by Niecey Roy
“Now I’m definitely getting us a couple of drinks.” She stood.
“Don’t forget the shot.”
“Just one?” Roxanna raised her brows and walked away.
Propping my chin into my hand, I leaned into my elbow on the table and gazed out the window at the storefronts. Across the street from Decadence, a blue vintage bicycle sat in the front window of the cycle shop; a shiny red bow adorned the handle bars. A subtle hint what a perfect Christmas gift the bicycle would make. The shop had been there since I was a little girl, same as the barber shop beside it, with its red, white, and blue swirled barber pole. This part of the city had always given me a sense of comfort and belonging. It was one of the reasons I’d chosen to open my bridal boutique on this same block, around the corner. If I met Gen and Roxanna at Decadence after work, I could walk to the bar through the back alley.
“So she does smile.”
The deep, familiar voice sent a shiver down my spine. I glanced up into Leo’s eyes, and my stomach fluttered. “Leo.”
“You should smile more often.” The corners of his lips lifted and would have left any other woman breathless, even me, even when I fought the reaction.
I found it odd and deeply disturbing how, only a few days after I’d run out on my own wedding, Leo’s gaze sent my pulse racing. Maybe it always would. I supposed a girl never forgot her first love, even if he’d been out of her life for nearly six years.
Truthfully, I’d been avoiding Leo ever since he’d returned from the Army and settled back in town. The way he’d broken up with me had left so many unanswered questions. I pretended it didn’t matter—pretended him being back didn’t matter. Pretended I felt nothing either way. Seeing him at my wedding had jarred so many of those questions out of the corners of my mind where they’d been hiding. Like, why had he come to the wedding at all?
Men irritated me, all of them. Except my dad. He was the only man excused because he’d never broken my heart and he never would.
“Slumming it tonight?” I asked.
“Guess so.” He sat down in Roxanna’s empty seat.
My gaze drifted down to his lips, full and smirking—he might have been an older, bigger version of the guy I had fallen in love with in high school, but the smile was the same, still affected me the same. Some things never changed. His hair was wet, as if he’d just come from the gym. When he reached up to drag a hand through the tousled brown locks, his arm bulged beneath the dark grey thermal he wore. I had to tear my eyes away.
Looking down at the clock on my cell phone, I said, “I figured you wouldn’t be joining us this late.”
Ten o’clock wasn’t late, but it was for me. My mind raced so fast at night, making it difficult to sleep, so these days I was always tired.
“Oh? Did you miss me?”
My cheeks warmed. “No.” His open flirtation caught me off guard—talk about zero to sixty. I fidgeted under his gaze.
“And she blushes, too.” He studied my face. “I really do think you missed me.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s been two days since you crashed our pizza party and ate half the pie.”
“If Roxanna wants me to run errands for her, she has to feed me, too.”
How could I argue with his logic? “I guess that makes sense.”
He leaned back into the chair and crossed his arms over his massive chest. The Army had been good for his physique; he must have spent most of those years in the gym. I pictured him drinking raw eggs and bench pressing cars in his free time.
“Plus, you girls eat like birds anyway. I don’t believe in wasting food.”
“That’s not true. Gen eats like a horse. After you ate all the pizza and left, we had to order Chinese,” I said, and he grinned in answer.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” Roxanna said as she walked around the corner. She stopped beside him and socked his shoulder. “You need to quit abusing the weights. Your arms are going to explode.”
“Why do you always have to pick on me?” Leo pretended to pout, which only made me stare at his lips again.
“You are such a baby sometimes.” Roxanna’s smile revealed just how much she cared for him. She and Leo were close. She’d spent a lot of time at Leo’s house after her dad left—I think Leo’s dad had done his best to make up for the hole his brother had left in Roxanna’s life. “Move it,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am.” He stood and pulled the chair out so Roxanna could sit down. “Lexie doesn’t want to sit by me anyway. She’s mad I ate all the pizza the other night.”
