by Amber Lacie
I had exactly fourteen days until the wedding, which didn’t leave me much time, but I knew I had to fix this. I scrolled through my phone again, but this time I wasn’t looking for Theron. Finding the name I was looking for I quickly pressed the ‘talk’ button. The first two times it went straight to voicemail. Not one to give up, I tried again, hoping the third time would be the charm.
Finally picking up, an irritated voice greeted me. “What do you want, Evan?”
“Eve, thank the fucks. Look, I know you’re pissed. I get it, but hear me out.”
“Oh, no. If you want to talk to me, you can walk your six-foot-tall ass out here and grovel. You fucked with my best friend. Theron has the kids, so you are taking me to breakfast.”
The line went dead and I was left staring at my hand for a brief second. Grabbing my keys and wallet I made my way to the door. One thing was certain, over the last several years Eve had changed. She was still as stubborn as ever, but now she held more of an authority in her voice. She wasn’t afraid to speak up and would quickly put someone in their place, should they choose to challenge her. I was proud of her for standing her ground––I just wish she didn’t do it with me.
By the time I had made it outside Eve was standing next to my Jeep. Apparently, she has also acquired ninja-like movements since the last time I saw her, I thought in shock.
“That was fast.”
“Had you looked out your window before you called me, you would have known that I was already out here. Theron told me you called and I wasn’t going to let you run off again.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I stated, feeling guilty.
“With you, I can’t be sure. Come on. Where are you taking me to eat?” she asked, hopping into the passenger side of the Jeep and flashing me a smile. I wonder how often that smile works on Theron. She has it perfected.
“Anywhere you wish, so long as you don’t get into trouble.”
“I haven’t been in trouble in years. Besides, the last time you were there to save me. I think we’ll be safe.”
Pulling out of the long driveway, I headed towards town. Eve was wrong though––I didn’t save her. It was that insane husband of hers. He had people scouring the Earth for her. He would have found her with or without me. That’s what you do for love. You don’t give up on it. At least––that’s what you’re supposed to do.
After Isa, I learned that even if you don’t give up, even if you try your hardest, you’re bound to get hurt. Fuck being hurt. When she left, I was annihilated. The only thing that eased any of the pain was the girl I left in a hotel room…the same one that had left me this morning.
“I’m an asshole,” I stated matter of fact.
“I’m aware.”
“I won’t leave this time.”
“Says you. There’s the café,” she said, pointing in the direction of a small diner. “Just pull in there, I need coffee.”
After parking the Jeep, Eve stepped out onto the curb and headed inside with me following close behind. Upon entering, the smell of some kind of muffin or cake baking in the back hit my nostrils, making my stomach growl in response. Taking in my surroundings, I scanned the small café with red and green walls. Hmmm…maybe they have a thing for Christmas, I thought to myself.
Picking a small table, tucked against a window where we would be mostly secluded from the other customers, Eve and I each ordered a cup of coffee and a muffin, sitting in silence until our orders were placed at our table. Looking directly at me, Eve smiled as she peeled the wrapping off her muffin. “Why did you come back?”
“I’ve come back before.”
“Yes, but not for her. Did you solely come back for Robert’s wedding or was it for her? I need to know what to do here. Which friend am I helping?” she asked, concern painting her face.
I ran my hands through my hair. How am I supposed to explain this? “Theron told me about the wedding, but if I’m being honest––I came back for both. If it weren’t for the wedding, I’m not sure how long I would’ve put off seeing her, but I couldn’t last much longer. I try to keep myself busy; when I’m on a job, that’s all I’m focused on.”
“And when you’re not working?” she asked.
“Everything just hurts. I don’t deal with it well. Let’s just say, there have been a lot of empty whiskey bottles.”
“Evan, have you thought about therapy? Maybe you should talk to someone.”
I laughed, loudly. “Nah, that’ll never happen. I don’t need therapy…I need Kayla.”
