by Rose Harper
Well double fuck me swinging. This woman surprised the shit out of me every day. She was so off the wall that she could fart glitter and no one would question it. This was so fucked up. How was I supposed to meet a new stepfather, who was probably my age, and a new stepbrother mere days before the wedding? I mean, come on, this was pretty messed up shit.
I groaned. “That’s in five days, Mother. That’s not even a week from now.”
“I know; I hate that I didn’t tell you. You don’t have to worry about anything. Promise. I have everything taken care of. All you have to do is be down here tomorrow night for dinner with them.”
“Tomorrow?” I asked incredulously.
This woman really was giving no one time to get anything settled. She better be glad that I was a workaholic and had vacation time saved up. I had half a mind to tell her I wouldn’t be there. But I knew that would break her heart, and that was something that I absolutely could not do. She has been there for me during the entire aftermath of the douchebag. So I would put on my big girl panties and be there for her, too.
“Please say that you can get time off,” she begged.
I smiled. It wasn’t often that my mother begged me for anything. But when she did, I felt on top of the world. That without me being there she would not be able to survive. It filled my heart with love every time she did it.
“You better be glad that I love you,” I chuckled, pushing the button on the elevator so that I would go up to the top floor. “Because I’m heading to my boss’ office right now.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you,” she rushed out in excited squeals.
“No need to thank me, Mom. Just make sure if you have something this important that you please tell me sooner.”
“Okay… Then I have something else to say … Will you be my Maid of Honor?”
My breath left my lungs. My mouth hung open in shock. I knew that we were close, but I didn’t realize she would ask me for something so important. I figured she would ask one of her friends she had at crochet club, or whatever the hell it was. But not me. My eyes started tearing up. It had been so long since I’d actually cried for something good. That was just how my mother was though; it was always something good with her.
“I’d love to.” I choked up at the end. It was then I remembered I didn’t have a dress. “Oh shit. I don’t have anything to wear.”
She sighed. “Everything is already taken care of, sweetheart. The only thing you need to worry about is getting here by tomorrow night. Oh, and that you're able to stay until after the wedding—at least.”
As the elevator dinged, I stepped out. “Sure will, Mom. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait. It’s been too, too long,” she giggled.
“It’s not been that long,” I argued.
She cleared her throat. “It’s been ten years since you’ve been home. The only time we see each other is when I come up there for a visit.”
I started thinking of the last time I’d been there, and she was right. That dreadful, earth shattering day had been my last time there. What the hell was wrong with me? I was so busy that I couldn’t visit my own mother that was a mere eight hours away.
“That’s right. Damn, it’s really been that long?” I asked, stepping through the door to put in my emergency vacation request of time off.
“Yes, it sure has. But darling, I have to go. Call me when you’re on your way.” With that, her side of the line went dead.
After putting in for my time off, I went to meet Alex at the restaurant where she texted me she’d be. I was so lost that I almost got off on the wrong floor—more than once. I would definitely need more than one margarita on this lunch break. The phone call with my mother threw me for a loop and a half. I let out a half-crazed laugh before exiting the elevator. She didn’t know how to do anything half-assed, that was for sure.
Taking my time, I walked through the turnstiles and exited the building. As I stepped outside the July sun beat down on me. I inwardly groaned at the wild mess I knew my hair was going to be—thanks to the humidity—by the time I made it to Alex. No amount of hairspray was going to fix the frizzy mop on my head. Searching through my bag, I found a hair tie and pulled my locks into a ponytail.
A vivid flashback stopped me in my tracks. It was of Brad pulling the hair tie out of my hair at school—the same day he found out that I loved him. I clenched my jaw and shut my eyes tight, willing the memory to leave me. It was going to be hard enough to go back to my hometown after being away for so long. Just thinking about him would make it harder.
Pushing him from my mind, I continued on to the restaurant. Walking for seven blocks in four-inch stiletto heels was not for the weak, not by any means. But to me it was another day in paradise. Opening the door, I was met with a cool blast of air. I sighed, letting the cool air envelop me. It was not a pretty sight to see a woman sweating all over the place. I wasn’t about to be that freak of a woman that looked like she just stepped out of a gutter. Nope, no way.
Spying Alex in the corner, I made my way to her. I shimmied past people that had their chair too far away from the table, and people that just did not have any reservations about themselves as a couple grabbed my ass. I rolled my eyes and continued on, daring not to make a scene. I was already too keyed up from the phone call. I wasn’t about to let the men in here, who I was sure had too much to drink, get to me.
Just then I saw a person that I did not want to see. Brett. Just my fucking luck, too. Brett had been a fling I had a few weeks ago. I shouldn’t say fling, no. That would be giving him too much credit. Half-assed, one-night stand was more like it. I cursed when I saw him walking toward me. I had almost made it to Alex, but I wasn’t fucking fast enough.
“Hey, Claire.” He smiled brightly, pulling me into a hug.
“Hello, Brett,” I greeted.
When he didn’t let me go, I cursed Alex for choosing this place. Damn, she was going to hear it.
“I was wondering if you want to get together later. You know, we could go back to my place…” he seduced.