“Oh please, she only wanted one slice.” Roxanna slid a frothy blue drink across the table. “I thought you might like this one.” Then she slid over two shots of amber tinted liquid. “And these will help you sleep.”
“Rox.” There was a hint of warning in Leo’s tone. “That whiskey’s too strong.”
He’d remembered how poorly I handled liquor, and I wasn’t sure if I was annoyed or charmed by it. There’d been a couple of nights in high school he’d held my hair back while I tossed up everything in my stomach after drinking too much peach schnapps.
“I better only have one.” I slid one of the shot glasses to Leo, the whiskey spilling out onto the table.
His fingers brushed against mine, and I jerked in my seat. He raised his brows. “Why so jumpy tonight?”
My cheeks warmed again. Lately he was everywhere, slipping back into my life as if he hadn’t been gone for so long—it set me on edge, especially with everything else going on in my life.
“I’m not,” I said.
“Give her a break. Her nerves are fried,” Roxanna chided.
“You look tired, Princess,” he said, studying me. His dropping the nickname so casually left me speechless.
Long before I had loved Leo, he’d been calling me Princess, along with tugging my pony tail. Back then, it had been to tease me, and then it had become a term of endearment while he hugged me close. Hearing the nickname on his lips made my stomach flutter-flop. I had no idea what it meant now, but he smiled as he said it, and the heat in his gaze told me it might mean something I wasn’t ready to analyze.
What was he thinking, flirting with me like this? Not only was his timing way off, but everything with Leo was way off. It had taken me years to get over missing him, years to get over loving him. Even his smiles were too much, too addictive.
He poured the drink down with a quick flick of his wrist, and his tongue snaked out to lick a drop from his bottom lip. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Setting the empty shot glass down on the table, he said, “Now my cousin can’t talk you into drinking it.”
“You act like I’m a bad influence or something.” Roxanna fake pouted, and I clinked my shot glass to hers.
“You are a bad influence.” I choked the whiskey down and coughed against the burn in my throat. Wincing, I chased it with the blue frothy drink she’d gotten for me, though it was meant for sipping. My eyes watered.
“Nice,” Roxanna laughed. “Thought you might enjoy that—tastes like fuel.” She drank her second shot and grimaced from the liquor’s burn.
I glanced over at Leo. “It’s a good thing you’re here to drive Roxanna home.”
“I see that,” he replied.
Roxanna reached an arm around Leo’s wide shoulders and squeezed. “I’m so glad you’re home now, hanging out with me, driving me home from the bar, fixing things around the house.”
Leo laughed. “I suppose I need to earn my keep somehow since you won’t let me pay rent.”
She gave him a wide smile. “I can hardly charge you rent when you sign my paychecks and let me work flexible hours.”
“I didn’t approve flexible hours.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“We’ll talk about that on Monday. I have this thing.”
“This thing?”
“Yes, this thing,” Roxanna said. She turned to me. “A creative thing.”
I perked up at this. Maybe she’d started writing aga
in.
“A creative thing,” Leo repeated.
“Yes. We’ll discuss it over donuts.” She looked down at his biceps. “Or a protein shake.”
“So how did the conversation go with Gen about the hot doctor?” I asked.
“What doctor?” Leo asked in full protective mode.
“No one,” Roxanna told him. She looked to me. “He’s not coming. And since Gen is insisting on a date—one date—I’ll have time to run a background check.”
Leo nodded in approval. “Good.”
“To some people, that would be a severe breach of privacy,” I pointed out. “Illegal, maybe.”
“All’s fair in the land of crazies,” Roxanna said.
“No one dates my little cousin without passing a background check first.”
“Ah, the background check,” Matt said, holding out his hand to Leo, who shook it.
Back when Matt had been nothing more than a stranger to the rest of us, Roxanna had taken it upon herself to check up on the man who’d swept Gen off her feet. I’d been in full agreement, though. In fact, thinking back on it, the idea might actually have been mine. She was now full time at LM Security, running background investigations for Leo, and she loved it.
