by J. Sterling
Paige
After last night, I knew things had changed between Tatum and me. I had convinced myself that we were making progress and that his defensive wall was lowering, but then Brina opened her big drunken mouth and made him worse than he was before, if that was even possible.
Side note: It was.
When I walked into the living room, I heard Mrs. Montgomery on the phone with someone. “Oh yes. You’ve raised a wonderful daughter. She’s such a joy. You too. I’ll go get her.” She turned to yell for me, and I smiled knowing my mom was on the phone.
I practically ran to grab the receiver. “Hey, Mom!”
“Emily seems nice. I’m so relieved,” my mom said.
“She is,” I said with a smile. “Super nice.”
“I have to admit, Paige, I feel so much better knowing that you’re in one place rather than driving across the damn country all alone. I had to talk your father off the ledge more than a few times.”
“What do you mean? Is Dad okay?”
“He is now, but he wanted to get in the car and drive until he found you. He’s been really concerned.”
I closed my eyes. “I’m sorry, Mom. Tell Dad I’m sorry too. And tell him not to worry. I promise I’m okay. Actually, I’m more than okay. I sort of love it here.”
“We’re your parents, Paige. We’ll always worry. It’s our job. But I’ll tell him, and he’ll be as relieved as I am. Talking to Emily was a huge help.”
“I’m glad,” I admitted, hating that my family was feeling stressed with my absence. My fame caused them enough issues without my adding more.
“So, how are you doing? Are things okay? What’s going on with your work and stuff?”
“Honestly…I don’t know. I haven’t answered any e-mails except for yours and Quinn’s, and I haven’t turned my phone on since I left. Has anyone tried to call you?”
“Jayson’s called here once, but I convinced him that I didn’t know where you were or how to reach you.”
“Did he believe you?”
“I doubt it. But who cares. It’s not like he can get anything out of me that I don’t want him to,” she said with a laugh.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome. By the way, Stacey accepted the offer from NYU. You might want to congratulate her when you have a chance.”
My stomach clenched. I was happy for my sister, of course, but there it was, that old jealous feeling rearing its ugly head again. “Is she there?” I asked, knowing that my feelings had nothing to do with my little sister and everything to do with my own personal issues.
“No, she’s at work.”
“Okay. Well, tell her I said congratulations and I’m super excited for her. I’ll call her when I can.”
“I will. And Paige?”
“Yeah?”
“Try and relax a little while you’re there, okay? Enjoy this time away. Lord knows when you’ll get it again.”
I sighed. “I will. I love you. ’Bye, Mom.”
“Love you too, honey. ’Bye.”
When I hung up, Mrs. Montgomery looked up from where she was sitting at the table, sipping some tea and working on a crossword puzzle. “Your mama sure seems like a nice woman.” She smiled, her accent once again noticeable in comparison to my mom’s voice.
“She is. She’s been really great since my career started.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister. What were you congratulating her for, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“Oh, she finally picked a college,” I said, “NYU. I’m really proud of her, actually.”
Mrs. Montgomery slapped the table with her hand. “Well! If that isn’t just the greatest news. How wonderful for her!”
“It is. She’s worked really hard to get in.” I was truly proud of my sister. She deserved this, and she deserved my support.
“I bet you miss her,” she said softly.
“I do. But I started working when she was little, so we didn’t get the chance to be really close the way some sisters are, you know? And then she pretty much grew up without me.”
She waved a hand, dismissing my concerns. “None of that matters, Paige. You’ll be as close as two peas in a pod as adults if you both allow it. It’s the grown-up stuff that really counts. Marriage and kids and all that. You’ll see.”
I smiled, strangely comforted by the notion. “I hope you’re right.”
• • •
Mrs. Montgomery let me borrow her car, and she gave me directions to the one and only bar in town.
“Don’t be scared about how the bar looks on the outside, okay? It’s incredibly old and it’s a little farther out near the railroad tracks.”
