by Avery Lane
Today though…
Today, Evan looked like a physical threat. The oversized black sweatshirt he wore bulked up his lanky body, making his frame hang and hover in a menacing manner. His body was tense, stiff, on edge. As he turned, he remained backlit by the windows behind him, his silhouette fusing with the dark, looming shadow he casted over Riley. She found herself face-to-face with what felt like a humanoid black hole.
She swallowed hard, trying to regain the bearings she never had.
“You blocked my number,” he replied. His voice was hoarse. He looked like he had aged ten years in the two months they hadn’t seen each other.
She stared up at him, her gaze unwavering. Riley summoned all the anger she harbored towards him, pulling from the depths of her soul. She thought about the ominous note that Evan had slipped her last night – the one that had ruined any chance for sleep. She thought about how he was continuing to ruin her day now.
Riley could feel her feet spreading and her elbows point out as she put her hands on her hips to make herself look bigger. She wasn’t going to stand for this another second.
“Get out of my office, Evan,” she said. Her voice was still high-pitched and girly, but there was a gravitas in it that Riley hadn’t heard before. I can do this, she thought. I drove him out once before and I can do it again.
“You didn’t even give us a chance,” Evan said, ignoring her. His eyes were bloodshot. Riley could smell alcohol on his breath. “We need to really sit down and talk about this. You’re being unreasonable, you know. We need to just talk this out.”
“There’s nothing to talk out,” Riley scoffed.
“You didn’t even tell me what the problem was! You didn’t even tell me what I did wrong, what I did to deserve this. Don’t you owe me that much?” Riley blinked at Evan’s ridiculous question. It took everything in her not to roll her eyes.
“I don’t owe you anything,” Riley replied. “And you know what this is about. Just because you got away with it for as long as you did doesn’t mean that an explanation is suddenly needed.”
“Riley, without me, you would never even have this place,” Evan seethed. “I supported you financially, emotionally, physically while you built this little business of yours. Do you think you could’ve done any of this without me?”
“That’s for the lawyers to figure out,” Riley said, her voice more callous now. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Marco covering his mouth, just watching. “Now get out of here so I can get to work.”
“You don’t mean that.” Evan’s voice softened. It was the same voice he used every time they came close to arguing in the past. It was meant to manipulate Riley into feeling like she was the one in the wrong, like she was the one who had been hurting him all along. But that wasn’t going to work anymore.
“Evan, please, I have a job to do,” she said. “I’ll see you again when the papers are ready.”
“I’m not signing those papers until you give us one more chance. One real chance. You never even gave me a choice in this, Riley. You just made this decision that we were over, just like that! Without me. I am your husband, for God’s sake. Your partner.”
“So what, I made a decision without you just this once?” Riley arched an eyebrow. “Kind of like you’ve been doing our entire time together, right?”
Evan sighed, lowering his gaze. His shoulders slumped.
He ducked his head, allowing a halo of light to be cast atop his blond mop of hair. Everything he did was calculated. Riley couldn’t believe it took her almost a decade to truly see through him.
“You’re right,” Evan said. “I did do that. I know. I can see where I was wrong now. There were a lot of things I should’ve done differently and all I’m asking is that you give me a chance to change things and make things right. Please. I know I hurt you but I can make up for all of it and more. I really can. Let me show you. What do you say?”
He took her hands into his, squeezing them just tight enough so that his wedding ring dug into her knuckles.
It was then that he noticed she wasn’t wearing hers.
She watched the realization flicker across his face.
“That should answer your question,” Riley replied. Her voice was steady now, icy and resolved. “Now get the hell out of my office before I call the cops.”
She looked past Evan to see Marco pick up the landline, completely ready to dial 911.
The slight motion infuriated Evan, as if he had only then remembered that there was someone else in the room.
He leaped towards Marco’s desk, grabbing Marco’s hand and slamming down the receiver, knocking over the steaming hot cup of coffee that sat beside it.
The liquid splashed up around them before settling in a dark puddle on the hardwood floors.
“Evan, leave!” Riley screamed. She had lost any sense of control of her voice. She sounded desperate now, like a scared child. She mashed 911 into her phone, her hands shaking, before turning it to show Evan how serious she was. “Leave, or I will make sure there’s a police record of you trespassing, assaulting my assistant, and threatening me. Do you understand?”
A heavy silence permeated the room, and for a second, it felt as if the world had frozen around her.
Then Riley watched as a dozen different expressions flashed across Evan’s face before it finally settled on a deep contempt.
“How do you plan on affording your life without my half of the bills?” Evan asked, seething. “How do you plan on continuing to pay for your little business and your little assistant while keeping a roof over your head? You need me. Do you understand?”
“I don’t need you, Evan.” Riley stepped aside, pointing at the door. “And I never will again. Now. Leave.”
Evan stood stoic for a beat before a nasty grin spread across his face.
And then, a deafening crack.
Splinters of wood shot into the air.
Riley flinched, shrinking down into the ground as she instinctively covered her head.