Roxanna leaned into the table and batted long black lashes at Matt. “You’re lucky you turned out to be a catch or I’d have sent Leo after you with a taser gun.”
“What’s wrong with your taser?” Leo’s gaze shifted to Roxanna’s purse hanging on the back of her chair. “You carry it with you at night, don’t you?”
“Yes, yes,” Roxanna said. “Sheesh.”
“And she’s got one in her glove box, too,” Gen added with a grin.
“Excessive, don’t you think?” I laughed, though “excessive” could have been Roxanna’s middle name.
“Every woman should have one.” Leo gave me a pointed stare.
I shook my head. “Not me. I’m good with my little can of pepper spray. I don’t know anything about taser guns.”
“I’ll teach you.” The warmth in his gaze made my nerves tingle.
Gen’s phone rang, and she answered. “Hey, Cat, what’s—” Her eyes widened and she whispered, “Oh my God.”
I sucked in a breath. “What’s wrong? Is she okay? The babies?”
Catherine’s twins were only three months old. The idea of anything happening to them scared me to death. When Gen scrambled to her feet and rushed to the next room, my throat constricted with fear. Matt was on his feet in an instant, seconds behind her. I jumped from my chair, and it fell back onto the floor with a clang as I hurried after them. By the time I reached Gen, she was at the bar, telling Ted to turn on the television anchored up in the corner near the bar.
Right before Ted hit the power button on the remote, Gen placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s Deborah,” she said.
I hadn’t thought it possible for my blood to run so cold, so fast.
Chapter Two
The screen flashed on, and an image of Deborah Buchanan stared down at me. She sat with perfect posture, looking expensive and elegant with a string of pearls around her neck. Her blonde hair was twisted up into an impeccable bun. She was the image of a conservative politician’s wife. Knowing Deborah as I did, she had her sights set on her husband climbing much higher than the seat on the Senate he campaigned for.
“It was truly one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life,” Deborah said. “I worry my son will never get over the way that girl broke his heart and humiliated him in front of all of his friends and family.” She shook her head. “He’s tried to call her several times, but she refuses to answer. Can you imagine, Sally? All he wants is an explanation.”
My jaw dropped. Sally, the anchorwoman, shook her head, her face screwed up in sympathetic horror. “As a mother, I am absolutely appalled. What a horrible thing to watch your child go through.”
Deborah placed her palm against her chest and made a show of taking a deep breath. “We have had such a time of it adjusting to what that girl did to our family. But we’re strong, us Buchanans.” She frowned. “We have very strong family values.”
“I can definitely see that,” Sally agreed. “How is this affecting your husband’s campaign, Deborah?”
“Gerard feels strongly about doing what needs to be done. Making sure Nebraska has a strong, conservative voice behind it.”
Sally’s eyes skimmed over the tablet in her lap. “You told me earlier today when we spoke that there is this terrible dark cloud hanging over the Buchanan house right now, but that your son is being very strong in the face of humiliation and heartbreak. How do you cope with something like this?”
“It’s very tough for me, as a mother. I felt I had gotten to know Jeremy’s fiancé, and accepted her into our home and family.”
A video clip flashed on the screen, replaying me with my wedding gown hiked up. Gen and Roxanna were in the clip, too, tearing down the aisle behind me, both holding up my train so I wouldn’t trip in my mad rush to leave my groom. The video was flawless and as clear as the pain etched on my face as I raced down the aisle toward freedom.
“That video must be hard to watch.” Sally patted Deborah’s hand. “As a mother, I can’t imagine.”
“That evil witch,” Gen breathed from my side. Her hand closed around mine, squeezing gently. The soft hum in my ears intensified by the second.
“Witch?” Roxanna said from my other side. “That’s being too kind. That woman is an evil bitch,” she seethed. “I hate her.”
“She’s making a play for the sympathy vote,” I muttered in astonishment. Even now, Deborah was using me. And she didn’t just want her husband to win the election; she wanted my blood and my reputation on a platter.
