Just this one day, I promised myself.
He leaned over and before I could pull back, he’d kissed me on the cheek. “Done. Get dressed and I’ll knock on your door in thirty minutes.”
While I watched with bated breath, he jumped back over to his own balcony and went inside his bedroom.
I CAME BACK inside from the balcony with a grin on my face as I scrambled around to get ready to take Elizabeth to breakfast. After a quick shower, I shoved on jeans, a Front Street Gym shirt, and flip-flops. Done. I couldn’t fucking wait to be near her again.
Last night had been incredible, but it wasn’t just about the sex. It was her.
The way she’d danced in the rain; the excitement in her eyes when she’d talked about her jewelry interview; the way she struggled through her fears. I wanted all of her.
Was it stupid that I wanted to tell her everything about me?
How much I’d loved my mum and missed her?
How I wanted to finish my gym and work on a UFC title?
How I imagined taking her in every position imaginable?
Yeah. Best to wait on that.
I knocked on her door five minutes later, and we walked to Minnie’s across the street from our complex. Our hands brushed against each other as we crossed the street, and my cock tightened. Just the simplest touch and I was ready to take her back to my place and show her exactly how I felt.
Minnie’s was a popular uni hangout and was busy, but we found a booth in the back.
We ordered and got our food and dove in, the camaraderie between us not surprising me at all. I’d sensed from the beginning that we were more alike than she realized.
We were deep in a discussion about a trip I wanted to take to London next year when all hell broke loose.
As in, my ex showed up.
Nadia walked up to our table with Ninja Turtle following dutifully behind her, shooting me cautious looks over her shoulder. I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders. Nadia’s gaze went from me to her and back to me, lingering longer than necessary.
My lips compressed. Could I not get away from her? “What do you want?”
Elizabeth looked up from tucking in a good-sized chew of French toast, saw them, and coughed, then grabbed her glass of water to wash it down.
“Who’s pissy today?” Nadia huffed in a delicate way that didn’t detract from her pretty face. “Lose a fight last night?”
Elizabeth stiffened and bounced her eyes from Nadia to Donatello and then back to me. I set down my fork. Dammit.
“Good morning,” Elizabeth said, obviously trying to cover up the dead air as her eyes encompassed them both. “You guys coming or going for breakfast?”
Please say going.
Nadia kept her gaze on me. “Going. But if you want some company, we’d be glad to stay?” She didn’t wait for my response but flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder and glanced back at her boyfriend. “Isn’t that right, Donatello?” She laughed but it sounded off. Not her usual sparkly self. My eyes went from her to the Brazilian, noticing his tense shoulders and tight jaw.
Was she nagging him the way she’d done me?
I grunted. Hard to believe with the pedigree he obviously had, but some girls are hardwired to never be happy, and Nadia was one of them.
He mumbled something about tennis practice, but Nadia had already slid in next to Elizabeth on the booth, leaving him no option but to sit next to me.
There we sat in a weird, four-person tableau.
I ran my eyes over Nadia, my heart and head both affirming that I wasn’t in love with her anymore. I doubted I ever had been.
For the next five minutes we made small talk about the weather, classes, and what we were doing the following weekend. Nadia’s voice was slightly shrill at times as she threw question after question at us. Digging. She wanted to know if I was shagging Elizabeth. I was ready to snap, especially when the waitress came by and set down coffees for both of them.
Nadia speared Elizabeth with her gaze. “Hey, don’t you date Blake?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “We’re just friends.”
“But you do spend a lot of time with him, right?” she asked pointedly. “I see you with him everywhere on campus. It’s not surprising people assume you’re dating.” She traced her finger on the table. “Does he know you’re not dating?”
“Enough with the questions,” I snapped, yet, at the same time, I waited for her response. Blake was something we hadn’t really touched on, but I knew she had strong feelings for him as a friend. I hated the motherfucker. Okay, maybe that was a tad extreme, but if he wanted Elizabeth as his, he was going to have to go through me to get her.
