Chapter 25
The Justin standing in front of me is not the same man I ran into last night. But maybe the one from last night was all wrong because this unhinged version of him reminds me of the night we broke things off. He begged, I think there were even some tears, telling me over and over again that he couldn’t lose me. I was the only thing that mattered.
“Maybe you packed it in with your stuff during the move,” Justin tries again. “Can I come by and look for it please?” His tone is far from pleading. His fists are curled until his knuckles are white and there’s something scary flashing in his eyes.
“I promise I don’t remember seeing your ring.” I’m outright lying now, but I don’t want this man anywhere near my apartment. “How did you find my new salon?”
He moves to the left so I do too, pulling my cart with me to keep it between us.
“That doesn’t matter.” He shoves a hand through his hair, which is greasy today and unkempt. So unlike him.
“Yes, it does. Maddie was right; I need to get a restraining order.” The entire salon is quiet. Collectively holding their breaths while they take sides. They better be on mine.
“No. Please.” He takes a breath, but it doesn’t seem to calm him. “I’m sorry. I’m…in some trouble. I lost my job.”
“At the nursing home?” Being a lifeguard was his whole personality. Maybe that’s why he’s so rattled.
He shakes his head. “Yeah. I was really counting on that ring to get me through until my new employer pays me.”
“You’ve already got a new job? Ask for an advance.”
He paces in front of the window. “I can’t do that. I’m already in debt.”
“With your new employer?” Who is this crazy-eyed man? He’s not making any sense. I hate to even think it, but I’m worried he’s strung out on drugs right now.
“Yes. It’s all a mess. And I’ll tell you later. But I have to find the ring before he does.”
Cold chills sweep down my spine. What does that mean?
Justin picks up a tabloid magazine off a nearby stand and squeezes the life out of it, turning Kylie Jenner’s beautiful face into a shriveled mess.
“Who is he? And why does he want my engagement ring?” I’m beyond confused right now. I reach for my phone on top of my cart, about two seconds from calling the police.
He drags a hand through his hair, pulling at the ends. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Then I guess you should leave.”
His eyes fly to mine. “But I’ll come by your apartment later, okay?”
Good thing he doesn’t know where I live. My blood turns cold. Yesterday he didn’t know where I worked, but he figured that one out pretty easily. Forget being friends with this man, I want him far away from me.
“You show up at my house and I’ll call the police.”
His face turns beet red and he curses. “Two years I put up with you, Millie, give me something at least.”
Give him something?
I shove my cart out of the way and lunge forward, slapping him across the face. My palm stings but I welcome the pain. I should have done that forever ago.
He falls back with a deadly scowl. “You’ll regret that.”
“I doubt it.”
He turns and storms out of the salon.
Applause erupts around me but it doesn’t curb the fear he placed in my heart. Clearly, I never knew the real Justin and the man that left terrifies me. Will he show up at my apartment?
The door opens, and for a split second I fear Justin is back, but it’s Leah coming back from her break, her cross-body bag bouncing on her hip. “Was that your ex? What happened?”
I motion around to the now silent room. “You can ask them. I need a minute.”
My cheeks are hot and my vision is blurry by the time I make it to the color room. I splash some water on my face then immediately regret it. I’m not wearing waterproof mascara. I choke back a sob, reining in my emotions. I’ll cry no more tears for Justin.
I open my locker and am digging through my purse when Leah comes in, finding me mid-tug-of-war with my purse and the locker.
“Release it, you beast.” I slap the locker, but it stings my palm. More than it did when I hit Justin. The pain seems to be connected to the back of my eyes and it ushers out the unwilling tears. “Come on.” I tug the bag again but when I do, half the contents tumble to the floor.
Leah rushes to my side, scooping up the random items. “Amelia, are you okay?”
I sniff, picking my emotional armor up piece by piece, locking up my defenses. “I will be.”
“I can’t believe he stormed in here demanding things from you like that. That man needs to be taught a lesson.”
I’m comforted by the matching indignation in her voice.
“Agreed.”
“What do you need, girl? I’ll tell him off, I swear,” she says, still fired up for me. But I hold up a hand before she says anything more. She doesn’t need to fight my battle for me.
“It’s fine. I’ll give him back his stupid ring when I’m not so angry, then I’ll kick him out of my life for good.” I take a deep breath and pluck the waterproof mascara from her hand, then go to the little mirror above the sink. “There’s got to be a cleanse for exes. Or maybe I should look into exorcists.” I gasp. “An ex exorcist.” Now that would be a fun job.
Leah chuckles. “When you find one let me know.” She somehow manages to free my purse from the locker and diligently puts everything back in for me. “Whoa, where did you get that?”
I rub at the black circles under my eyes. “What?”
“This?” She steps up beside me, the jewelry box in her hands.
I forgot I tucked it in my purse this morning.
“Oh, that’s my grandmother’s jewelry box,” I say, adding a new layer of mascara to my eyelashes.
“It’s gorgeous.”
I watch her through the mirror, as she turns it this way and that, trying to open it.
“I already tried,” I say. “I was hoping some of our product here might help loosen the rust.”
She returns the box to my locker. “I have some jewelry cleaner; we can make the outside look brand new again at least. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” I put the mascara back in my locker and close it up.
“You sure you’re okay?” Leah asks again. The pity in her eyes is way too much, but there’s something else. An understanding. She knows what it’s like to have a terrible ex. To feel helpless and hopeless. But no longer. We will rise from the ashes together.