I inwardly gagged. “Nope. There’s no possible way I can do that. I have to leave town tonight. Sorry.”
Yeah, I’m so not sorry.
He let me go and stood back searching my eyes. “Well, maybe a different time then?”
“Maybe.” I replied, turning around to go.
He caught my hand and kissed the back of it, winking before he left to go back to the bar. If he had been a great lay and his breath didn’t smell like shit, I would have swooned over the gesture. But the fact that he always, and I do mean always, smelled like onions was a major turnoff. Oh, and the fact his pecker couldn’t please a damn blow up doll. Faking orgasms is a lot harder than you think it is.
Trust me, three-time champion right here. Story of my fucking life.
CHAPTER TWELVE
As I sat down in front of Alex, I gave her the stink eye. Of course, the whole escapade between Brett and me made her crack up with laughter. Would I really go to jail for strangling someone, even if it was just a little? I sighed and ordered my first of many margaritas. I put my purse in the seat next to me and leaned back into the plush chair. The more I glared at Alex, the harder she laughed. Before too long she had tears rolling down her cheeks and her face was as red as a beet.
“So not funny,” I spat.
She chuckled. “No, you’re right … It was freaking hilarious.”
I pouted, sticking my lower lip over my upper. “You should feel sorry for me, Alex. His outer appearance is no direct reflection of what’s underneath—trust me.”
“I would say I’m sorry, but that would be a lie.” She cackled with laughter.
I stuck my tongue out at her, just as my drink arrived. Taking a sip, I let the cool liquid slide down my throat. Damn, a mango margarita hit the spot. Licking my lips, I looked up to see Alex watching me closely. I furrowed my brow and took another big gulp from my glass. She turned her head to the side, stu
dying me.
“Anything you want to tell me?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Just that I’m not going back to the office.”
She inhaled fast, putting a hand over her mouth. “You got fired, didn’t you? Dammit, I told you not to be so sexy. You should have listened,” she joked.
I smirked. “Hardy … Har … Har. You have to be sexy for that to amount to anything. I,” I said, gesturing to myself, “am not even close to being sexy. Shit! Look at this hair!”
She rolled her eyes, taking a small sip from her margarita. “Okay. So why aren’t you going back to work?”
I went through the whole conversation that I had with my mom. Of course, Alex had to have every fucking detail. She was a stickler like that. She felt that if the whole story wasn’t told she couldn’t get a real feel for the situation. In this case, she was right. I needed someone’s opinion on returning home to my mother’s spring-it-on-me-at-the-last-minute wedding. It all sounded crazy to me, and I needed someone to ground me and tell me that I was overreacting. Alex did just that.
“Let me get this straight. Your mother, a woman that has been single for almost all of your life, is getting married in five days.” At my nod, she continued. “To a man that you have never met to beat it all; and not only that, but you’re getting a stepbrother out of the whole mess. Did I get everything?”
“Pretty much sums up the whole conversation,” I agreed.
She sat back, blowing out a breath. “Wow, that’s pretty fucked up.”
I laughed lightly. “Right?”
It seemed that I wasn’t the only one that thought this whole thing was messed up. I was so glad that I have Alex as a best friend. She didn’t care if her opinion hurt you, she was a straight shooter. Just how I liked people around me. I didn’t like being bullshitted or dragged in a million different directions. I had too much of that when I was younger. I was not going to have it again. In the time I’ve been away from Cedar Grove, I’ve matured a lot. There was no way that I was going to go back to being that bumbling idiot that trusted everyone around me. Now you have to prove yourself, which was the only way to even get close to me.
The waiter showed up to take our orders before scurrying off to give them to the cook. I drained my margarita just as a fresh one was put down on the table. I eyed it, knowing that it would be my limit. I was a light drinker. Whenever Alex and I went to bars she would joke about me going to the teetotaler table and leave the real drinking to those who can take it. I called her bluff once, which was the only time. Waking up with a penis drawn on your face with a permanent marker was not fun. Especially when you couldn’t get all the marks off your face and had to go to work with a half-assed cock and hairy ball sack on your face.
“I know what you’re thinking. Trust me, the next time I’ll draw a pussy on your face,” she crudely stated with a giggle.
I rolled my eyes and took a drink. “I’m getting better. I think I can hold three of these bad boys now.”
“Ooh… You’re such a badass bitch,” she teased.
I laughed. “You know it.”
She giggled just before a serious look came over her face. Fuck! I knew what she was going to ask before she even uttered the words. “What are you going to do if you see you-know-who?”
And … I was right. Do I have FML stamped on my forehead? Because right now, that’s the theme I was feeling.
I shrugged before I took another drink of my margarita. “I don’t know. I know it’s stupid and I shouldn’t care. But I ask my mom about him every time we’re on the phone.”
“It’s not stupid to love someone, hon,” she stated, taking my hand in hers. “You’re only human. If anything, I would be questioning if you never asked. He was your first everything.”
I just nodded. I didn’t want her to know that I was still completely obsessed with him. Not in a stalker way, but in a scorned lover way. Thoughts of him hurt me physically, but I couldn’t help asking about him anyway. I guess you could say that over the years the tidbits of information that my mom gave me has helped me cope with losing what could have been.