Of all the things Evan did to her, he had never been violent before. Through her shaking, she tried to understand what had just happened. She felt numb. There was no pain anywhere in her body.
Only then did she realize that Evan had put all his force into kicking up the repurposed antique chair that sat in their waiting area – a favorite piece of hers that she had brought in from the apartment. Evan knew this. He had fought Riley hard when she first brought it into their home – one of the few purchases she had dared to make without consulting him first.
Riley straightened up, staring at its remnants, her feet unmoving.
It was only a chair that he had chosen to destroy, but one swift kick had completely disassembled it. He clearly wanted Riley to know what he was capable of.
This was a not so thinly veiled threat.
Evan skulked over to her, bending over so that his lips were millimeters from her ear.
“You can stop your strong, independent woman act, Riley,” he hissed. “We both know this isn’t real.”
He grabbed the doorknob, swinging the door open so forcefully that it slammed against the wall with an explosive bang. Riley could just about hear the metal doorknob denting.
Then he charged out.
She forced her head to turn in his direction, to watch him leave, as if to make sure it was actually happening. The adrenaline was still coursing through Riley’s veins.
She watched as he blew down the hallway, passing the faces of a man and woman, eyes wide as they stared at the spectacle, right before the door creaked shut again.
The clients.
Shit.
They had heard everything.
3
Riley played with the pendant dangling from the silver chain she wore around her wrist. Keeping her hands busy somehow helped her focus as she listened to her new clients talk about all the things they wanted in their dream wedding. Though the couple had mercilessly pretended they hadn’t seen anything, Riley was
more than aware of the fact that they had at least heard everything.
She sure hoped she had a second chance at a first impression.
Not that it would be that much better looking as shaken and unkempt as she did right now. And definitely not compared to the ridiculously attractive couple that now sat across from her.
Sierra and Brighton were both thirty-five and both getting married for the very first time. Though it was typical of career-focused New York for people to marry late, Riley imagined it had to have been an active struggle for these two considering the absolute marriage material they appeared to be.
Sierra was 5’10” and willowy, effortlessly gorgeous in her floral print maxi dress and cropped, tan leather jacket. Her long, wavy black hair perfectly framed sharp, emerald green eyes and sun-kissed cheekbones. If she hadn’t modeled at some point in her life, she definitely could have. Hell, she could probably still get signed if she just walked into an agency right that second.
Brighton was her perfect counterpart. He was just over six feet tall with sandy-colored hair worn longish and casually swept back. A close-cut beard framed a chiseled jawline and a shy, thoughtful smile. He let Sierra do most of the talking as his crystal blue eyes watched over her with the sort of longing that belied their decade-long relationship.
It was almost a joke how perfect they were. They looked like they should be wearing all white and lounging on a private beach in the Maldives, feeding each other figs or something – not sitting in Riley’s dinky little office and staring at her like she had any sort of answers for them.
Riley could feel the slightest hint of envy percolating in her empty stomach.
No amount of contouring would give Riley Sierra’s bone structure and there was no chance in hell she’d miraculously grow ten inches in her thirties. And Riley was at least a decade if not a lifetime out from developing the sort of elegant composure Sierra had – the kind that just screamed the self-assuredness of true adulthood. Riley was woefully behind the average woman in that department, and even more so behind someone like Sierra.
She eyed Sierra’s ring finger. The engagement ring was pretty unconventional, though that seemed to be the trend these days. It was a thick blonde wood band, polished to glint like gold. Where the diamond would normally be was an inset holding a dark, smoky, princess-cut stone that caught the light as well as any of its more established counterparts.
Riley put her hands under the desk. Even before seeing Sierra’s sophisticated choice in jewelry, she had felt self-conscious of her chunky silver bracelet. She often found that it looked childish and perhaps even a bit tacky. But despite that, Riley had a really hard time ever taking that bracelet off. Her father had made it for her with his own two hands. Her name was engraved on the pendant. It was her only real connection to him.
“So…we want to get married before the end of June.”
Riley blinked, shaken from her own thoughts.
Marco was taking notes, thank God, considering how distracted Riley had been throughout everything Sierra was saying. She realized then that she had absorbed literally nothing. At least not until this last sentence.
It was April 3rd. That meant not even three months to plan a wedding in the middle of wedding season.
Suddenly, it was clear to Riley why someone like Sierra went for an event planner of her tier. Everyone above her would have already been booked. And if they weren’t, they would’ve laughed Sierra out of their offices.
“So…?” Sierra raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows. “Do you think that’s possible?”
“It’s…possible,” Riley said, though she wasn’t really sure. She mostly specialized in one-off corporate events because weddings came with a whole slew of emotional investment and socialization that Evan never really allowed. So with only a handful of weddings under her belt, none of which only gave her three months to plan, Riley couldn’t be confident that this was going to go well under her care. “But if we’re going to proceed, I’ll need to temper your expectations.”
“Of course,” Sierra nodded. “I totally understand.”