“I’ll be fine.” I give her a quick hug. “Thanks for having my back.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
“What’d you say?” I sit up straighter and look across the table at Connor, who is looking at Maddie with a concerned expression.
“Are you okay, Millie?” Connor asks. “You seem a bit off.”
I’ve been off ever since Justin showed up at work this afternoon. His parting shot worried me enough that instead of going home to change and kill time before dinner at Maddie’s, I grabbed the dogs and came straight over. Being around the two people I love most in this world has put my anxiety at ease in a way nothing else could. Though apparently, I’m not as relaxed as I thought. Guess I’ll have to stay an extra hour until I’m feeling less nervous about another run-in with my ex.
I pinch my lips together and play with the fancy folded napkin on my plate. Why are there folded napkins? And why aren’t we eating yet?
“I’m great, just pining after a special agent,” I say half-heartedly.
“Shawn Spencer is hardly a special agent.” Connor teases. He’s well aware of my obsession with Psych and enjoys teasing me about it. But I’m not in the mood tonight.
“Maybe I could find you a real-life agent,” Maddie says, pumping her brows.
I throw a hand to my heart. “You mean you’ve had one of those in your back pocket and you’re just now telling me?”
Connor makes a ridiculous show of checking Maddie’s back pocket for rogue men and I avert my attention to the dogs quietly napping by the couch.
“Stop it.” Maddie shrieks and pushes Connor’s tickling fingers away from her waist.
I gag. I love seeing my brother in love. But I also wish I didn’t have to see so much of it.
Connor sighs and looks at the clock on his phone then at Maddie. “Can we start? I don’t think he’s coming.”
I perk up at this. “Who’s coming?”
Maddie chews her bottom lip.
I narrow my eyes at that woman I love so much I might have to strangle. “Please tell me you invited your secret boyfriend over to meet your fiancé and that you did NOT invite a blind date for me.”
Maddie and Connor exchange guilty glances.
“Of course not.” Maddie scoffs. “I invited a friend.”
I give her a dubious look. “To fall in love with me and become the future baby daddy of your children’s cousins?”
“Well, I didn’t think that far ahead but now that you mention it, it doesn’t sound half bad.” Maddie smirks.
I roll my eyes. No one is more on board with me getting back in the saddle than Maddie. Which is kind of ridiculous considering she was so against dating when she met Connor. Or maybe she was against dating Connor. Their history is kind of confusing.
“Well, he doesn’t seem to be coming anyway so let’s eat,” Connor says and helps himself to some asparagus. It still blows my mind. Connor willingly eating asparagus. Before Maddie, our regular meals consisted of empty carbs and loads of sugar. Love really can change a person.
I grab the bowl of mashed potatoes. Because love has yet to change me. We load up our plates and begin eating. The only sound in the apartment is a ticking clock somewhere.
They are waiting for me to speak. I usually don’t have a problem filling any kind of silence. But if I start, I’m not sure where I’ll end and then they will be seriously worried about me.
Connor asks if I’ve made any headway with the jewelry box and I jump at the safe topic.
“Not yet, but my friend at work is going to help me with it tomorrow.” I chew some meat, waiting for him to say something else. He doesn’t.
“How”s work, Connor?” I ask. But even that yields only a short response. He knows what I’m doing. It’s time to bring out the big guns.
I swallow, hating to do this, but it’s the only way to make it through this dinner without spilling everything on my mind.
“How’s the wedding planning going?” I nearly choke on the words.
Connor’s eyes widen like he can’t believe I’m willingly bringing this conversation up. Weddings are still a sore subject for me. Justin couldn’t commit to me, but I couldn’t commit to a wedding date. I was terrified to plan a wedding that didn’t include my parents. No mom to tear up in the front of the chapel, no dad to have a first dance with.
If I ever get engaged again, I’m eloping.
“Well, we are trying to decide between a photographer or a videographer,” Maddie says, her face instantly shifting from inquisitive lawyer to gushing bride.
Am I so heartless that this seems like the most ridiculous decision ever?
“So go with both?”
“Well, I’d love to but unfortunately only one of us is a lawyer, and the other is a public school teacher,” Maddie says. “And we still need to pay for the dress, the venue, the caterers, the honeymoon.” Her eyes get more dreamy by the second.
Maddie is good for my brother. He’s good for her. I want them to have everything for their big day. Unfortunately, I’m not made of money either, but I was already planning on getting them a nice wedding gift since they are my only family.
“I’ll pay for the videographer,” I say.
“What?” Maddie’s voice squeaks.
I shrug. “Yeah, I mean, it’s either that or matching pineapple salt and pepper shakers.” I know her distaste for tacky kitchen counter decor.
She scrunches her nose. “I mean—”
“Great, send me the info and I’ll book the videographer.” I clap my hands. “Yay, weddings!”
Connor watches me with knowing eyes. He’s not buying my little act. I should probably tone it down.
But the damage has been done. I opened the well into endless wedding plans and Maddie is on a roll.
I shall surely die.
I waste the next two hours going brain-dead as Maddie discusses everything she’s planned so far while watching Connor play with the dogs he supposedly hates. Like right now they are playing tug-of-war with his shoe and Connor is laughing. Or cursing. It’s kind of hard to tell from my spot far away on the couch.
Finally, I can”t take one more thought on napkin colors and I stand up. Justin won’t come over this late, and if he does I’ll pretend I’m asleep.
“I’ve gotta go. My special agent awaits,” I say, already halfway to the door.
“Millie,” Connor calls me back and I stop. “Please take your dogs.”