Chapter 15
It was the beginning of the end.
This was how I finally lost my damn mind. I was sure of it. Either that or I was stuck in dreamland again.
I pinched the skin on my forearm hard.
“Ouch. Shit.”
Rubbing the tender spot, I frowned at my empty doorway.
Okay, so Liam had been there, and he’d apologized. And apparently, he also thought I smelled nice.
Just thinking about the compliment sent my poor heart into overdrive, not to mention the butterflies in my belly. Their tiny wings fluttered and flapped, turning my insides upside down.
Or maybe the intensity with which he’d said it had turned me into such a mess?
Because, holy moly, when his voice was all low and gravelly like that, my body stood up and took note.
Even my knees went slightly weak.
A little ridiculous, I knew as much. But then again, it’d been the first time anyone had ever said that to me. Heaven knew, Anthony hadn’t been a compliment giver. His best attempt had been: “You look good.”
At the time, I’d thought it was enough. But after the way Liam had closed his eyes and breathed me in, almost like he couldn’t help himself, and the way those raspy words rolled off his tongue…
Yeah, you look good would never be enough again.
I was still staring at the doorway, possibly even hoping Liam would return and say more things like that when Estaban’s voice suddenly filled the room.
My entire body jerked.
“Holy freaking shit.” Clutching my chest, I hurried to snatch my phone from the bedside table. My heart dipped when I saw Mom in big bold letters on the screen.
I’d always just been happy to hear from her, but since our tiff on the day I’d got married to Liam, things had been strained. Every time we talked, my mom either gave me a speech on why I shouldn’t marry someone for money—which was why I hadn’t confessed that I’d already done exactly that—or she’d demand I come home.
Our talks never ended well.
And yet, I couldn’t not answer. What if something had happened to my dad?
Taking a deep, steadying breath, I pressed the answer button and held the phone against my ear.
“Hey, Mom.”
The butterflies from earlier were back, flapping their wings to a nervous beat that twisted my insides into knots. My legs felt weak and shaky. Before they could give out, I sat on the edge of the bed.
“Hi, Evie.” Her voice was soft and hesitant. I hated it. “I’m not calling at a bad time, am I?”
“Not at all.” My eyes darted to the open door. Probably should have closed it before answering the phone. “How are things?”
I hated the awkwardness between us. As if one silly misunderstanding caused us not to know how to talk to each other anymore. I wanted to tell her I was sorry. That I knew she was looking out for me in her own way.
I would have loved to reassure her she’d raised a daughter who had the same values as her. To promise her that if I shared my bed with another man again it wouldn’t be because I thought I couldn’t do any better.
And it definitely wouldn’t be because he paid me.
Since I couldn’t do any of that, I waited for her to speak.
A heavy sigh filtered through the line. “Pretty much the same, but Dr. Cooper is positive, so that’s a good sign, I guess. Your father sends his love, by the way.”
My heart squeezed tight. I loathed the distance. I should’ve been there. Should’ve held my dad’s hand and begged him to keep fighting. Emotion stung my eyes and clogged my throat, but I quickly swallowed it down when my mom spoke again.
“I just got back from speaking with the administrator, and the hospital will not refund Mr. Maxwell. Or rather, he said, they’d refund him if we paid them the exact amount he paid. It’s a lot of money.”
“You asked them to send Liam’s money back?” I could hardly believe my ears. “Why would you do that?”
“Watch your tone, young lady. I don’t want that man’s money, especially not if he’s only giving it to buy a marriage.”
That’s not why he did it. I wanted to yell the words, but they refused to leave my mouth.
“Anyway,” my mom went on. “My chat with Mr. Abernathy got me thinking, and I made a few calls. Remember I told you about Mr. Spiegel? He’s such a nice man. He and I just had a fabulous conversation, and he agreed to give you a job. You start next week. That should give you enough time to pack up everything there and come down. Isn’t it so wonderful?”
