by Sierra Rose
“So no Photoshopping, eh?” Jake joked.
Rolling his eyes at Jake, Mr. Shelby continued, “Virginia paid in advance to have the photos examined for originality and authenticity. I wouldn’t dream of making that mistake.”
“How long do we have for this little globe-trot?” he questioned.
“You must complete the entire trip, stopping at each destination one after the other, within the next twelve months.”
“And exactly where do we have to go?” I asked.
He handed me the list.
As I looked down at the names of the exotic locations, I couldn’t believe it. “What the…? Japan? South Africa? Paris?” I shook my head. “None of this makes any sense. My mother was on hefty morphine in her last days, and she babbled a lot of incoherent stuff. I think we should consider that and burn this will. She clearly wasn’t of sound mind when she—”
“Burn it?” Jake said in disbelief. “Why? Just because I’m in it?”
My lawyer looked at me. “Miss Roberts, your mother made this will a few weeks after she found out she had cancer. She was, in fact, of very sound mind at the time, and this was what she wanted. If you are successful in this endeavor, there is a video diary that will be shown to you, and her reasons will become clear. However, you must first complete the task in good faith.”
It was such a bizarre request, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why the heck my mother would want me to spend time with a man she openly deplored, the selfish jackass who had left me at the altar and embarrassed our entire family. I didn’t understand any of it. Worst of all, she hadn’t even discussed it with me; as far as I knew, my mother never kept secrets from me. Frustrated, I handed the list to Jake.
He studied it closely. “We can get some of these done fast.”
I bit my lip hard and didn’t say a word.
“We just have to be together in the picture, right? But we can be far apart, no handholding or smooching?” he asked.
I shot him a glare.
“What?” he said. “I know you’ll bite my head off if I invade your personal space, so I’m just asking. Always good to read the small print.”
“You won’t have to worry about that,” I said smugly, “because I don’t want the money. You can go on this little adventure by yourself.”
Mr. Shelby turned to Jake. “I’m sorry, but if Miss Roberts doesn’t go with you to the locations, the contract will be null and void.”
“And what about the money?” I asked.
“It will be held by this office indefinitely.”
Jake looked at me with his eyes wide. “Ashly,” he said softly, “if you don’t do it, I’ll get nothing.”
“Yeah, I got that much, Einstein.”
“There’s so much I could do with this money. And why give away your inheritance to a lawyer? I can’t believe you’d do that just to get back at me. At least if you go, you’ll get half of what your mom left behind.”
“I don’t care about the money,” I said. “Revenge is so much sweeter. Maybe that’s why Mom planned it this way. She knew I’d sit here and let you suffer, you pitiful idiot. How’s it feel for someone to dangle something great in front of you, only to have it snatched away?”
“I’m so, so sorry.”
“Is that all I get? Some lame apology? I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with you, a man I foolishly loved and cherished. But you threw me under the bus for your freedom. You’re pathetic! What was it Nadia called you? Despicable!”
“Maybe you two need some time to think,” the attorney said. “Now that the will has been read, you have one week to change your minds. If you’d like to proceed, just contact my office and come in and sign the papers.”
“I don’t plan on changing my mind. If my mother thought I was gonna prance around the globe with this idiot and smile for pictures, she was sadly mistaken.”
“We don’t even have to smile,” Jake said. “You don’t even have to be near me, except to take pictures. Why not just do it and get our money? After that, we can go our separate ways—just a little wealthier.”
“If you’ll have a seat, Mr. Connors,” the lawyer said, “we’ll get started.”
I stood and reached for my purse. “No, I don’t think so.” Seeing Jake had been too great of a shock. I had cried my eyes out over him for way too long, and I wasn’t ready to hand my mother’s money over to the man who had hurt me so badly. “I think it would be best if I just go,” I said, my voice cracking.
Again, Jake reached for my arm, and again, I shuddered from his touch. “Please,” he begged.
“I can’t control what you do and where you live, but you’d better stay as far away from me as humanly possible. If you come near me or bug me, I’ll slap a restraining order on you so fast, your head will be spinning.”
“Listen, I promise to leave you alone if that’s what you want. I was really just hoping to spend some time with you, but if you feel this strongly, I…well, I won’t cause you any further heartbreak.”
“Spend some time with me? What!? You never wrote or emailed me to tell me what happened, not in five long years, so why should I care now? I’m so over you, it’s not even funny.”
“I thought you’d want closure.”
“Nope. I don’t care anymore. You’re just the worst mistake I ever made, and I want to forget about you forever. So why don’t you just respect my wishes and leave?”
“Because this money would help… It’d help so much.”
“So now you want to take advantage of something my mom wrote when she was out of her mind, just diagnosed with a deadly disease? Really, Jake.”
“I’m so sorry about what I did, Ashly, but I was young. I was facing a four-year prison term for punching out that guy, for defending you.”
“You got scared and ran for your freedom, Jake. There’s no excuse for running away, young or not.”
“Don’t be bitter,” he said.
My jaw dropped. “Bitter?” I repeated, then shifted my gaze to my lawyer for help. “Did you hear that? Can you believe the nerve?”
