My Almost Ex

by Piper Rayne

  I nestle between her legs and get her off quicker than ever. Who said mornings suck? Today is a goddamn beautiful day.

  I go out on the deck to call my mom, hoping that the beautiful scenery will keep me in a serenity state when I tell her I’ve reignited the flame with Adam. Although I’m not keen on everyone in town knowing about us, one thing is certain—it won’t stay only our business for long. If my mom hears it from someone else, her wrath will be worse.

  She answers on the third ring, which tells me she’s probably busy. The woman usually answers my phone calls in one ring, sometimes half a ring, because she’s so worried about me.

  “Lucy?” she answers as though she thinks someone else would be calling from my phone.

  “Hey, Mom,” I say.

  “How are you? Anything else come back?”

  I’m quiet for a moment, knowing I need to find that old part of myself that was strong enough to walk away from my family because of their disapproval. Although I’m hoping this time is different. That we can figure this out.

  “Well, I remember my wedding,” I say.

  “That’s good.” She says it as if I just said I went on a walk. No inflection in her tone.

  “Yeah, and I have some other news.”

  “Oh?”

  She’s pretending to be bored with the conversation. As though she doesn’t want to hear from me. I have to think she’s acting the same way she did then. Her indifference to what’s going on makes me angry.

  “I’m seeing Adam again.”

  Dead silence.

  “Mom?”

  “I’m here,” she says.

  I blow out a breath and look at the trees and the mountains, wishing for some peace. “We’ve decided that we’re going to move forward even though my memory hasn’t returned.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Mom, please say something else.” I roll my eyes because she’s acting like a child.

  It takes her a minute to speak. “And what happens when your memory does come back and you realize why you left him? What are you going to do? Run away again?”

  “No.” I shake my head although she can’t see me. “I’m going to stay here. Whatever the reason was, it doesn’t matter anymore. We’ve agreed to be truthful with one another. Whatever it is, we’ll work through it.”

  “How do you know the reason won’t still be an issue for you?”

  I open my mouth and stop for a second. “You sound like you know what the reason is.”

  She guffaws. “How would I know, Luce? You told me nothing. I’m just saying it could still come back and be an issue for you both. You’re both playing with your hearts if you think this is some love story gone wrong. You act like you’re naive as to how hard it is to love someone, like Cupid came and shot arrows in you, like nothing bad can happen.” Her voice grows louder.

  “We love one another, yes. But we’re not naive. We know how hard we’ll have to work on this.”

  “Jesus, Lucy,” she says.

  There’s a long beat of deafening silence. I wait it out, denying the part of me that wants to fill it with something. But at this point, my words would only be mean-spirited and I want things to be different this time around.

  “Fine. Good luck then. I hope it works out.”

  “Doesn’t sound like you actually feel that way.”

  “What do you want me to say? This is why I didn’t want you in that town. They swallow you up and before you know it, you’re drinking the Greene family Kool-Aid!” she yells.

  A bunch of birds fly out of a tree near me. I wish I could fly away with them.

  “They love me. Which brings up another question. Did I leave a necklace there?” I touch my bare neck. I still haven’t found that necklace, but I’m sure it has to be somewhere.

  “A necklace? No.”

  “And not my journal either?” There’s no way I would’ve destroyed them. I know that deep down to my bones. I could’ve never done that to Adam. Destroy something of his mother’s.

  “No, Lucy, you kept that part of your life hidden from us. I guess we were okay for you to run to when it all went bad, but now you’re going to pretend you don’t have a family again.”

  The phone creaks as I clench it. “You’re the one doing it to me. You’re the one who didn’t come to my wedding.”

  “I don’t agree with you marrying into that family. There was a reason you came home, Lucy. I want you to think about that. You’re turning a blind eye to why you walked out on your marriage, but you must’ve felt you couldn’t be there anymore. Someone must’ve said or done something.”