I raised my eyebrows and made a face, pretending a fear I didn’t feel. “It sounds perfect,” I said, knowing full well that getting out of this house and away from this property for a little while was just what I needed.
“Aren’t you worried about people recognizing you?”
“After last night, I feel like I’ve already met half the town, and the rest probably know I’m here by now. No sense hiding anymore.” I paused. “I mean, I still don’t want anyone to say anything about me being here, but I keep telling myself I want to do normal things. I need to follow through.” I smiled, and she gave me a quick hug before shooing me out the front door.
The bar was a little farther out than anything else in town, just like Mrs. Montgomery said it would be. When I walked inside, I immediately spotted a group of people I’d met last night at the field party. Celeste’s fiery red hair caught my eye as my hopes for a peaceful evening dissipated with my assumption that Brina had to be nearby.
Celeste caught my eye and waved me over, giving me a hug as I joined their group. “Brina’s not here. She’s nursing a wicked hangover,” she said, and I immediately felt better.
I grinned. “Is it bad that I’m happy about that?”
She gave me a knowing look. “Not at all. I’m really sorry about everything she said last night. She had no right, and she was way off base.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I know, but she’s my best friend so I feel responsible for her.”
I nodded, knowing I felt the exact same way about Quinn. If she ever did anything crazy, I’d want to apologize for her too. I missed Quinn so much. She’d know exactly what to say and do in this situation, and if she’d been there last night, she would have sent Brina home in tears from the verbal lashing she would have given her.
“But that one’s been here for hours.” She pointed over at the other side of the bar where I caught sight of Tatum’s muscular frame.
“Have you been here for hours?” I asked with a laugh.
“I dropped someone off earlier and noticed Tatum’s truck. When I came back about an hour ago, his truck was still here.”
“Probably avoiding going home since I’m there.”
“Looks more like he’s trying to drink his problems away.” She looked between us. “Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”
I hesitated, almost saying no, but the whole point of coming to the bar in the first place was to get a drink. “I should be buying you the drink,” I offered.
“Why? Because you’re a big movie star? I have a job, you know,” she said with a smirk.
“Actually, I don’t know. What do you do?” I asked, following her toward the dark oak bar and stools.
“Oh, I do hair. We don’t have a salon here in town, so I do hair out of my mama’s house most days. It’s not much, but it pays the bills. And I really love it.”
We sat side by side as the bartender meandered over, drying a glass. He was an older gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair and a mustache to match. “Evening, Celeste. And who’s your friend?”
“Hey, Mitch, this is Paige. Paige, this is Mitch. He’s been here forever.”
“Forever’s a long time, young lady,” he said, and waved a scolding finger at her.
Celeste pretended a pout. “I didn’t mean anything by it.
I love you, Mitch. You know I love you.”
“Oh, I can never stay mad at you, honey. What can I get you ladies?” He put down the glass and leaned both hands on the bar in front of us.
“I’ll have a whiskey sour,” Celeste said, and I nodded.
“I’ll have the same.”
“You ever had one before?”
“Nope.”
She laughed. “You’ll like it, it’s sweet.”
Mitch put the small drinks in front of us and waved Celeste off when she tried to pay him. “On the house,” he mumbled, slinging a towel over his shoulder and walking toward the other end of the bar before I could thank him.
“He always does that,” she said before taking a drink and placing some dollar bills on the bar in front of us.
I sipped the concoction carefully, unsure of what to expect. The sweetness and bitterness hit my tongue all at once before I realized it wasn’t half bad. “It’s good,” I said as the liquor traveled down my throat and warmed my stomach.
“Told you. I usually move on to straight whiskey after a couple of these.”
I almost spit out my drink. None of my friends drank straight liquor, and I couldn’t imagine the appeal. I definitely needed additional flavorings with my alcohol consumption.
