Whats-Her-Face and the Sidekick
Maisie
It took a long moment before my brain caught up with my eyes. But then, when everything clicked, my stomach hit my toes before the rest of me remembered how to breathe.
Yup, it was definitely Devon. And he looked even better than he had in college.
He wore slim-cut chinos, a crisp white polo, and boat shoes without a single scuff.
His hair, once an unruly mop, was now neatly styled in a way that must've cost more than my last grocery bill.
His jaw looked sharper. His nose looked straighter.
And his skin was an outdoorsy bronze even though summer was still weeks away.
And then, there was the woman on his arm – clinging like she'd been growing there from the start. She was blonde, sleek, and impossibly toned, with teeth that practically glittered. Her shoes alone could've paid for my nicest bike and a decent helmet, too.
She beamed. "Maisie! Oh my gosh, I knew you'd still be here." She said it like we'd both grown up on the island, when in reality this was the first time I'd seen her within a hundred miles of the Mackinac Bridge.
I stared like an idiot as I tried to recall her name. I'd been calling her Psych Major for so long that her actual name had faded like the ink on that first-ever love-note from Devon.
Yes, I'd kept it – not because I still had a thing for him, but because we'd made some great memories back in the day, and it had seemed a shame to trash those mementos just because our relationship had ended so badly.
But now, I was having second thoughts about everything. I should've burned that stupid note along with the photo of us grinning like royalty at a kegger.
Her smile turned to a smirk. "Oh, I guess you're surprised to see us."
"Uh…yeah. A little." Talk about a massive understatement.
Devon opened his mouth, but she beat him to it. "This is so nostalgic." She said it like we were old pals from summer camp.
My own memories weren't nearly as fond. My jaw twitched like I'd tasted something sour. "What are you doing here?" I'd meant it to come out friendly, professional even. But the summer camp vibe in my voice carried shades of Jason on Friday the Thirteenth.
Undaunted, she replied with a smile. "You mean on the island?"
Actually, I meant in my shop, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of saying so. If she could be breezy, I could be breezy, too. I plastered on a smile. "Sure."
"Oh, that's easy," she said. "Devon and I figured it would be fun to take a little break before the wedding and just, like, unplug."
Wedding?
Right on cue, she waggled her fingers just enough to catch the light. The rock on her left hand sparkled like it was trying to blind me into submission.
I blinked, but not from the glittering. If you'd asked me yesterday, I might've guessed they were already married. But yesterday felt like a lifetime ago, and just maybe, a tiny, evil part of me had envisioned Devon dumping her just like he'd dumped me.
I didn't want to be petty. But let's just say there had been some serious overlap between when he started with Psych Major and when he finished with me. Given this ugly little fact, a dramatic dumping would've been downright poetic.
And yes – she'd known he had a girlfriend. Devon and I had met her together for the first time at a frat party, where I'd been introduced as – spoiler alert – "Maisie, Devon's girlfriend."
But then, barely four weeks later, she was the girlfriend, and I was the one sobbing into my pillow.
Pathetic, I know.
It's not like Devon was worth it, especially after I'd learned he was a cheater.
But it had stung just the same. And it was stinging all over again as What's-Her-Face continued.
"We're renting this adorable private cottage with a view of the bridge.
" Her voice grew dreamy. "You should see it…
his and hers robes, this gorgeous antique bed, and the cutest little kitchen we'll never use.
" She gave Devon a playful bump to the hip. "Daddy says we deserve it."
Good Lord. Forget Daddy. Did she have to mention the bed?
Brightly, she added, "But don't worry, it's not our wedding gift."
I wasn't following. "Sorry, what?"
"It's more of an engagement gift." She lowered her voice. "For my sister's wedding, he bought them a new boat, so I'm thinking he'll follow the trend for me, too."
What could I say to that? "Oh. Right." I tried to smile. "You must be really excited."
And just like that, she was beaming again. "Don't you know it." She gave me a playful swat to the arm as she said with a laugh, "And you forgot to congratulate us."
Her touch burned, and I fought a sudden urge to rip off her arm and use it to smack Devon in the face – or better yet, to smack some sense into myself, because why was I still standing here listening to this?
Still, I forced another smile. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry." My face literally hurt to say it. "Congratulations."
Was I being a pushover? I couldn't even decide. I mean, if I gave her the holy hell she deserved, I just knew she'd get off on it.
I didn't know her very well – obviously – but she seemed the type to relish drama, and the last thing I wanted now was to give her any satisfaction. Correction – any more satisfaction.
And what was the deal with Devon?
Why was he just standing there like a sidekick in a hostage video?
Her smile faded, and her voice turned overly sympathetic. "Hey…don't worry."
Seriously, what was her name?
Savannah? Citronella? Centipede?
My jaw felt tight as I replied, "About what?"
She smiled sweetly. "That you won't find someone."
I wasn't worried. I was homicidal. "What do you mean?"
"I'm just saying, I know it's gotta be hard, seeing us together when you're all alone."
My smile was long gone. By now, I couldn't even fake it. "And you know this, how?"
"We ran into Delaney last week."
The name hit like a sucker punch. "Delaney Sinclair?" As if I knew another Delaney.
"Yeah, she said you were all by yourself." Psych Major gave a smug little laugh. "That's part of the reason we stopped by."
I was still reeling at the mention of my former best friend. So, Delaney had seen them? And gossiped with them?
About me?
Whatever bond we'd once had, it was clearly toast, because the last time Delaney had mentioned Devon, she'd been making noises about killing him in his sleep. But now, she was sending him here of all places?
With his fiancée?
To do what?
Rub salt in the wound?
It sure sounded that way.
It was official. Today totally sucked .
Absently, I mumbled, "What?"
"You know…" Psych Major said. "To say hello."
It was a funny claim, considering that Devon had yet to say a single word. Regardless, what I really wanted was for both of them to say goodbye. All day, the shop had been ridiculously busy, giving me nearly no time to visit with anyone except for Franny.
But now, as if I'd been cursed by fate, the shop had gone utterly dead, giving me no convenient excuse to end this fiasco before I lost my cool.
Or who knows? Maybe I'd already lost it, because I felt like five seconds away from tossing both of them out on their stylish asses.
But then, from somewhere behind me, a new voice cut in. The voice was smooth, masculine, and casual as sin. "Babe? Everything okay?"
Babe?
I swallowed. Holy crap.
That voice…it belonged to Griff.