by Kaylee Song
Until the real world came calling.
His phone buzzed and ruined it all. “I have to get this,” he said as he grabbed his phone and scrolled. I prayed it was nothing, that he could just put it down and walk away. Instead, he stood up and broke the moment.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I stared up at him, confused.
“I just got a text. I need to get down to the office. You can hang out here, or I can drive you home, but he says it is an emergency.” He huffed and pulled on a pair of jeans from his dresser.
“Yeah, okay. Just, um, take me home,” I said. I got dressed in a state of shock. What the hell was happening?
I’d started to hope. That was what happened. I’d started to hope that he was more caring than he really was.
This was a moment of weakness. I wouldn’t let it happen again.
Chapter Four
I slammed the cabinet door shut then looked around. I'd been told to get familiar with the files at the office, not horribly abuse them. I'd been there maybe two hours and my mood couldn't be worse.
I couldn't afford to be sour when working here. My job was to greet people, to do what they needed, file what needed filing. All the things a receptionist did. But I was so angry, and I just couldn't stop staring off into the distance and thinking about Wyatt.
He'd offered to buy up my mother’s home, my home, the last remnant of my life and then he had the nerve to send me flowers. To invite me to that stupid investors dinner, one that he left me for because of “work”. Led me on only to dump me off at his home alone, waiting on a ride from Jess to pick me up and take me home.
I scowled just thinking about him. I shouldn't give him the time of day, or a moment of thought.
"What's going on?" A sweet voice asked as I stood there unmoving.
"Oh," I said, as I came out of my self-inflicted fit of rage. A familiar face was staring at me, a smile wide across it. Waiting for me to respond.
Jessie. Damn. It was Jessie Mallard. One of my only friends left from the old days.
"Oh, hi. I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't realize it was you." I looked her over. She hadn’t changed a bit in all those years. Still had a sweet smile and kind eyes. And I bet she still had her quick-witted sense of humor.
"I figured as much. You looked like you were off in your own little world." She smiled at me. She’d always been sweet, if not a little bit playful, and she loved to poke fun.
But she was never cruel. It was why I gravitated to her. She’d never intentionally wound, but she was witty and bright.
"What can I do for you, do you have a permit application? Need to make an appointment for an inspection?" I asked. I'd gone over all my duties and I knew what I needed to do now. It was a slow office, the kind that might only see a few people a day, so I needed to file in between.
"What?" she asked then blinked. "Oh no. I came to see you."
"Me?" I asked. We hadn't talked in ages, and I'd been the one who stopped calling and writing. The last time I saw her was when I'd come home for my dad's funeral and since then I'd emailed maybe twice. I couldn't remember the last time we'd called. But I kept up with her on Facebook, and I made sure to like a status every once and again. I felt like a shitty friend though. My job had gotten the best of me.
"I wanted to see if you might like to do lunch? They put in this really cute little cafe down the road, Peaks and Perks. Coffee and a mountainside view." She smiled. "They have great little sandwiches too."
"You want to ask me to lunch?" I asked.
"Well, of course. I heard you were back in town and I thought I might come by and say hi." She grinned at me, but I blinked. I didn’t know how to deal with this. I’d been so unfair towards her. I’d barely called, IMed, or chatted in years, and there she was, picking up right where we left off.
Those were some of the best friendships to have.
She had no idea how much I needed a friend in this particular moment, but I did. So I walked around the desk and gave her a quick hug.
"You have no idea how much this means to me. I would be so happy to grab lunch with you." I looked at my watch then walked over towards the Bill’s office.
"I'm going to run out for my lunch, if that's okay?" I asked.
"Sure, sure. Just don't forget to put up the sign," he said as he looked at his computer.
"Will do." I grabbed the little "out to lunch" placard and stuck if on my desk before smiling at her. "Okay, I think I have everything I need."
A distraction. This was exactly what I needed. We walked down the small main street to the little restaurant and ducked in. It was easy to find a table, and we sat down.
"So, what have you been up to all these years?" I asked.
"I work over at the hardware store. Made manager." She smiled. Jessie was always a hard worker. She didn't go to college, but that didn't make her any less intelligent. She knew what she wanted, and what she wanted was to stay right here in Laurel. "Oh, and I got my associates degree. Had to in order to become manager."
She’d accomplished quite a bit since I’d been gone. Part of me was proud. The other part of me was ashamed I hadn’t stayed in touch throughout the years. I’d done that to a lot of people. But she should not have been one of them.
"And Braden?" I asked. She'd been in love with him since we were in middle school. They were always stuck together, like peanut butter and jelly. No matter how hard they tried not to be.
If two people were more made for each other, I couldn’t find them.
She blushed and then stuck out her hand. There was a little ring with an even smaller stone on it. I almost had to squint to see it, but that didn't matter. It might as well have been the biggest rock in Montana.
He'd finally done the thing she'd been hoping for all these years. He finally proposed. About time.
"When?" I asked. I thought that the next ice age would come and go before he ever worked up the nerve. I didn’t see an announcement on Facebook, so I figured they were keeping it quiet.