My lawyer sighed and squirmed uneasily in his seat. “I really think we need to tie up this will and decide if you two are going to go through with—”
“I haven’t seen this idiot since he high-tailed it from our wedding, without giving me any logical explanation. Did you think I was gonna greet him with a big smile and a warm hug?”
“Ashly,” Mr. Shelby said.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m out of line. It’s just that…well, seeing him here has thrown me for a real loop.”
Jake motioned for me to sit down again and looked at me with that sad look on his face. We stared into each other’s eyes. For countless years, I’d wondered if I’d ever see him again, and now, there he was, right before my very eyes. His hair was wet and messy from the wind and rain, and I couldn’t deny that he looked so damn sexy. Still, I’d closed that chapter of my life and had painfully turned through the next hundred pages. Finally, I’d gotten back on my feet. Now, I was faced with that first chapter all over again, and I felt like throwing the book against the wall.
I was trying to hate him, but I couldn’t stop staring at his powerful biceps and huge, solid chest. I had no doubt that under his thin T-shirt, he had rippling muscles and six-pack abs. I remembered when we’d first met, how he’d made me laugh right from the get-go. All the memories that I had desperately tried to block out came flooding back like it had all happened yesterday: his laugh, his lips, his touch, and his kiss. We’d been so deeply, so madly in love.
His deep, passionate kisses were something I’d never ever forget, no matter how many years passed and how many lovers I invited into my bed. No one would ever compare to Jake. Of course, none of that mattered. I would never forget his betrayal; it had rocked me to the very core of my being. His sweet talk would never work on me again.
I shook my head. “You don’t get it, do you?”
He inched closer. “What?”
A tear ran down my face. “I was supposed to be living a happy life with you.”
“So this is about revenge now? You just want to stick it to me. That’s why you won’t go on this trip your mother wanted us to take?”
My lips pressed into grim lines. “Yep. You stuck it to me, and Mom has given me the perfect way to stick it back to you.”
“That’s cold, Ashly. You have no idea how much that money would change my life.”
“Cold? Maybe, but you made me. Because of you, I’ve been cold, mean, and miserable. You shattered my heart into a million tiny pieces.”
“Maybe, but I’m a different man now.”
I stared at him.
“Hey,” he said in a soft voice, trying to change the subject, “how’s Tiger?”
Tiger was a white and orange striped cat we’d adopted when she was only a kitten, a stray who had followed us home. We both loved her, and she’d become a part of the family.
“Is she even still alive?” he asked.
“She’s fine and, unlike you, she sleeps by me every night.” With that, I turned to leave. I half-expected him to follow me, but he didn’t. Without another word to him or the attorney, I slammed the door, making sure Jake knew he could screw off and leave me alone—for good.
Chapter 3
The next night, my best friend Nadia dragged me out of the house for dinner. She took me to one of my favorite restaurants, Devin’s.
“I’m worried about you,” she said. “You’ve been a hermit in your apartment ever since your mom passed away.”
“I know it’s been three months, but it’s hard to face the outside world. Interviewing designers and models seems so…shallow and pointless. I can’t just pretend nothing’s wrong, and…” Not sure what else to say, my voice drifted off.
“I just wanted to get you out,” Nadia said, “especially with the whole Jake thing. You can’t stay all cooped up, just reflecting back on what that ass did to you. It isn’t healthy.”
My cell rang, and I glanced down. “Speak of the devil.” The last time he’d called me was the day he’d walked out of my life forever. Now, he was just after my mother’s money.
“He’s not gonna give up, Ash,” she said. “Why don’t you let me answer it? I’d like to thank him for that trip to Mexico.”
I laughed, even though it wasn’t funny. My mother had spent $20,000 to reserve a honeymoon suite at the most expensive tropical resort she could find. Since it was nonrefundable, I decided to take Nadia. During that trip, she forced me to leave the room and tried to hook me up with a couple of hunky Latinos, but I was so miserable I just sulked the entire time, seething as I looked around the frilly, romantically furnished room that was supposed to be for lovers.
With a huff, I turned off my phone. “He even stopped by the apartment, but I didn’t answer the door. When I saw him through the curtains, my stomach dropped.”
Her expression grew serious. “If he keeps stalking you, you need to call the police. He has no right.”
“I want to get over this. I do, but—”
“Girlfriend, he’s a jerk. You’re better off without a man like that in your life. I mean, I was there that horrible day when he didn’t show up. We’d spent so long planning the perfect wedding. I’ll never forget how happy you were at the bridal shop when we found the dress, with all that light sparkling off the sequins and beads.”
“Remember how rude the owner was?” I laughed. “I thought brides were supposed to be the –zillas!”
“Yeah, she owned that little bridal shop of horrors.”
I about spat out my wine.
“She got mad because you tried on so many dresses.”
“No, I think she got mad because I didn’t like the designer one she picked. It looked good on the mannequin, but not on me. But you put her in her place.”
“Well, that’s what friends are for,” she said, shrugging. “You’re my best friend, you were getting married, and if you needed all the time in the world and to try on 100 more gowns, she could deal with it.”
“She just knew how rich my mom was and wanted me to buy the most expensive thing in there. I hate being treated that way.”