“Give me one reason why I should help you get her back, or at all for that matter. She hates you. If I did help you…you have to know it won’t be easy.”
“One reason?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Just one,” she replied, taking another bite of her muffin and staring back at me.
Without hesitation the words escaped my mouth. “She makes the pain go away.” My voice broke as I cast my eyes towards the window. It was the first time I had ever admitted it out loud. I dealt with things on my own. I hated that I needed help with this situation, and not being able to keep my cool while asking for help was making everything so much harder.
“She’s not a medication. You can’t just take her when you’re feeling bad about yourself. She’s a person, and she deserves to be loved.”
“I know. That night, when I saw her in the gazebo, I could feel her pain. I should’ve walked away, but I couldn’t. Whoever, or whatever, had done that to her needed to pay for what they had done. I knew I wouldn’t be any better for her; hell, I was a mess. She deserved––no, she deserves better. But I’m selfish and I needed her.”
We sat in awkward silence for a few moments while Eve continued to pick at her muffin. After a few sips of coffee, she looked up at me with a crooked smile. “You know, shortly after you left, Paul lost his job. Kayla said it was karma coming back for him. Somehow, he had misappropriated funds, but it wasn’t long before he was working for another company. Apparently, his dad knows everyone.”
“Huh.” I muttered, sipping on my coffee and looking over her shoulder. I knew exactly what he had done. I might’ve left, but not before making sure she never went back to him. Besides, he needed to hurt too.
“Yeah, it was really weird. He started the new job and about six months later he was let go from there as well. Then, his girlfriend broke up with him over some pictures she got in the mail. Kayla and I always thought he had another girl on the side and that she finally caught on, but now I’m not so sure,” she said knowingly.
“Why is that?”
“Because the smile you’re trying to hide reeks of trouble. What did you do?”
“The guy was a tool. I didn’t do anything.”
“I know you––I also know that you can lie to Theron, and everyone else, but you can’t lie to me.”
Laughing, I ran my hand along my jaw. “I could if I wanted to.”
“But you don’t want to. Did you get him fired, Evan?”
“Listen, the guy was a dick. You don’t treat people like that, just tossing them to the side, without getting your hands dirty. At first, I dug a little to see just how far he had taken things with other women. When I got deeper I realized he was hiding more than just women. He had multiple bank accounts in different states, all with a balance I know he hadn’t earned, so I called a few people who were better at locating more information. I didn’t do anything but shine a little light on what he had his hands into. I didn’t create the dirt, I just showed them how to find it.”
She eyed me with a knowing look. “Right. And his girlfriend?”
“He was cheating on her too,” I replied with a shrug. “It took everything in me not to bury him in the ground, but I held myself back. I didn’t want Kayla to know I was looking after her.”
“That’s not looking after her, that’s you taking out your anger.”
“I disagree. It’s not like I’m forcing his hand. He fucks up, I find out, and then call him on it––except
this time I haven’t found one mistake. How can his hands all of a sudden stay clean? It doesn’t make sense to me. You don’t know anything about that, do you?” I asked. Something wasn’t right and I wanted answers.
Eve tapped her fingernail against the handle of her mug as she peered over my shoulder. “I’m not getting involved. He works for Chandelleer now. Their head office is based in Cincinnati, but I’ve seen him around town occasionally. That’s all I know.” Her eyes didn’t quite meet mine as she twirled a long strand of hair around her finger. She’s lying. I made a mental note to look into it later, but for now I needed to focus on Kayla.
“Forget about him. Tell me what to do about Kayla.”
“I’ll talk to her, but I’m not going to promise you anything.”
“No––I mean, thanks for offering, but I need to do this. I fucked it up, and it’s only right that I fix it. There are just some things I need to know.”
“Like?” Eve asked, puzzled.
“For starters, where she works or maybe her phone number. If I wanted, I could get that information on my own, but I’d rather ask a friend of hers first.”
“Because that’s not just as sneaky?”