"Last Valentines. We are hoping for a fall wedding though. Take advantage of the discounts." I saw a blush rise on her cheeks and I knew that she was happy. I was glad.
She deserved some happiness.
"I'm really excited for you, Jess. I always knew you'd do well." She’d done better than me. I was turning into the queen of mistakes.
We ordered coffee and sandwiches, but I was more interested in hearing about her life than I was eating. She'd done so much, and I was surprised. They'd gone on cruises, been to the Bahamas.
Hell, she'd even taken a trip to California, and stayed with some family.
All I'd done was work. Nose to the grindstone, and for what? A failed relationship and a one-night stand that left me wanting more.
"I'm glad you're back. I know it's selfish, but just about everyone has moved away, and I've missed my friends," she said as she looked out the window. "Hell, I miss the amount of trouble we used to get into together."
A sneaky grin stretched out across her face. I remembered all those times we’d snuck out, done the pranks she loved so much. They were juvenile, but they were us.
She was the one who’d egged our principal’s car. Not me. I was just the one who got the blame.
"Well, I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon. We should get together. Do some things. See the sights,” I suggested. I’d follow her to the end of Montana if it meant avoiding Wyatt Graves.
"Like that one right there?" she asked as she pointed out the window. It was Wyatt. Dammit.
Why did he have to look so damn sexy?
Shoot. He was coming right for me.
I wanted to sink into my chair and melt into the floor. Maybe then he would leave me alone. Dread filled me as he opened the door of the cafe and made a beeline right to me.
"Jess, I think it might be time for us to go," I said as I started to stand, but I wasn't going to be able to maneuver around him. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.
"I don't think so," Wyatt said as he blocked my path. "You're co
ming with me. We need to talk."
"I'm busy, and I have to get back to work."
"You'll be fine, if you need some time," Jess said. “You told me you have an hour and we've only been here for twenty minutes." She winked at me. "But I better be going."
"Betrayed by you, too?" I asked. It seemed to be happening to me a lot.
"Think of it as payback, my dear pal. Not betrayal. You abandon me, I feed you to the wolf. And he looks very hungry." She smiled and patted me on the shoulder, then turned and walked away.
It didn't make me feel any better.
She looked damn pretty when she was angry. I wanted to wind her up even more just to watch the steam come out of her ears.
I tried not to stare in a stupor as she glared at me, her eyes narrow, her nostrils just a little flared.
Shit.
I was already too far gone. She walked into my life and into this town and there was nothing I could do to keep from hoping she'd walk all over me.
It was never this way with women. I was the one who had control. I was the one who made all the decisions, who used them.
I was good at it too.
But with Rose Shannon staring at me all of that went out the window. She was hellfire and a hurricane and I was just stuck in her path.
"Look, Rose, I-"
"I don't want to hear it, Wyatt. We did this. We gave it a try. I listened to you, followed your stupid little plan, and it left me completely embarrassed at the end of the night." She was flaming mad, and I couldn't help but smile.
I rubbed the back of my neck and gave her a once over. Damn.
I really should've ignored that text.
But my father was an asshole. An insistent one. He wouldn't have stopped at a damn text.
Hell, he would've come down to the park and drug me out by my ear if I'd ignored him.
Business was more important than play. At least that was what he always claimed.
Funny how he did whatever the hell he fancied.
"Let me take you out again," I said. "I'll make it up to you."
I thought she couldn't get any madder, but damn was I wrong.
"The deal was one only. Once. I'm not going to make a fool out of myself for you a second time." She crossed her arms.
"You sure about that?" I asked as I looked around the little cafe. Everyone was staring.
Yeah, that's right, food hanging out of their mouth staring.
Right at us.
"Let's take this outside," she said, her face turning a deep share of pink.
Even that was hot as hell. Especially as it crept up her cheeks.
I wanted her. I wanted whatever she would give me. I wasn't the kind of man who begged, but dammit, I would beg right there.
I needed to think of something, and fast.
I needed to sweeten the pot.
She marched outside and around the corner of the diner so that she wasn't in view of the window. She didn't banish me completely, so she had to want some part of this conversation.
This interaction.
She had to want some part of me. That was what I was holding on to. The idea that she wanted something to do with me. Above all else that was what I clung to. What I hoped for. I needed to know that she was still in this.
"Enough, Wyatt. Why do you think this is going to work? Why do you think you can just tell me you want to see me again and I'll just bend to your will." She wasn't angry anymore, she was hurt.
She was looking for a reason to trust me.
"I'll increase the offer," I said, as I gritted my teeth. I didn't want her to go out with me just because her mother needed the money, but dammit, I had no pride.
Not when it came to Rose.
"What?" she asked, as she stared in disbelief. She wasn't expecting that.
She was expecting excuses. I wouldn't give her any damn excuses.
I wanted her too bad to lose her before I even got a shot at winning her over.
"You heard me. I'll increase the deal." I crossed my arms.
"I'm listening."
"Oh, just like that?" I asked.
"My mother's home is worth a lot more than you are offering."