My heart bottomed out. For the first time in my life, it felt like I didn’t know my mom at all. Even worse, that she didn’t know me. Two tears trickled down my cheeks, and I angrily swiped them away.
“Mom, I don’t want—”
Completely ignoring me, my mom happily carried on, “There is this cute place not far from our house I think would be absolutely perfect for you. It has two rooms, so you and Cece can live together like you always talked about.”
I frowned. “Cece is moving back?”
“Well, not yet. She has to finish her final year, but when she’s done, Mrs. Smith has a job waiting for her.”
Something didn’t sound right. “So, Mrs. Smith has a dance studio?”
“No, no, she runs the local bakery. Cece is going to do her books.”
The ache inside my chest grew. “So basically, her studies would be for nothing then? And she’s just okay with it?”
“I still have to speak to her,” my mom snapped. “But why wouldn’t she be?”
More tears fell, and I didn’t even bother to wipe them away. “Because you can’t make these decisions for us, Mom. We’re supposed to find our own way in this world. Figure out where we fit by ourselves.”
My mom scoffed. “It’s my responsibility to lead you in the right direction. And I hate to tell you this, Evie, but you and your sister both need a whole lot more guidance than you think.”
“Mom—”
“Your sister wants to be a dancer. A dancer! And don’t even get me started on you.” She made an angry noise. “Wanting to marry a man for money. Who does that, Everlee? What does it say about your values? Did I not raise you right?”
Deep down, I understood this was stress talking. My mom had dealt with a lot over the last couple of weeks. Hell, before that even, because working for Natalie’s father hadn’t been a walk in the park.
And now the love of her life was sick, and she couldn’t do a thing about it. But the fixer in her could very well fix her wayward daughters.
I understood.
Unfortunately, understanding didn’t stop my heart from shattering into a million pieces.
“Mom,” I said, voice broken. “Maybe I can come down for a visit and we can talk about everything that’s going on? I know you’re scared right now and I get it, but I don’t want to live in Portsmouth or work for Mr. Spiegel.”
“If you’re not moving here, I don’t want you to come.”
“That’s not fair,” I cried.
Another angry noise. “What’s not fair is my children ignoring their values to chase after money and frivolous dreams.”
I’d had as much as I could take. “I’ve got to go. Please tell Dad I love him…” I took a stuttering breath and whispered into the phone, “And I love you, too.”
Then, for the first time in my life, I hung up on my mom.
It wasn’t a good feeling. My head hurt, my heart even more.
I’d clung to the hope my mom would see reason and admit marrying Liam was a good thing. Hell, I’d even hoped she’d be happy, proud, and maybe even somewhat grateful, too.
So stupid of me.
Thick, hot tears rolled down my cheeks and splashed into my lap. And as much as I hated wallowing in self-pity, I’d allow myself this moment.
“Snow?”
Oh gosh, please, no.
Quickly wiping my eyes, my gaze snapped up. Sure enough, Liam filled my doorway. He’d swapped his workout clothes for a navy suit and white dress shirt. He’d paired it with a blue-and-purple necktie, and he’d even pulled his hair back into a bun.
In other words, he looked way too handsome and put together, while I looked like a blubbering mess.
“Why are you crying?”
I really wished his voice wasn’t filled with so much concern. It almost made me believe he cared.
“You’re not still upset about what happened in the kitchen?” Worry masked his features as he took a few steps into my room. “I swear, I didn’t—”
“It’s not you,” I interrupted. “It’s…” I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t allow him to see what a mess I really was. Pushing to my feet, I took a deep breath. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
He took another step closer; I took two backward.
“You should probably leave if you don’t want to be late.”
His brows drew together, and for a moment, I thought he’d refuse to go. The really sad part was I actually wanted him to stay. Wanted him to keep looking at me like he couldn’t bear to see me upset.
He didn’t.
Nodding once, he spun around and headed for the door. I thought he’d leave, but he stopped in the hallway and braced his hand on the frame. Over his shoulder, his blue gaze collided with mine.
“I’m sorry you’re sad.”
And then he was gone.