Shit. I scrubbed my jaw. I sounded like a Neanderthal—or a possessive boyfriend.
Elizabeth straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat. “The truth is, I made a pact freshman year to never date while at Whitman.”
“So … there’s no one you’re seeing right now?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.
She licked her lips, eyes darting away from me. “No. I—I don’t do serious. That’s how college should be, right?”
Everything in the restaurant zoomed out and anger sliced through me at Elizabeth’s glib attitude. I clenched my fists under the table and tried to catch her gaze, but she was poking at the food on her plate.
Did our night mean nothing to her?
Didn’t I have the answer right in front of me?
Fuck!
I exhaled and grabbed my coffee before I said something I’d regret in front of Nadia, who’d eat that up.
Nadia smiled broadly, looking smug, her eyes going back and forth between us, picking up on the obvious cues. “How fascinating and very modern of you.” She touched Elizabeth’s hands to get her attention. “And in case you didn’t know already—I mean, who doesn’t?—Declan and I dated for over six months, and even though we didn’t end up together,” she paused on a nervous laugh, “I can attest that being friends was the best thing.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Of course.”
“In fact, Declan’s the only person who understands how my mom having cancer is ripping me up inside. Isn’t that right, Declan?” Nadia insisted.
I shrugged as Ninja Turtle stiffened.
Nadia focused back on Elizabeth. “So where are you from, Elizabeth? I’m dying to know more about you.”
Elizabeth muttered something under her breath.
“I didn’t catch that,” Nadia said.
“I said Petal, North Carolina.”
She nodded, a superior look on her face. “I’m from Raleigh. My parents own the Ridgley Hotel chain. I guess we’re kind of Whitman royalty around here. But Petal, North Carolina … hmm … small town, I’m guessing, but now that I think of it, it does ring a bell. How far is it from here?”
“Give the girl a rest. You’re getting on everyone’s nerves,” Donatello snapped as he pulled out his phone and began to check it.
Elizabeth exhaled. “No, it’s fine. Petal is a small town a few hours east of here, close to the coast.”
Nadia snapped her fingers. “Colby Scott! He’s from Petal! He’s Senator Scott’s son, and we used to play together when we were kids and our parents hung out at the Raleigh Country Club. You know him? He’s going here now.”
My entire body went on alert. Colby Scott? What the hell? The guy who’d been at her door that night? After the incident, I’d run his name past the campus police and even the Raleigh Police Department, but his record had been clean. I’d tried to dig around for his address, but so far I’d gotten nothing.
Had she outright lied about knowing him?
“I know him.” Elizabeth’s face had turned ashen.
Nadia clapped. “Small world. Whatever happened to him? Is he as handsome as he was when he was ten?” She giggled. “I need to call him up, remind him he promised to marry me when we were kids.”
Elizabeth didn’t answer but looked down, her curtain of blond hair hiding her face.
She lifted blue eyes to mine briefly before she dropped them again, but not before my heart stuttered at the pain I saw etched in her gaze.
“Did you go to high school with this Colby guy?” I insisted. “Is he the one who came to your flat?”
“Yes.” Her voice was whispery.
The tension ramped up.
I found myself leaning over the table to study her closer.
I looked at the bangles on her wrists. At the scars underneath. “Is he the one who did that?”
Nadia cocked her head, sniffing a secret. “One what? Did I miss something?”
Elizabeth seemed to gather herself, her hands fluttering around her face as she pushed hair back. She squirmed in her seat, fiddling with her purse and then drinking a sip of water. “I—I used to date Colby. It was a long time ago, and I’m sure he’s forgotten about me now.” Her throat worked, the only telltale sign she was lying through her teeth.
I sank back in my seat, rage and anger building. Colby Scott. I repeated it in my head. My breathing kicked up and it was all I could do to sit in that booth and pretend like I wasn’t about to lose my shit.