Roxanna took my free hand in hers and held on tight. We’d been like this, the three of us, since we were kids—taking the world on together, facing life head on. Except right now, I was the weak link. One shove and we’d all go down.
Gen shook her head. “I can’t believe she’s doing this to you.”
“I can,” I said in a choked whisper while Deborah described a woman—me—as someone who had ripped Jeremy’s heart to shreds with deceitful mind games. This is really happening. I sucked in a painful breath. “I was so stupid to think she’d just let me walk away.”
I’d been so stupid with so many things. Not only had I misjudged Jeremy’s feelings for me, I’d underestimated the lengths his mother would go to ruin me.
Roxanna squeezed my hand. “On the bright side, look how beautiful you are. You’re stunning in that dress.”
The muscles in my face wouldn’t respond with the smile she’d hoped for. And as painful as it was to watch, I couldn’t take my eyes off of Deborah spewing her lies.
“To think, she owns a bridal boutique right here in town.” Deborah feigned pained confusion. She was an amazing actress, I’d give her that much.
“Yes, that’s right. Once Upon A Dream bridal boutique. I remember the photo spread in the newspaper from last year’s bridal expo. If I recall, you and your son were there for her exhibit,” Sally said.
“We supported her one hundred percent with her boutique, Once Upon A Dream.” Deborah enunciated the name of my business so there would be no confusion for whoever watched. She leaned forward, the tip of her nude pumps turned to Sally. “Can you imagine? Selling dreams to blushing brides-to-be while running out of her own wedding? Hypocrisy.”
“I’d say,” Sally clucked. “I can’t imagine what must have been running through your mind in that church.”
“It happened so fast and was such a surprise. I didn’t see it coming at all. She had me fooled.” She turned her face to gaze right into the camera, a beseeching expression painted on her face. “Mothers should be wary of whom they entrust their young daughters with. A bridal consultant spends intimate time with a bride-to-be in picking out a wedding gown. During the fittings she becomes a close confidant, of sorts. We mothers must be careful whom we trust with our impressionab
le young.”
I expelled a breath on a whoosh.
Gen glanced over her shoulder to Ted. “Turn it off.”
The world went fuzzy, and sound faded to the background. I dropped down onto the nearest seat, oblivious as to whether or not the table was already occupied. My eyes blurred as I stared at the table, my hands shaking in my lap. A hand clasped my shoulder and I looked up at Gen, blinking back tears. I supposed they had to come sometime, but I didn’t want to cry here. Not in public.
My lips trembled. “Gen?”
“It’s going to be all right,” she whispered as she leaned down to hug me.
“No one cares what she has to say, anyway.” Roxanna sat down in the chair beside me. “She looks like a pompous snotty bitch on camera.”
The bar was small, and mostly filled with my friends, but there were a few tables occupied by strangers who watched me, curious at the real life runaway bride in their midst. From the corner of my eye, Leo leaned against the brick wall, his arms crossed over his chest. I averted my gaze—I didn’t want him to see the tears that would spill any second now. What did he think about all of this? Along with almost everyone else, he had no idea why I’d run on my wedding day.
My body trembled, and I pinched my eyes closed. Deep breaths.
A shot glass was pressed into my hand. “Drink this,” Roxanna ordered.
My hand shook as I lifted the glass to my lips. I knocked the tequila back, then brushed away the fat tears blurring my vision. I nudged the shot glass toward Roxanna. “I want to go home now.”
“Are you sure?” Gen’s brows quirked with worry. “You should come back home with me.”
“Mitzy’s there, remember?” My little Chihuahua didn’t like being left alone very long. And there, I could cry as much as I wanted to—needed to.
“Matt, go get the car, please,” Gen said, and Matt disappeared out the front door without a word. My twin turned to me with a serious gaze. “Tomorrow, this won’t mean a thing.” She nodded to the now blank television. “That interview won’t mean a thing.”