  “Mom,” I sigh. “What don’t you understand? The Greenes are good people. Ignore all the bullshit from the feud between the two sides of the family. What have they ever done to make you hate them so much?”

  I’m met with another bout of silence. I roll my eyes. “I—”

  “Lucy,” my dad comes on the phone. “You know your mom’s feelings on this issue. Nothing is going to change.”

  “Well, maybe it should. Maybe you should get to know people before you judge them off of someone else’s experience with them.”

  “Don’t sass me,” my dad warns. “Your mom has slaved over you for the last three months and what have you done? You turn your back to go to those people after she almost lost her job caring for you.”

  I swallow down the guilt that anyone had to sacrifice anything because of my accident. “I’m sorry for that, but I love Adam. He’s my husband and that’s that.”

  “And here we go again. It’s like déjà vu,” my mom comes back on the line.

  “Then I guess we’ll just go back to not being in each other’s lives.”

  I click End and cock my arm back to throw my phone deep into the woods, but my fingers clench around it and I bring it down, releasing a scream that echoes through the forest. I release a breath and close my eyes. Time to channel this energy into something good. My parents have no idea what they’re talking about. But they sure know how to plant a seed of doubt because now I’m wondering—what if history repeats itself?

  I shake my head. No. I know in my bones this is where I belong.

  In the afternoon, I call an Uber to take me into downtown Sunrise Bay. Eventually I’ll have to get a car, because getting my SUV from my parents is probably not an option at this point. Not to mention, I want to start fresh. If Adam saw me drive away in that SUV, I don’t want him thinking about it every time he sees it.

  The Uber drops me off in the town square and I set my eyes on The Grind. I’ve been meaning to come by and see Zoe since I remembered her last week. Adam had been drinking a coffee and her and her shop came back to me. I’m here to try some different coffees.

  “Lucy!” she calls when I walk in, abandoning the customer she’s with and running around the counter to give me a big hug.

  “Hey, Zoe,” I say, hugging her back.

  How can my parents not love this town?

  She draws back, her hands on my upper arms. “I should put you over my knee for waiting so long to come in.”

  “Sorry. Believe it or not, I’ve been busy, and I don’t have a car, so I’m at the mercy of others.”

  “Well, you’re here now. Let me get you your—”

  “Wait,” I rush out before she says my usual order. I think Adam’s starting to think I’m crazy for testing all these new foods and drinks, but it gives me a sense of control I haven’t felt since my accident. “Can I try a few different things? I’m doing this thing where I try to figure out what I like now, not back before I lost my memory.”

  She smiles and winks. “You got it. Have a seat and I’ll bring some out to you.”

  I walk over to the counter, her employee helping the poor man Zoe left. “I’d rather talk to you while you make them, if you don’t mind.”

  “Mind? Not at all.” She gets busy using machines I can’t imagine I’d ever figure out. “So what’s new?”

  “Um… nothing.” I bite down my smile with the h
opes that she doesn’t suspect anything.

  “Don’t give me that. How’s Adam? Are you guys figuring things out?”

  “Well, I’m figuring out that I was a tad selfish in our relationship.”

  She frowns and sighs. “Who said that? Men are supposed to kiss the feet of their wives. Why do you think there’s that saying, ‘happy wife, happy life’?”

  The fact she doesn’t refute my previous personality makes me think I’m right. I’d love to ask someone if people in this town thought I wasn’t deserving of Adam, but at this point, everyone’s coddling me.

  “How are things here?” I look around at the almost full house and smile.

  Zoe partnered with Adam’s mom to start The Grind back when Mrs. Greene first started her family, but now it’s just Zoe’s.

  “Really good. I have a muffin lady.” She nods toward a case in the front. “Pick one. They’re so good.”

  “A muffin lady?” I say, looking them over.

  “Yep, one day she’s going to become famous and leave me.” She leans forward. “They are that delicious, I swear.” She goes back to making coffee. “But for now, I have a muffin lady.”