Nadia seemed oblivious to everything, probably too caught up in her own issues. She looked at me “I’ve tried to call you a few times—left some voicemails and texted.”
“I’ve been busy.” I took a sip of coffee, trying to compose myself so Nadia wouldn’t see how torqued up I was.
“With Elizabeth?” she asked with a wry smile at both of us.
“With everything, Nadia.” I sent her a hard look.
What the hell was wrong with her?
But I didn’t care. All I wanted was to get Elizabeth out of here and figure out what was going on.
Ninja Turtle stood up from the booth. “I’m going to the car, Nadia. I have to make some calls. Make this quick. I won’t wait all day.”
He stalked off and out the doors of the diner.
I focused on Nadia. Exhaled. “Look. It’s obvious things are rocky with you and Nin—your boyfriend, but you shouldn’t involve me. You’re only making things worse by continuing to chase me. Especially when I am here with someone.” I kept my gaze off Elizabeth, but I knew she was watching us intently.
Her face fell, tears blooming. “God, I made such a mistake, Declan, a stupid mistake. I was trashed and angry with you when I slept with him. I didn’t know what I was doing. I—I thought you’d forgive me. Just—I still love you.”
Her face twisted with tears and she nibbled at her lips, and my eyes went straight there. It was a reflex, and it didn’t mean jack, but there it was and I knew the moment she saw it because she got a knowing gleam in her eye.
“You might try to deny it, but you still care about me.” She leaned over. “Let’s talk. I can come to your place or you can come to mine? Please, Declan.”
Elizabeth suddenly commented, “Uh, Donatello just pulled out of the parking lot.” We all turned to watch as his red Porsche spun out in the gravel and pulled onto the street.
Nadia wailed. “And now I’m stuck in this godforsaken diner. And I can’t walk in these heels. This is just perfect,” she said bitterly.
I tossed my head back and groaned at the cocked-up situation.
Elizabeth let out her own sigh of exasperation and shooed Nadia up until she could scoot out from the booth. She faced us both. “Well, I don’t blame Donatello,” she said. “You guys obviously have a lot of history to talk about anyway, and if I’m here—”
“That would be great,” Nadia murmured, wiping her eyes and sending Elizabeth a grateful look. “Thank you for being so nice when I obviously crashed your breakfast.”
Elizabeth’s lips tightened. “I’m not nice. You’re simply extremely annoying. You’re like a cat in heat when it comes to Declan and frankly, I’m sick of it.”
Nadia gasped.
I grabbed Elizabeth’s hand. “No. Stay. Just … wait a fucking minute. We haven’t had a chance to talk about us—about last night.”
Things were happening too fast. She’d just told me in so many words that I meant nothing to her as well as the name of the guy who’d hurt her.
I needed time.
She shook her head. “No, really, I have a million things to do today, and I can’t handle any more stupidity.”
“Elizabeth, wait a fucking minute—”
She held a hand up, her cool mask already in place, reminding me of the girl who’d walked in the frat party. “Save it. I’ve heard enough, seen enough. Enjoy your talk.”
ANGER BURNED WHEN I left Minnie’s. I was pissed at Nadia for chasing after Declan right in front of me, but I was also ticked at him because I’d seen a look he’d given her and part of me felt like he still had feelings for her.
I stomped across the street and back to my apartment, and if I had a theme song for the breakfast fiasco, it was a toss-up between “Love Bites” by Def Leppard or “Done” by The Band Perry. Both about love and letting that shit go.
Love … I’d bled for it. I’d tasted the destruction of losing your heart, and no matter how beautiful Declan was inside and out, I couldn’t endure heartbreak again.
I went up the breezeway and saw my mom standing at my door. Her shoulders were slumped as she banged on my door.
I inhaled sharply, remembering our last meeting at the diner. Worry gnawed at me once again about Karl and his crazy plan to blackmail the Senator. He was bad news for her, just like all the rest.
