine Falls? Hell?”
“I could have handled this better, but if you give me a chance to talk to Emma, I know I can smooth things over.”
“While you’re fucking her dad? Before? Or after?”
“I know she can be reasonable. Unlike you.”
“Genie, I’m not asking again. Get what you need and get out of here.”
“I’m not leaving. This is my place, not Emma’s.”
“And you can move back in September when Emma and I are gone.”
She planted my feet. “You can’t make me leave.”
I was wringing my hands together and that’s when I snapped. I stomped into her bedroom and she followed closely behind. I started piling random shit on her bed. Shirts, jeans, handbags, whatever I got my hands on.
“What are you doing?” she screamed.
I didn’t reply, scooping up whatever I could carry, pushed past her, stormed down the hall, flung open the front door and threw her clothes into the air. They fanned out landing all over the hallway.
“What you are doing? Stop it!”
“You are leaving this apartment,” I said, our faces only inches apart.
I went to her room and piled more things. She tried to stop me, but I pushed her out of the way. More of her clothes were thrown around the hallway. Mr. Danson from next door popped his head out as she gathered her stuff. That’s when I threw more, hangers and all. I didn’t care anymore.
“All right, I’ll leave,” she shrieked. “Enough.”
I was standing in the doorway now, my chest heaving. I reached down for her purse and jacket and threw those at her too. I shook my head in disgust before slamming the door.
Asking Paul to leave my apartment was one thing, but kicking out my sister was hard to do. Maybe she was lying, but I didn’t think so. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter. Optics were what they were and she was in her bedroom with a half-dressed Paul Andrews.
Un-fucking-believable.
I went to her bedroom and tore the sheets off the bed. Just in case. I stormed down to the laundry room, trying to keep my anger in check. I stuffed the sheets into the nearest machine and poured bleach all over them. That should clean anything that might be on them.
I got back to the apartment and pulled a beer from the fridge. I surveyed the surroundings and all the food Emma had started to prepare. With nothing to do and needing something to keep myself occupied, I put away what I could and wrapped up what she’d started.
I finished my beer and took a shower. I’d have the locks changed in the morning and let Genie know she wasn’t welcome back. Of all the people she could have hooked up with, why did it have to be Emma’s dad? The thought of it made my blood boil.
I got dressed and headed for the kitchen again. My last beer, just to take the edge off. I grabbed Emma’s phone and called Brett.
“Uh, hello,” he said, answering tentatively.
“It’s me.”
“Oh, hey. Whose phone are you calling from?”
“Emma’s.”
Brett whistled. “Back together then? Is that why you rushed off? Cuz you missed some good times. We actually caught two fish.”
“Not back together, but some shit happened. Thankfully, for once, it had nothing to do with me.”
“Are you going to tell me, or leave me in suspense?”
I sank into the sofa and took a gulp of beer. “Where are you now? Still with the guys?”
“Nah. I ditched them an hour ago. Too cold to keep fishing. Why? You worried I’m going to spill your secrets?”
Well, kind of, but I couldn’t tell him that. However, my momentary silence did.
“Seriously? You think I’d go around telling everyone? Have I done that yet? We’ve been friends since before we could walk and talk, you think I’m going to stab you in the back now? Shit, we’ll be friends when we’re old and in rocking chairs.”
I let out a laugh. Yeah, he was right. So I told him everything. He listened without interruption and when I was finished, he let out a long groan.
“Your life is so fucked up right now. Genie hooking up with Emma’s dad? What kind of shit is that?”
“She claims they didn’t have sex. I believe her but I have to wonder what would have happened if Emma hadn’t come home.”
“They would have fucked. Totally.”
I sank further in the sofa. “I know. Emma is freaking out right now. She’s probably with Morrow.”
“Ah, so that’s what you’re worried about.”
“How can I not be? He’s probably consoling her now.”
“Then go get her.”
“Too stalker-like, but the thought crossed my mind.”
“Then you got to wait. I wouldn’t worry about this loser. She’ll be back.”
“Except that my sister and her dad were nearly fucking.”
“Details,” he said with a huff. “Not a big deal. Nothing to do with you. She’ll figure that out right away. Look, Emma is going to take a few hours then she’ll be back. Like I told you before, what you see is what you get. She doesn’t play games; she’s genuine. You’re lucky to meet a girl like that. She’s never thinking of ways to manipulate or screw you over. So wait it out. She’s got a lot going on right now.”
“I know.”
That’s when I heard the fumbling in the door lock.
“Fuck, sounds like Genie is back for round two,” I said, my anger level rising by the second. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay, but don’t start losing your shit.”