"I'd like to remind you that she'll be keeping her home. It's a portion of her land I'm after." My business was growing fast, and I was good at it. There was more room in the budget, and I could certainly offer her more. "How much are you looking at?" I asked.
"Ten-thousand. One date." She grinned at me. This was a game to her. Well, I could easily play along. If there was one thing I was good at it was games with women.
I should’ve had an Olympic gold metal in it, the way I’d trained.
Still, she hesitated. Fine. I’d up the ante.
"Hell, I'll make it 50,000 if you agree to ten dates." Ten dates to show her what she'd left behind. Two for each year she'd been away. Surely that would be enough.
If I couldn’t convince her to at least not hate me after ten dates then I deserved what I got.
I could tell just by looking at her that she wasn't convinced. I wasn't going to do better than that, no. I didn't want to let her know that she had an upper hand in the bargain.
"Ten nights for fifty-thousand dollars. You can't say no to that, can you?" I asked. I dared her to try. Her family needed the money. Her mother needed it. I was counting on it.
And I could be a cold son of a bitch when I put my mind to it.
"Fine. Ten dates. That's nothing. I can get through that." The quiver in her lip told me she wasn't so sure.
Damn, it made me lick my lips. I wanted to be that quiver.
I had her already, she just didn't know it yet.
"I think you agreed to spend so much time with him because you have a thing for him." My mother took my dinner plate from me and slid it into the sink.
She always knew what I thought before I did, and it was part of why I didn’t want to tell her about my date. Because she would spoil my own feelings.
I stood and followed her, joining in our old after-dinner routine. She would wash. I would rinse. It was the perfect little pair. We were such a happy family.
Until I went off to college. I thought I was bigger than Laurel, Montana. I thought I could rule the world.
I thought there would be an entire life waiting for me outside of it.
I was wrong.
"It's not about him, mom. It's about the money. Fifty-thousand dollars is a lot of cash. I want to make sure that you're taken care of. That you have everything you need." It was a lot of money, especially for us. Especially here.
Money could buy a lot of things, but it didn’t buy that tall stack of sexy that wanted to see me. No matter how much I tried to deny it, I couldn’t help but admit that I liked the attention.
Wyatt Graves was every bit the bad boy he ever was, and I was drawn to him. Like the way a moth is drawn to flame, even though it gets burnt every time.
I'd be lying if I didn't admit that who it was had a little bit to do with it. I mean, I wasn't going to sell my time to just any man that came off the street. No, it was Wyatt. I could trust him.
I could trust him not to take advantage of me.
"Well, if that's the case," She said as she looked at me, "At least he's hot."
"Mom!" I said in surprise. I hadn’t expected her to agree with this, let alone encourage it.
"Well, he is." She grinned. "I might be too old for a fella like him, but I can look, can't I?" She snapped the towel at me and I giggled.
She wasn't lying. He was hot as hell. Everyone knew it. That wasn't what was up for debate.
"He must really like you if he's offering fifty-thousand just for some dates. Not even a guarantee of a goodnight kiss!" she giggled.
That's right. Not even a guarantee. At least, I hoped he understood that.
We hadn't actually gone over the ground rules.
Shoot.
What had I gotten myself into?
I need to talk to you.- Text Message
I grinned
down at my phone. I knew who it was, but something about her made me want to give her grief. I guess that was just the way I rolled. She was fucking sexy when she was angry, though.
Who is this? I asked.
Rose.
How did you get my number?
I got it from Jess.- Rose Of course she did.
Couldn’t get enough of me, could you? I was being a jerk and I knew it.
I need to talk to you. She repeated.
I see. Isn’t that what we are doing? I wrote back as I chuckled.
I ran my hand through my hair as I imagined what she looked like right at that moment. It was after two pm; she had to have been starting to unravel. At least a little bit. Business casual with her hair up, the stray strands flaring out. I imagined she even had some wrinkles in her blouse and that her makeup had started to fade.
She would’ve been absolutely beautiful.
What? No! Ugh. We need to talk.-Rose
You are aware that you are in possession of a phone, correct? Call me.
I was being petulant on purpose. I knew that. Still, it was fun as hell, and she deserved it. At least it was all a game.
I waited, sitting at my desk, not filling out the documents and forms my father wanted. They could wait until Friday, but when he needed something he needed it now. He was in such a damn hurry to get out of here and head right to the islands with whatever girl he wanted. I couldn't remember her name, he had so many.
He was a demanding tyrant of a father, and in his capacity as boss even worse. I was glad to give him what he wanted and send him on his way so that I could get back to running things. The entire office breathed better, and the tenants were less likely to get angry. We both knew the truth. He was a hard person to work for.
And he was less forgiving of me.
Still, I wanted her to call. Wanted to hear her voice. I didn’t give a damn about what my father would say.
Fine- Rose
And then it rang. I grabbed it and I waited. I let it ring. Once, twice. Almost to voice mail. I didn't want to seem too eager. I didn't want her to know how much I was looking forward to this. I needed to keep playing the game.