“You’re probably not going to get exactly what you were hoping for. There will be compromises and complications. There always are, but there will be even more because it’s a wedding on short notice with a significant guest list. And unfortunately, it may cost you a good amount more as well.”
“Got it,” Sierra said, holding her hands up in front of her. “Of course.”
“And we would have to get started as soon as possible.”
“Definitely, definitely.” Sierra nodded, her eyes wide and eager. Riley couldn’t help but laugh. The fact that a woman like Sierra was treating Riley like an authority figure of any kind was kind of hilarious to her. Whatever impression she had made on them was apparently good enough to earn their trust. For the first time in awhile, it seemed like luck was on her side.
“Okay, so I think I can help you,” Riley replied.
“Oh my goodness, yes!” Sierra jumped to her feet, clapping her hands together before reaching behind her for Brighton. He took her hand, getting up to stand by her side.
The picture-perfect couple embraced. And now that they were officially clients, Riley found their picture-perfectness a little less upsetting.
“Thank you,” Brighton said, breaking his silence. Riley smiled at him, wondering what it was like to have a husband so happy to let his wife call all the shots.
She switched her gaze back to Sierra.
“So…um, may I ask what the rush is?” Riley watched as Sierra and Brighton exchanged another meaningful glance.
“Well,” Sierra started, as if they had silently made the decision that she would continue to speak for them. “We want our dream wedding, for sure. But only because we want the photos to show our future children. And we definitely don’t want to wait another second to start our family. So we thought we’d better get this show on the road.”
“That’s…” Riley began. A genuine smile swept across her face. “That’s lovely.” She could feel a deep warmth radiating from her heart. It was the first positive sensation her poor little heart had felt in over twenty-four hours.
4
It was 11am but Riley thought Marco deserved the rest of the day off.
Hell, Riley was thinking she might just do the same.
But first, coffee.
Thanks to Evan’s surprise visit, the coffee Marco had ready for her was currently soaking into her office floors. And despite the fact that Riley planned on eschewing her workday, she still needed the caffeine for the walk home.
The café downstairs hadn’t bothered to name itself, probably because they had been given the same uncertain pseudo-lease that Riley was given. There was no real décor and the silver, circular dining tables and red, vinyl upholstered stools that spotted their cement floors looked older than the space itself – definitely diner hand-me-downs they had found off Craigslist.
And as was the case for places like this, it was cash only.
Riley rifled through her purse, wondering if she actually had the cash she needed to pay for her almond milk latte and bacon and egg croissant. Paper money seemed like such a relic to her now. And looking through her purse was kind of a false gesture – she knew there was no way in hell she had ten whole bucks in there.
Riley put a pathetic handful of change on the counter, leftovers from the last time she was forced to use cash. It dawned on her that she might not be getting her coffee and breakfast after all, which honestly, seemed like an appropriate return to Riley’s sort of luck.
“May I?”
The question rumbled out of an imposing figure behind her. She turned, but carefully, realizing just how close she was to the eclipse of a man that had approached the counter.
Riley tipped her head back, farther and farther, looking up for what felt like forever before she could even detect a face. She heard the sound of something slip across the counter and she whipped her head back down and around to see the ten-
dollar bill pinned underneath a strong hand.
The barista took the cash without question and the man stepped back just enough so that Riley could get a comfortable look at him.
The dark-haired mountain smiled at her, moving to cross his arms as he surveyed her with amusement. For a suspenseful second, Riley wondered if a man with biceps and pecs his size could even cross his arms comfortably. But he managed, and he looked plenty comfortable.
“Thank you,” she muttered, still taking in the view.
Evan was the only man she had ever been with, and for the entirety of their relationship, she never wondered about other guys. Perhaps it was because Evan had effectively closed her off from meeting new people outside of work and even then, closely monitored her client relationships. And after an incident where Evan accused her of wanting to cheat on him, simply because Riley had looked at some movie poster with Ryan Gosling for a second longer than she should have, she had managed to train herself not to regard any man in such a way ever again.
But now…now she was in the clear to look again.
“I’m Gabriel,” the man said, extending his hand for a shake. Riley’s own hand hardly took up the surface of his palm.
Gabriel’s hands were surprisingly rough and calloused for someone as well groomed as he looked. His nails appeared manicured, his skin was smooth and evenly tanned, and Riley could smell the foresty scent of his body wash. His charcoal tri-blend t-shirt and fitted dark-wash jeans looked freshly laundered.
“Riley,” she replied, clearing her throat so she could regain a more stately sounding voice. “I’m Riley.”
“Riley,” Gabriel repeated. His eyebrows lifted in tandem with a teasing lilt in his voice. A playful smile showed off a set of perfect teeth. His giant physique was suddenly less intimidating.
“I, um, I can pay you back for the food,” Riley stuttered. “I just don’t normally carry cash, you know? I can Venmo you. Or, well, if you prefer cash I can have cash next time. Do you come here a lot?”