I hung up and ran to the door. I wasn’t in the mood for Genie and if she expected me to listen to any more of her bullshit, she was sadly mistaken. I swung open the door and all the anger was replaced by fear.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Emma
I was eager to get home. The cab pulled up to the front door and I paid the driver and raced to the front door. I was happy to have my keys and I let myself into the lobby. I ran up the ten flights of stairs without missing a beat. I bolted to our door and fumbled with the keys, trying to catch my breath while the blood pumping through my veins made my hands shake. I couldn’t get the key in the lock. The door opened and Zach stood there, a scowl on his face that immediately softened.
“I thought you were Genie.”
He may have had more to say but I didn’t let him finish. “I love you. I want to go to New York with you. I’m sorry that we didn’t spend Christmas together and that I made you think you had to leave. I hate that I made you sleep on the sofa in your own apartment. And I really hate that we wasted all this time being apart. I don’t want you to be mad at me anymore. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please tell me you forgive me.”
He stared at me, burning a hole through my chest and piercing my heart. Panic set in. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Then in one swift action, he scooped me into his arms and I held onto him like I’d lose him if I let go.
“Let’s never do this again,” he said, kissing my cheek.
“Never, ever.”
“I missed you so much.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he said and kissed my lips.
“For the rest of this weekend I don’t want to talk about Dad or Genie or anyone else for that matter. I
just want to be with you and no one else.”
“Sounds like the best weekend ever.”
I TOOK A LONG, HOT shower while Zach ordered pizzas. I got dressed and put on one of his Western sweatshirts and my favorite yoga pants. When I walked past Genie’s door, I noticed it was closed. Had Zach done that? I found him on the sofa surfing the television.
“Movie?” he asked. “A comedy?”
“The funniest one ever,” I said, climbing onto the sofa and wrapping my arms around his chest. He put one arm around me while he continued to surf.
“How about some classic comedy? Inspector Clouseau? Pink Panther?”
“Yes. I need entertainment.” Did I bring up Genie? Even though I said I didn’t want to talk about them, I was a glutton for punishment. “About Genie. Where is she?”
“I’m assuming at our parents’ house.”
“Is she’s coming back?”
“No. She’s definitely not coming back other than to get some of her shit. When the cleaning lady comes, I’ll ask her if she can pack up Genie’s things. I already took care of the bed sheets. Threw them in the laundry and poured a whole gallon of bleach on them. I should have just thrown them out.”
“The purple and pink sheets? With the flowers? You just threw bleach on them? Not in the compartment that says bleach?”
“There’s a compartment for bleach?”
I stifled a giggle. “When that load is done, you might want to throw out the sheets. Unless you like tie-dye.”
He fought a smile. “I ruined them, didn’t I?”
“Pretty much,” I said, kissing him. He was so adorable and completely inept at the same time.
“Are you sure you want to kiss me? Because I’ve been celibate the last few months.”
I grinned. “We should probably change that.”
He didn’t need to be asked twice. He swept me up and carried me to our bedroom. He set me down on the bed and we couldn’t get out of our clothes fast enough. For a long time, we kissed, our bodies tangled up together. I missed this, our connection. His hands caressing my back, his lips brushing my neck. His intense gaze that made me feel like I was the only person in the entire world.
“Is that the buzzer?” I asked.
“Shit, the pizza guy,” Zach said, getting into his jeans and throwing on a shirt. The end to his celibacy would have to wait a little longer.
I stayed in a bed for a few minutes before getting dressed and meeting him in the dining room. He’d got some plates and napkins along with a few beers.
“Your pizza is better,” he said as we sat down to eat.
“This is pretty good too. They use actual cheese.”
“Actual cheese?”
“To cheap out, a lot of pizza joints and even the stuff at grocery stores use a modified cheese that’s heavily processed. It’s supposed to melt better, or something like that.”
“That’s really gross,”
“This is real cheese. I can tell by taste and consistency.”
“You know strange shit.”
I took a few bites. “How was your fishing trip?” I had to ask anything that would keep us clear of Genie and Dad.
“Boring. Listening to Brett talk about why he can’t find a girlfriend gets boring fast. Brett doesn’t get it. He creeps chicks out. That’s why he can’t land a decent girlfriend.”
“You think he might be gay?” I asked, popping a piece of pepperoni in my mouth.
“What?”
“There’s something about him. The way you talk about him, it’s like you’re his special friend,” I said, using air quotes. “Maybe he can’t come out and say how he really feels.”
Zach put down his pizza and wiped his fingers on a napkin. “Okay, what are you talking about? It’s getting weird.”
I laughed. Of course I wasn’t sure he was gay, but his attachment to Zach was obvious. “Brett is like your other girlfriend. A little clingy, wanting to know where you are all the time, jealous of me. I think he has a man crush on you.”
“I know you’re full of shit, but how am I going to look at him the same way again?”
I giggled some more and Zach rolled his eyes, trying to fight back a smile.