Celeste pushed off the bar stool and I followed suit. We walked over toward the pool tables and stood side by side.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked, feeling comfortable with Celeste’s up-front and honest nature.
She leaned against the wood railing. “Of course.”
“You’ve known Tatum a long time, so what’s his deal? I mean, I honestly think he hates me.”
Celeste glanced over at Tatum and a smile lifted her lips. “Don’t be silly. Tatum’s one of the good ones. Probably one of the best, honestly. He and Brina were together all through high school, and he was a big football star. Brina wanted to leave this town and Tatum was her ticket out. But when his daddy died, and he gave up his college scholarship to stay on and help his mama run the shop…” She sighed and added sadly, “Well, Brina, she gave up on him too. Said that he wasn’t going anywhere anymore, and she didn’t want someone who was content with staying here and being a mechanic.”
My jaw fell open and I consciously closed it tight and continued to listen. I hadn’t liked Brina before, but now I hated her. As in wanted-to-punch-her-in-the-face-and-tell-her-what-a-horrible-person-she-was hated her. I also couldn’t comprehend how someone like Celeste could be such good friends with someone like Brina.
“How did you stay friends with her after that?”
“She’s been my best friend since we were five,” she explained. “I hated what she did to Tatum and I told her that, but I couldn’t stop being friends with her because of it.” She leaned toward me. “But honestly? I’ve never really looked at her the same since she did that to him.”
“Yeah. That would change things for me too.” I tried to understand Celeste’s reasoning, not certain I’d be able to stay friends with someone I’d lost all respect for.
“He has a big heart, Paige. It’s just been broken so deeply that he doesn’t trust that well anymore. Plus he knows you’ll leave him, and so he’s trying his best to be tough and act like he doesn’t care. You could probably ruin him forever and he knows it.”
I turned to look at her. “What are you talking about? He runs so hot and cold with me that I have no idea how he feels.”
She giggled. “For such a smart California girl, you’re sure not that observant.” She nudged my arm and nodded her head in Tatum’s direction, where he was shooting darts with his friends. “Just watch,” she said.
And I did. I watched as it was his turn to throw the darts. I watched as his arm pulled back before he aimed and let the tiny dart fly through the air until it stuck inside its cork target. And I fought the urge to sidle up behind him and wrap my arms around his muscular waist, nuzzle into his shoulders, and hold on for dear life.
He turned his head in my direction as he took a swig from his bottle of beer. His eyes met mine before they jerked away, and Celeste laughed. “He’s been doing that since you got here.”
I let out a little snort. “He has not.”
“He most certainly has. He knows your every move, Paige. And not because he doesn’t care. It’s because he does.”
“He is so frustrating!” I complained as Brina waltzed in the front door like she owned the place, her gaze darting around the room. “Looks like someone’s feeling better,” I whispered to Celeste.
“I highly doubt it. I bet someone tipped her off that you and Tatum were here. She can’t handle it, she’s so jealous.”
“She still has feelings for him, doesn’t she?”
Celeste shrugged. “I honestly think it’s more a case of she doesn’t want the guy, but she doesn’t want anyone else to have him either. Know what I mean?”
“Yep.” I knew exactly what she meant. I figured that was pretty standard when it came to breakups, not that I was an expert or anything.
“I also think it’s worse because she doesn’t have a boyfriend. If she had someone in her life, she might not care so much about what Tatum was doing.” She tilted her head. “Then again, you’re the first real threat she’s had. It’s not like Tatum has even talked to a girl since Brina dumped him.”
We stopped talking as Troy walked up to us. “Hi, Celeste. Hi, Paige.”
We both said hi back, then suffered through an awkward silence as Troy shuffled his weight between his feet and avoided our eyes. Finally he looked up at me and mumbled, “Uh, Paige. Would you like to dance?”
I looked between Tatum, who was focused solely on my interaction with Troy, and Celeste, who was practically shoving me onto the dance floor, before I said, “Sure.”