Just as I was about to defend myself the phone in her pocket began to ring. Holding up a finger, she quickly stepped out to answer it. I watched as she spoke, her arms flailing all over the place as she stood outside on the sidewalk. Tossing some cash on the table, I stepped outside, took her phone from her hands, and placed it directly against my ear.
“Kayla––” I said, one arm holding the phone to my ear, while the other was keeping Eve at bay.
“What the fuck? I did not ask to speak to you. Where’s Eve?” she spat out.
“She’s beside me, trying to jump and retrieve the phone from my hands. It’s hard holding her off. Where are you?”
“Somewhere you aren’t.”
“How do I fix this?” I pleaded.
“You can’t.”
“Kayla, you know me––I won’t stop until you talk to me.” Taking a few steps back, I spun out of Eve’s reach. She’s not going to give up.
“And if after you talk to me I want you to leave me alone?”
“Then I’ll go.”
“Fine. Pick me up from work at five. I’m sure you can figure out where it is. My car is still in the shop, so I had to get a ride this morning.”
Smiling, I handed the phone back to Eve who was angrily waiting beside me. “All done. Here you go.”
She growled, ripping the phone from my hand before once again speaking into the phone. But no one was there; Kayla had already hung up. Glaring intently at me, Eve shoved the phone back into her pocket. “That was my phone call.”
“Sorry,” I shrugged. “Where to now? I have some time to kill before I pick her up from work.”
“I think you owe me. You and I are going grocery shopping, and then you can go with me to take the kids to the dentist.”
“You’re going to torture me?”
“Yes. Now take me home, Benson. I need to grab my list and some grocery bags.”
Benson? If I didn’t need her to get Kayla to talk to me, and if her husband weren’t family to me, I would tell her exactly what to do with her Benson comment. But, of course, I didn’t. Instead, I spent the better part of my day carting her around town to the grocery stores and sitting with her in the waiting room at the dentist’s office. Honestly, I had no idea it would take so long for two kids to get their teeth cleaned. Thank goodness Isabella was just over a year old, I’m sure three kids would have taken even longer.
When we finally got back to the house Theron was in the kitchen, while Isabella was moving about the table legs in the dining room like a drunk person, trying to make her way to Eve. She almost fell twice, causing my stomach to drop, but neither Eve nor Theron batted an eye. I can only assume that after having two older children you become numb to the safety of the third. I would make a terrible parent. My kids would be wrapped in bubble wrap until they graduated high school.
“Baby,” Eve said, holding her arms out for Isabella, who squealed as her mom picked her up, smothering her with kisses. “I missed you. Was daddy good while I was gone? Did he spoil you rotten?”
Isabella laughed as Theron kissed Eve on her forehead, “Of course, I did. It’s my job. How did you guys make out at the dentist? Any cavities?”
The two boys shot out from behind me and yelled a resounding, ‘Nope,’ before running up the stairs. Theron shrugged his shoulders as he patted me on my back. “Don’t have children. They only love you when you buy them things.”
“Theron––that’s not true and you know it. Why would you say something like that? What if they had heard you? You really know how to piss me off.” Eve spun on her heel and stomped off towards the library with Isabella in tow.
Exasperated, Theron spoke. “Evan, learn from this.”
“And what is it that I’m learning?”
“That pregnancy hormones are dangerous. Never have kids.”
“Wait, she’s pregnant? Again? You know how that happens right?” I asked in shock.
“Yeah, I know. But that’s the fun part. She’s waiting until after the wedding to say anything, because she doesn’t want to take Robert’s moment away. I figure there’s no harm in telling you. If anything, you’ll make sure she’s more careful with things. She never listens to me anymore.”
I chuckled. “Anymore? Was there ever a time when she did?”
“Touché. I’m going to go fix whatever mess I just created. If I don’t survive, just know that you were my best friend.”
Laughing, I tucked my hands in my pockets and headed back towards the guesthouse. If I was going to impress Kayla, I needed to look my best. There was no better way to do that, than a hot shower and little bit of Jay-Z.