I picked more pepperoni from my pizza. “I’m really glad you came home today. I’m not sure what would have happened if you hadn’t.”
“You would have been okay. Besides, your grandfather and Wendy were here.”
“But they aren’t you.”
“You still would have kept it together.”
I took a gulp of beer. “Did you suspect anything? Because I had no clue.”
“Not even a little bit.”
“Grandpa hinted that Dad was seeing someone.”
“I’m pretty sure this thing they have together is over. There’s no way my parents will allow it. Not that your dad isn’t a bad guy,” he said, scrambling to explain.
“It’s okay. I get what you’re saying. Genie and Dad are so fundamentally wrong.”
“Maybe one day we can laugh about this.”
“Not today or anytime soon.”
I grabbed my beer and took another long gulp. It was nice to be able to sit around and have pizza and beers with the man I loved, even if we were talking about his sister and my dad together.
“You’ve got to talk to your dad, you know.”
“I will. Eventually. I’m not sure what I’d say to him.”
“While you were gone, he called and texted your phone a million times. The texts are all there if you want to look at them later.”
“I’ll pass for now.” I grabbed another slice. “I had coffee with Meredith. And she came to see us in Pine Falls over the holidays. I didn’t tell you.” I felt a need to purge everything I’d kept from him and he didn’t seem to mind.
His face brightened in surprise. “That’s great. How did it go?”
“I thought I’d hate her, but I don’t. She’s not bad. I might even have some kind of relationship with her.”
Zach beamed. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“And I met with Bianca.”
The smile melted off his face. “Oh.”
“It wasn’t bad.”
“I’m sure she had nothing but wonderful things to say about me,” Zach said sarcastically.
“I know I can be naïve and I know that I’m always looking for the good in people, but I couldn’t believe that she was rotten to the core, just like I don’t think that about Jake. So I texted her and we met for coffee. We talked and I gave her the flash drive.”
Zach’s jaw dropped. “Shit.”
“She destroyed it.”
“She did?”
“What was she going to do with it? I figured she’d want it erased from the earth. Why would she keep it? So I gained some favor with her in the process.”
“And you trust her to leave you alone?”
“Yeah, we’re done. I saw a piece of her she probably doesn’t let many people see.”
“On so many levels I’m glad this is over. I know you’re probably wondering why I kept it so long. Honestly, Em, I forgot about it until she came back into my life through you.”
“It’s gone now. We don’t have to talk about it ever again. Agreed?”
“One hundred percent agreed.”
We finished up dinner and I put away the last of the pizza. I was tidying up the kitchen when Zach came up behind me and slid his arms around my waist and gently kissed my shoulder. “I never want us to be apart again.”
“Neither do I. And tomorrow we have to make a stop at the post office. I have a college application to mail off.”
He hugged me tighter. “New York will be amazing.”
But I still had unfinished business in Minnesota.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Emma
In all the madness of Dad and Genie, I’d forgotten all about Meredith. I texted her to apologize and she sent a quick reply wanting to meet again. After asking Zach his opinion, I invited Meredith over for d
inner. I wanted her to meet him and I knew how curious he was about her.
After my tennis classes on Saturday, Ben caught up with me as I was leaving.
“Can we talk a minute?” he asked.
“Sure.”
He and I hadn’t chatted once since the night I found out about Genie and Dad. I expected awkwardness, but Ben had seemingly moved on. Typical of him, I suppose.
“Genie was here yesterday,” he said once we were safely in the office.
“She was?”
“She was looking to apologize.”
“I don’t want to talk to her.”
“I guess you haven’t talked to your dad either?”
“I’m trying to avoid both of them.”
Ben tilted his head as if trying to read me. “You can’t do that forever.”
“I can try.”
“I thought I’d let you know. Maybe think about talking to her?” he said.
I scowled. Where had that come from? I figured he’d take the opportunity to make derogatory jokes about Dad and Genie. He was slipping. I picked up my duffel bag and headed for the door. “I’m sure I’ll talk to her eventually.”
“People make mistakes. You can’t hold it against her forever.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped. What was going on with Ben? “Why are you defending her? Did you hit your head or something?”
“I’ve gotten to know her over the past few weeks. I can’t believe she wanted to hurt you intentionally. People do stupid things. Happens all the time.”
This was not the same Ben Morrow. “What’s going on?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“Nothing,” he said too casually.
I shook my head. “No way. You don’t get off that easy.”
Ben shuffled his feet. “She looked pretty rough, so I took her out for a bite to eat. We talked and I got to see a side of her a lot of people likely don’t see. She regrets what happened with your dad. Sounds like she’s been starry-eyed about him for a while, but that’s totally over now.”
How would he know that? Then it dawned on me. “Did you have sex with Genie?”