  I giggle at her exuberant behavior. I never knew Adam’s mother well. I’d see her at school and things, and she was really friendly, always smiling. I have to think if she had a friend like Zoe, then she must’ve been just as fun-loving.

  The phone rings and Zoe glances at her employee who’s still explaining the difference between espresso and coffee.

  “Now go sit and relax. I’ll be right there.” Zoe walks over and answers the phone. “The Grind.”

  I find a table in the back that looks across at Truth or Dare Brewery and The Story Shop. The big sign of Cade Greene’s public announcement to Presley Knight is still up between the two places. They make a cute couple. I’m glad Cade found the one for him.

  I ignore a few people’s lingering looks. Some smile and carry on with their conversations. Others don’t. Checking to see how Zoe is doing with my coffees, I see that she’s on the phone still. She shoots me a wave, and when I rise to get the coffees, she shoos me back down with her hand.

  A minute later, she walks over with five small drinks. “Here you go. I figured we’d start basic. You’ve got cappuccino, latte, mocha, americano, and black. I’m curious which you’ll pick, so you let me know which one the new Lucy enjoys. Although…” She places her hand on mine. “The old Lucy was pretty magnificent too.”

  “Thanks, Zoe.” I lean over and smell all the coffees. Delicious.

  Picking up the black, I inhale the scent and tip the cup to my lips. Just like Adam makes at home. I wonder if there’s a family recipe I don’t know about.

  Then I continue around the circle of coffees, trying some twice, others three or even four times. I’m not sure I even want to pick one. They’re all wonderful, but my fave of faves is the cappuccino.

  Zoe comes by now that a rush is over. “Want a muffin from my lady?”

  I shake my head. “No, but I think I’d like a cappuccino?”

  “Sure thing.” She starts to walk away but stops, watching someone through the window. Then the door of The Grind opens. “Oh, hang on to your hat, here comes trouble,” she mumbles.

  Grandma Ethel and Dori walk into the small cafe, their eyes set on me. Isn’t one wild, heart-stopping drive with them enough for one person’s lifetime?

  I lie on the couch after a long day of work. “I can’t believe you let my grandma suck you in.”

  “She cornered me. I guess it’s something I used to plan for them.” Lucy lies on me and kisses me. “And you used to come with me apparently.”

  It’s unreal how much I took this for granted at one time. “I don’t want to spend our night entertaining old people drawing weird things. Plus, they argue all the time and it’s annoying.”

  “What can I do to persuade you?” She wiggles on me, her core sliding along my crotch.

  “Keep doing that and we’re not going anywhere.” I still her hips with my hands.

  “How about a little strip tease afterward?” She sits up and grabs the hem of her shirt, pulling it up her torso.

  “No sense if we can’t finish. Let’s just get this over with.” I groan and move her off my lap so I can go take a shower. “I swear they’re the only retirement center up past six.” I head up the stairs to the bathroom, but I stop at the top and look at her below. “Did you talk to your mom today?”

  Lucy’s smile dims. “I did.”

  I lean on the railing at the top of the stairs. “I take it things didn’t go well?”

  She pulls her knees up to her chest. “You take it right.”

  I mentally curse Susan. I want to tell Lucy how much better off she is without them. But instead, I inhale a deep breath. “Well, maybe we just keep trying. If it’s important to you.”

  “They’re pretty set in their decision.”

  “Well, they were set in it before, but they welcomed you with open arms after you left Sunrise Bay.”

  She stands, and my eyes follow her across the room to the stairs. She starts to climb them.

  Grandma Ethel better give me the best grandson award after this. Look what I’m missing out on by leaving tonight.

  “I didn’t go home to them right away,” she says. “My mom said I wasn’t home long before I fell off the horse. Where would I have gone?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  She meets me at the top of the stairs. “Me too.”

  My hands land on her hips and she steps forward until we’re chest to chest.