“Hey, I’m here,” I called out. I infused my voice with enthusiasm, but I didn’t know how much more I could take when it came to her. But she was all I had left now that Granny was gone, and it’s hard to let go of family no matter how shitty they treat you. Sure, I had a few cousins out there, but they were in Petal and the majority of them didn’t associate with my mom. She’d always been bad news, borrowing money that she never intended to pay back and generally being undependable.
She met me on the staircase, and I smelled the stench of stale cigarettes on her wrinkled clothes.
“Thank God you’re here,” she exclaimed. I didn’t miss the busted lip she’d tried to cover up with her pink lipstick. Her eyes darted down to the parking lot and back to me.
“What’s up?”
“Let’s get inside and I’ll tell you everything. I need some coffee.” Her voice was sharp as razors.
We got inside and I made us coffee. She stirred in cream and sugar as she sat at my small table and watched me. “You got any food here?”
“Sure.” I got up and made her a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had in the pantry at the moment.
“Are you going to tell me why you’re here?” I asked as we sat together a bit later.
“Can’t a girl come see her daughter?”
“You never have.”
She frowned, chewing her food. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Karl hit you,” I stated.
She touched her lip gingerly. “It wasn’t his fault. I smarted off to him, and usually he’s sorry after a fight and buys me flowers or takes me on a trip, but this time …” she rubbed her arms “… he’s fit to be tied.”
“We can call the police. At least get a restraining order against him.”
She paled. “No! I—I still love him, Elizabeth, and we’ll probably get back together once all this Senator Scott stuff flies over.”
My mouth dried in fear. “What? Don’t tell me you’re still on that, Mom?”
She cleared her throat, eyeing me nervously. “Karl … he really wants to bring Colby to justice—”
“No, he wants money from the Senator. There’s a difference,” I bit out, getting angry now. “Why did you even tell him? You—you’re supposed to be my mother, and you know how I feel about what happened. I don’t want anyone to ever know.”
She picked at her chipped fingernail polish. “People in Petal know.”
“Yeah, and they think I
’m a slut.” I slammed down my coffee cup.
She winced. “Look, it’s a lot of money. I’m tired of struggling and never having anything. Plus, I think the Senator needs to know about his son.”
“Why do you even care? You didn’t when it happened.” The words were out before I could pull them back.
“Don’t ever say that, Elizabeth,” she said sharply. “You were such a good kid, and I knew I didn’t have to be on top of you all the time. It’s not my fault it happened on a weekend I was gone. And then you changed, keeping to yourself, never calling anyone, never going out, acting like you hated me …” Her hands fluttered around. “I—I know I’m not the PTA mom or the one who spent money on you—because I didn’t have any—but I did the best I could.” She pulled out her Marlboro’s and lit one.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “What happened with Karl and the Senator?”
She sucked her cig. “Karl called his office for several days until he finally got through to his personal assistant, but she wouldn’t allow Karl to speak directly to him. He put a bug in her ear that it was about his son. That did the trick. He called us back the next day and Karl said his spiel. He asked for fifty thousand or we’d sell your story to the press.”
God, their stupidity made me sick. Nausea rolled. I jerked up and got a glass of water.
She sucked on the cigarette, the butt burning a bright red. “The next day, the IRS showed up at Karl’s car lot and closed it down, claiming he owed back taxes—which might be true, I don’t know—but he had to close his shop and he can’t open it until the IRS finishes their investigation, which might take months. They confiscated all his files and froze his money. He’s convinced the Senator sent them. His whole life has been that car lot and if he doesn’t have that, then, well, he’s broke.”
She continued. “Karl called a reporter with the Raleigh Herald and said he had a story about Senator Scott’s son and a girl he raped. They agreed to see him and pay him for the story, but once he got there, they had a team of lawyers waiting with all these papers and wouldn’t listen to a thing Karl said because they needed a firsthand account of the attack—and a police report.”
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