“You want to talk about it?” she asked sincerely. She knew how hard it was for me to talk about Brad. I loved her for caring about my feelings enough to ask.
“It doesn’t bother me as much anymore. I guess in a way, asking Mom about him has helped me move on... If that makes any sense.”
She slowly nodded, letting my hands go as the waiter dropped off our orders. “It makes perfect sense, hon. If you don’t mind me asking, I’m taking full advantage. What has your mom said about him?”
I snickered. “Well, he’s not like his father. He didn’t go into law like many of the other men in his family; he’s actually in construction. Owns his own business actually. She said he’s had a failed marriage that lasted a couple of years to Cherish Sharp, of all people. She never would tell me when they got married or even when they divorced.”
“Cherish Sharp!” she screeched through the restaurant, causing people to glance in our direction.
I giggled. “Yeah, I don’t know why they decided to call it quits. But that’s all my mom would tell me.”
She eyed me over her fork. She knew I wasn’t telling the truth. I tried to look everywhere but at her. If she caught my eyes, I would definitely spill the rest of it. There would be no way around it. She was like that. She should have gone into law instead of PR. I reached forward to grab the ketchup, only to have her jerk it away at the last second. I sucked in a sharp breath before releasing it. I guess I wasn’t getting out of this. I looked at her, meeting her patronizing stare head on. Damn, she really was good.
“Okay, okay, okay. Maybe that wasn’t all she told me,” I rushed out.
She nodded, satisfied. “Spill.”
“She might have added that he would make a straight man jump the fence,” I shrugged.
“Explain,” she said excitedly. “I know you can do better than that.”
I groaned. “Fine. She said that he looks like he’s about to shred a T-shirt when he wears one. When, being the operative word. Also that his arms are lined with tattoos and his nipples are pierced. She also said if she was twenty years younger, she’d give it a go.”
Her eyes widened as she wiped nonexistent sweat off her brow. “Damn, got me all hot and bothered just imagining him.”
I shrugged, pushing away my plate. “I guess.”
“You guess? If you don’t jump that while you’re down there, I’ll make a special trip to rock that bad boy’s world.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. I’m going back for the wedding, that’s all. Then after, I’m coming straight back here.”
“You Debbie Downer,” she huffed, finishing her lunch.
Putting a few bills on the table, we made our way out of the restaurant. I was glad that she could stop grilling me about him. But, at the same time, I was kind of upset, because I wanted her to. Just talking about him confused the shit out of me. When we got back to the office, I hugged her good-bye and told her I would call just as soon as I got there. If I could take her with me, I would. But I knew that was just selfish of me. She already devoted a lot of time to me. I couldn’t keep her from living her life.
Watching her walk away, I turned to go to the garage, retrieving my car. When I got home, I took my luggage she had gotten me a few years ago and started packing the things I would need while I was down there. The impending visit was raking my nerves raw. I knew I would see Brad. That was his town after all, has been since I left close to ten years ago. Just then a thought hit me. Jogging to the kitchen, I looked at the calendar. Fuck! Today was July first, exactly two days before I left Cedar Grove ten years ago.
Bloody hell!
Just thinking about what transpired that day pissed me off beyond all compare.
I debated yelling, but I knew that Mrs. Perkins in 3B would use her broom and hit my floor with it, so I opted out of that. It seemed that I had to fume in private. That bastard had taken
so much from me that day. My entire life, basically. And over what? A motherfucking photoshopped picture. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’d thought, what if. What if his mother hadn’t been the conniving shit she was? Would we be married? Probably. Children? The perfect house with the two point five children and a white picket fence, most definitely.
But thanks to her, that would never happen. I accepted that a long time ago. However, that didn’t stop the anger from fueling my hatred toward her. A woman that I thought of like a second mother. She was nothing more than a bitch, one I have seriously contemplated clawing her eyes out. She ruined not only mine and Brad’s relationship, but her marriage. I never thought there were people out there that would do that. But boy, she sure fooled me.
She had fooled everyone, even Henry; and he’d been the one married to her. Come to find out after I left, she was the one that was cheating on him. That was why Brad transferred his senior year to our high school. I always thought that it was kind of weird that he did. But that hadn’t been the first time they had to move. Ever since his freshman year, his mother kept having affairs. Of course, Henry being Henry stayed and tried to work things out with her.
But with someone like her, there’s no working things out. She humped anything and everything that moved—often. When she planted that picture she was trying to make it seem like Henry was the one being unfaithful all those years ago. So when they got divorced, she would be the one to walk away with a nice settlement. But the joke was on her. Henry was a very good lawyer; he didn’t even need a divorce lawyer to show the courts that she was the one cheating in the relationship.
The decision was a big fuck you right in her crap lousy face. I laughed when my mother told me about it. I still laugh to this day. While Brad’s mom thought she was going to walk off with half of everything, she got diddly shit. She was lucky that Henry felt sorry for her and bought her a little apartment on the other side of town. But knowing that she was working in the town diner made the ending epic.