  “We can be a little late.” She strips off her shirt, tossing it on the floor.

  I’ll let her distract herself this once, but sooner or later, we’re going to have to figure this out. Her parents are going to be the same issue they were when we first got together.

  An hour later, I park my truck outside Northern Lights Retirement Center. Lucy started twice-monthly drawing nights years ago when Grandma Ethel acted as though the peeps at Northern Lights Retirement Center were twiddling their thumbs in boredom. It was nice of Lucy, and even though I don’t want to be here, how could I argue with her? I know her agenda is to get me to spend quality time with my grandma.

  Lucy puts her arm through mine. “Relax, it’s only an hour. Didn’t you enjoy it before?”

  I only enjoy when I’m left alone to draw, which doesn’t happen here—ever. I shrug in answer to her question. “So are we telling my grandma we’re a couple again? Because if we do, she’s gonna tell everyone.”

  She stops right before we get to the entrance. “It’s up to you. What do you want to do?”

  I’m not really up for a secret relationship, but I’m also not up for public humiliation if this blows up in my face. I hate the idea of a town scandal and gossip about the two of us.

  “What are you comfortable with?” I run my finger along her hairline and tuck the one strand that’s fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear.

  “Whatever you’re comfortable doing.”

  “I’d like us to come out. Better than people catching wind of it and making up their own narrative.”

  She smiles and presses her body to mine. “I guess we’re coming out.”

  “Only if you want.”

  “I always loved being your girl, Adam.” She kisses me one more time and walks inside, turning around right as the doors slide open. “Come on. They don’t bite.”

  I shake my head and follow her. Hell, I’d follow her off a cliff, that’s how much I love this woman.

  It only takes five minutes in the drawing room for me to regret my decision to follow Lucy.

  “She’s more beautiful, don’t you think?” Dori says from next to me. I got stuck between her and Earl. “More confident. Sure of herself.”

  I nod, sitting at my easel.

  “She was always good at organizing these things.” Grandma leans over Dori as though she’s whispering, but she’s really talking as loudly as she always does, inter
rupting the instructor Lucy scored last minute.

  Lucy is a teacher but wasn’t an art major, so they bring in an expert to teach the class on how to draw or paint on canvas. I usually just do my own thing. I’d be game if I got to sit next to Lucy during these art nights, but she passes out the materials and makes sure everyone is doing okay while the instructor at the front of the class leads everyone step by step. That leaves me with these two elderly women who think they’re Thelma and Louise or something. I’m not joking, they actually call themselves that.

  “I told you we’re together. Why you still playing matchmaker?” I ask Grandma, who shakes her head at me. “I heard about Cade and Presley’s game night here, Grandma. You’re not fooling anyone, you know that, right?”

  She rolls her eyes and turns her attention up front.

  “Okay, everyone,” the instructor, Leslie, says between the easels that are set up in a circle around her own. Leslie explains how we’re going to sketch out the drawing first, then we’ll go into the painting and that Lucy will be around if anyone needs more paint or a different paintbrush.

  “Do you think she’s going to model naked?” Earl asks me.

  “No.”

  “Man.” He puts his pencil back in the holder. “They trick me every time. It’s the only reason I come.” He shakes his head and crosses his arms like the kids from Lucy’s class.

  Fun night. I should make sure Lucy plans another.

  “Earl!” Grandma points at him. “You said you were going to participate.”

  “Yeah,” Dori chimes in. “You took a spot from someone else.”

  He rolls his eyes at me and picks up his pencil again.

  Leslie talks about the progression of the trees going from smaller to larger.

  “Progression? Hell, all I see is regression these days. My damn dick is shrinking by the minute.” Earl nods at me when I stare at him in disbelief.

  My gaze falls to my lap as though he’s got to be talking smack.

  “Just wait until your balls drop to your ankles.” He elbows me.

  “You sure there’s no alcohol allowed tonight?” I scour the area.