“Yeah, well, it worked out to go to that bridal shop an hour away, where nobody knew who you were.”
“Yep! And I bought the same cheap gown I wanted in the first place.” I reached into my purse and pulled out a picture of me in my wedding gown.
Nadia reached for it and stared. “So beautiful. It’s a shame you burned it.”
“That dress was chosen especially for him. I didn’t want the memories.”
“Then why are you carrying this picture around?”
“I haven’t been. I dug it up last night after seeing Jake.”
She dug in her purse and reached for her lighter. “Let’s burn this now.”
I let out a long breath. “Go ahead,” I said, keeping it to myself that I had two more photos just like it in my purse.
The low-burning, flickering orange flame engulfed the picture, and Nadia dumped her glass of ice water over the ashy remnants.
“You’re gonna get us kicked out of here,” I said, sopping up the water, “or arrested for attempted arson.”
The waitress came rushing over. “You can’t do that here! I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”
Nadia glanced up at her and grinned. “I’m sorry. I suppose I got carried away, but we were burning up a very bad memory.”
“See, I was dumped on my wedding day and…” I chimed in, but I couldn’t bear to go on with my sordid, heartbreaking tale, especially not to a complete stranger.
Her face softened, and I swallowed hard, ashamed that I’d opened my big mouth; I’d never been one for pity parties. “You don’t have to say another word,” she said. “Just save the rest of your pictures for a big, roaring bonfire in your backyard. Burn his clothes and all his stuff. That’ll teach him.” With that, she smiled and walked off.
I swirled the wine in my glass. “You should’ve seen him. He’s been working out, and he looked so hot.”
“I know. I saw him.”
“What!? When?”
“At your mother’s funeral.”
I cocked a brow. “Oh. I didn’t even know he was there.”
“Yeah, well, he kinda lingered back in the shadows. He wanted to pay his respects without upsetting you even more.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Honey, you were a hot mess. None of us wanted to add to your sadness.”
“Did you talk to him?”
“We were all best friends in high school, so yeah, but I really let him have it in the parking lot. He just kept telling me how young and scared he was.”
“So he lives here now?”
“He said he moved back from Texas a few days before your mom passed. He’s a firefighter, and his job transferred him here. I bet he asked for the transfer so he could be back with his family and, uh…his friends,” she said, touching my arm.
“I’m glad you didn’t tell me,” I said. “I’m not sure I coulda handled seeing him at my mother’s funeral.”
“Oh, while I’m thinking of it, I sketched some images for the fall line.” She handed me a sketchbook.
I studied the designs. “Wow. Bold, daring, and beyond stylish. I love them.”
She smiled. “I hoped so.”
“Any word on the loan yet?”
“Not yet, but we’ll know for sure by tomorrow or the next day.”
“We’re gonna soar, girl. I want to cater to all women—slim, tall, petite, and plus-sized.”
“Yep. Just think of us as female entrepreneurs using fashion to empower women and design a better world.”
“That should be our slogan,” I said. “I can’t wait to turn our fantastic ideas into a successful business.”
“You’re always so…motivating, and you always make me feel so smart, stylish, and business savvy. I feel like I can touch the moon.”
She smiled, then paused. “I have a big favor to ask.”
“What?”
“Do you think you could look after the boutique tomorrow? I’ve gotta take my mom to a last-minute doctor’s appointment two hours from here. It’s with some fancy specialist, so we don’t want her to have to reschedule.”
“Hmm. I have a big article to write, and the deadline is tomorrow night.”
“All you have to do is write your opinion about the fancy party you attended.”
“Well, I also have to detail all the fashion aspects and choose the accompany photos out of all the ones I took.”
“Can’t you do it at the shop? Just download your pics to the computer.”
“You’re right. I can do that and crop them and stuff. Don’t worry. I’ll cover for ya.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” Between working my real job that paid the bills and working at the boutique, I rarely had time to myself, but I couldn’t refuse to help a friend.
“Oh, and some more inventory came in from the Hope Collection. Can you take care of it?”
I smiled. “Of course. I’m on it.”
“As always. Thank you so much. Speaking of that, we need to ship out all those online orders too. I took care of about half of them.”
“I’ll get the rest shipped out.”
“You’re a gem.” Nadia slipped a wad of cash into the black folder that held the check. “Listen, Ashly, I gotta run. Darrin’s waiting for me at home. It’s movie night, and he’s already a little peeved at me for working all those hours at the boutique last week. It took me forever to categorize that order for the Moonlight Collection.”
“You’ve been working too much and too hard, Nadia. I would’ve helped more, but I had that big assignment last week with my job.”
“I know. It’s hard doing both.”
“Well, you guys have fun and enjoy your movie. Tell Darrin I said hello.”
“I will. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Thanks for dinner, by the way. It was nice to get out for a change.”
She smiled widely. “That was the game plan.”
I grinned, and she walked away. It was eight p.m., and I dreaded going home to my lonely apartment. Most of all, I didn’t want to think about Jake. His betrayal was still too much to bear, and sulking and crying my eyes out didn’t seem like the ideal way to spend a Friday night.