Steam rolled off my shoulders as I stepped out of the shower. Already feeling one hundred percent better I kicked my music up a bit louder. By the time I was done getting dressed I had my confidence back. “God, I’m fucking sexy.”
“So damn sexy.” Dropping my comb to the counter, I glared at Theron’s reflection in the doorway.
“You’re lucky I’m dressed.”
“Trust me, I’m counting all the ways luck has spared me from seeing your naked ass. What the hell are you listening to?”
“Does it matter?”
“Not really. I just always pictured you as a classic rock fan.”
“Jay-Z is classic.”
“There are so many things wrong with this picture. Eve said you’re going to try to work things out with Kayla.”
Rubbing some wax between my hands, I ran my fingers through my hair. “You and I don’t have heart to heart moments.”
“I know. I just want to make sure you know what you are doing.”
“Theron––leave it.” My jaw clenched tightly as I shot him a look, letting him know we were done with this conversation. I explained myself to Eve only because I needed her help. It would be a cold day in hell before I explained myself to anyone else, except Kayla. She was going to hear me out, whether she liked it or not. Permission was something I never asked for. Never had, and I never will.
Theron stepped back into the hallway, raising his hands up in front of him. “Fine, but one more thing before I drop it––where are you taking her tonight?”
Fuck. Where am I taking her tonight? I hadn’t thought of anything other than picking her up and convincing her to talk to me.
“By the look on your face, I’m guessing you don’t have this all planned out. You don’t have a lot of time before the wedding, and Eve will hunt you down if you fuck it up.”
“Noted. You done now?”
“Yep.”
There may or may not have been a slight chip on my shoulder as I walked out of the bathroom and grabbed my keys off the counter. Dusting off my boots, I headed out without so much as a nod of my head. I didn’t need more pressure from people who weren’t directly involved. The only person
that mattered was the beautiful blonde angel with the ringlets I couldn’t forget.
Kayla
T he time clock was hovering at four fifty-nine. One more minute and I would be stepping outside to see the asshole who was waiting in his Jeep for me. I can’t believe he thought he could just show up and I would forgive him. I also hate how easily I had fallen back into his arms again. There was no sane explanation as to why I felt so drawn to him. It had to be the sex––it’s the only reason that made any sense to me. Just thinking about him inside of me sent shivers up my spine. Yep, it’s definitely the sex. I have to keep him at arm’s length. If he touches me, I will be done for. Exhaustion amplified my nervousness. Between working full time at the office and part-time for my father I was exhausted. I had taken my new position with a promise of a raise after a thirty-day trial period. About two weeks later my old position was out sourced and I was told I wouldn’t be getting the raise since the company was downsizing. With my options of better pay disappearing at every turn, I turned to my parents for help. At least when I worked for my dad it was from home. Home was also the place Evan would be taking me.
Just then, the clock hands hit five, pulling me from my thoughts. Punching my card, I walked slowly towards the main doors. I had worked in the same building for over fifteen years, and yet as I stepped out onto the curve, everything felt new to me.
Deep down, I knew everything would change when I saw him. My hesitation would go away, and my mind would cloud with thoughts of him. Arm’s length, I reminded myself. Keep him at arm’s length.
The idiot was leaning against the passenger side of his Jeep, waiting for me as I stepped outside. When he saw me, he immediately opened the door for me. I slipped in, careful not to touch him, but he just stood there, staring at me as I buckled my seatbelt. “What?”
“Sorry.”
Sorry? After everything, that’s all he has to say? “Sorry for what exactly, Evan? Shouldn’t we do this somewhere other than a parking lot?”
“Yeah,” he agreed. Closing my door, I let out a long exhale of relief as he walked around the Jeep. So far so good. Putting the key in the ignition, he turned towards me. His forehead was creased, and the sides of his eyes wrinkled as they looked me over. “Where am I going?”