The music was slow and Troy pulled me close. I stepped even closer, our bodies moving in unison to the beat. It was immature of me to attempt to make Tatum jealous, but I needed to force some sort of reaction out of him. If Celeste was even remotely right about him, I’d waited about as long as I wanted to for him to make a move.
Closing my eyes, I pretended Troy was Tatum, only he wasn’t nearly as tall or as well-built, but it was the only way I could stomach being this close to someone who wasn’t Tatum. My daydream was interrupted by Troy pulling away from me and my body suddenly going cold. My eyes flew open to see Tatum’s blue ones glaring at me, his face twisted in anger. Or maybe it was disgust.
“Come here,” Tatum bit out. “I want to talk to you.” He grasped my upper arm and I jerked it out of his grip.
“Don’t manhandle me!” I shouted.
He leaned in close to my face, his voice barely above a whisper, but his tone unhappy. “I don’t like it.”
“You don’t like what?” I snapped back, my tone mimicking his.
“Don’t dance with my friends like that,” he practically spat at me.
“Like what?” I placed a nonchalant expression on my face, wanting to push his buttons.
Tatum pulled off his baseball cap and ran his hand irritably through his hair. “I don’t want you dancing that close to anyone but me.”
“Then why don’t you ask me to dance instead of brooding all night?”
“Is that what you want, Paige? You want to dance with me?”
I huffed out an annoyed sigh. “You can’t possibly be this stupid.”
“Tell me what you want!” he yelled, all his composure completely blown.
I glanced around to see people watching us, then lowered my voice as I admitted, “You already know what I want.”
“Do I?”
“Don’t you?”
“Stop playing games.”
“I’m not playing games. You know what I want. You’re the one who keeps fighting it,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes as my frustration built.
“Say it. I need to hear you say it,” he said, his voice breaking as if his very life were at stake.
“You two are creating a scene. Mayb
e you should leave.”
Brina’s nasal voice cut through the tension that surrounded us, but we ignored her as our gazes remained locked. Tatum and I continued to stare at each other, chests heaving with emotion.
“Go away, Brina. This doesn’t concern you,” Tatum ordered tersely.
He waited for the sound of her boots shuffling against the wood floor to signal her departure before he stepped a little closer and pleaded once more, “Say it, Paige. I need to know.”
“Need to know what? How much I want you? Is that what you want to hear? Because I do. I’m so attracted to you and I’ve wanted to kiss you for forever, but I never know what you want or how you feel. I’m drawn to you, Tatum, in ways that make no sense to me at all. Sure, we’re from two completely different worlds and I’m pretty sure we can never work out, but right now,” I said, pausing to take a deep breath. “Right now I don’t care. Now all I care about is getting you to finally freaking put your lips on mine, and feel your hands against my skin. Because I want you. I want you so—”
Tatum quickly closed the little distance left between us and pressed his lips against mine, moving them slowly at first, as though he was taking his time in tasting every inch of me before the hunger spread. My lips parted at the feel of his tongue pressing against them, begging for entry. At once we became frantic, devouring each other like the moment might be lost forever if we stopped. Tatum cupped one hand around my ass while shoving the other in my hair and holding on for dear life. I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders and squeezed, digging my nails into the skin beneath his shirt.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been nice to you,” he said softly against my mouth, trying to kiss and talk at the same time.
“Shut up.” I gripped the back of his neck and forced his mouth back against mine. I didn’t want him going anywhere, and I’d be damned if I let him get away before I was ready. Our mouths continued to feast on each other as our tongues slowly moved in and out. This was hands down the best kiss of my life, and I completely forgot we had an audience until the clapping and hooting started.
“Shit.” Tatum pulled away slowly before giving his friends an embarrassed wave and pulling me out of the bar.
I couldn’t keep my hands off him as I ran my hands over his shoulders, his chest, his back. Screw my celebrity status; I didn’t care what anyone thought. I wanted to touch all of him at once.