21. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-One
Maggie
I stretched my arms over my head, feeling warm and relaxed. There was a dull ache behind my eyes, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gotten such a restful night of sleep. The covers on my chest felt heavier than normal. With a frown, I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.
I wasn’t at home.
The night came flooding back.
Oh, no . No, no, no .
A wave of embarrassment swept over me, and I glanced to the side, praying the bed was empty. There, next to me, was Grady, still sleeping. He looked so peaceful and vulnerable my hand itched to stroke his face, run my thumb along the stubble. Maybe he’d be happy to realize I was still here instead of resigned at having to deal with me? Had I really passed out in his bed?
“Like what you see?” he mumbled before opening his eyes.
“I should go.” I rolled away from him.
His hand latched onto my waist and dragged me back. “What if I want you to stay?”
I covered my face with one hand. “Not sure why you would. I made a total ass of myself last night.”
“I’ve been making an ass of myself for years. It’s nice you’re finally catching up.”
A soft laugh escaped. I appreciated he was trying to make this easier. “If only I’d known alcohol was the key factor in winning that race.”
He chuckled, the sound warming my heart. “Oh, I think you’ve known for a while.”
True. I had. Alcohol hadn’t been my friend in a very long time. Last night, the devilish liquid had loosened my lips to an almost unbearable level. I closed my eyes and groaned.
“Aspirin?”
“Nope. A brain transplant would be more helpful.”
“It wasn’t that bad. There’s nothing wrong with your brain.”
“Okay, a memory transplant. We agreed to pretend last night didn’t happen, right?”
“Uh,” he said, tugging me closer to his chest. “Those words never left my lips.”
“What time is it?” I tried to remember what day it was. Yesterday had been Wednesday, a little over two weeks until the concert. So that meant today was Thursday. My eyes snapped open again. “Seriously, what time is it?” I sat up, looking around the room. Of course, there wasn’t a clock. Where had I put my phone?
He rolled away and grabbed his phone off the bedside table. “Ten.”
“Ten in the morning?”
“You were still drunk at ten last night.”
“Oh my God. I have to go. I should have opened the pharmacy two hours ago.” I scooted off the bed, tucking my hair behind my ears and scanning the floor for my phone. “I’m never late. I’m so late. I’ve lost my phone!”
“It’s downstairs on the table by the door.”
My shoulders loosened at the realization that at least he knew where I’d dropped all my things. Turning on my heel, I dashed down the stairs. I stepped into my heels, grabbed my keys, purse, and phone from the small table and hurried out the door. My phone was lit up with missed calls and texts from clients and Dad.
As soon as I was in my SUV, I closed my eyes and made the call I was dreading. “Dad?”
“Maggie! We’ve been so worried. Are you okay? Tyler went out looking for you.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “I overslept.” I drove away from Grady’s house and headed toward my own place. I needed to change clothes before I showed up to work.
“Are you feeling okay? I came to the pharmacy to open up while Tyler and your mother tried to track you down.”
Would Tyler know I’d spent the night at Grady’s place? He hadn’t knocked on his door, but my vehicle was in his driveway. How many other people would have noticed my SUV there all night? I tried to quiet the panic threatening to carve out a hole in my chest. So embarrassing. Grady would get backslaps and high fives. People would think he’d charmed me right out of my underwear.
Not long ago, Sabrina’s car was the one in his driveway.
Foolish. I was a fool. We were locked in a mayoral race. What had I been thinking?
“I’m fine, Dad. I just overslept. I’ll be there as soon as I’m dressed. Thank you for opening for me.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I worried you all.”
“Glad you’re okay. I’ll see you when you get here. Love you, kiddo.”
I had blushed at least a thousand times as I’d taken over the store from Dad. He hadn’t asked too many questions when it became obvious the answers were going to be personal and embarrassing.
After lunch, the bell rang, drawing me away from my latest prescription refill. Sabrina stood in the doorway with a fuchsia skirt barely covering her ass and heels which looked better suited to a catwalk instead of a sidewalk. She tugged on the hem of her skirt before teetering over to the low counter.
Didn’t Sabrina and I have an unspoken agreement that we didn’t interact? Sabrina didn’t use my pharmacy, probably going to one of the big-box stores on the outskirts of town, and I didn’t get my nails done at Sabrina’s shop, preferring one of the more upscale spas. Curious, and more than a little annoying, to have her here.
She passed me a prescription in silence. I didn’t look at the paper but took in Sabrina’s tiny smirk.
“When do you need this?” I asked. “Are you coming back later to get it?” Best case scenario, Sabrina would leave and perhaps come back on a day when Dad was here. Some game was being played, and I didn’t understand the rules.
“The doctor said the sooner I take it, the more effective it’ll be.” She shrugged. “Whatever that means.”
Reluctantly, I glanced down at the prescription. The Plan B pill. The emergency contraceptive was meant to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. My stomach rolled, but I hoped my expression remained neutral. Unprotected sex with who?
“Of course. Just a moment.” I circled around the low counter to the taller one, turning my back on Sabrina. My hands shook as I doled out the prescription and printed off the information sheet. Stepping back down to the lower counter, I set the bag between us.
“Have you used this medication before?”
She shook her head. “I’ve always been with men who wanted kids.” The hint of a smile played on her lips. “That’s why I’ve got three.”
I wanted to say, Always, Sabrina? You’re telling me you’ve only slept with three men? Like so many things about Sabrina, her comment made no sense. But I refused to ask. Whether the guy was Grady or not, I didn’t need to know. Gossip wasn’t part of my job.
“Right, well.” I turned the information sheet toward Sabrina and took her through all the important pieces. Each time I glanced at her, Sabrina wasn’t looking at the sheet, she was studying me. “Do you have any questions?”
“No, no questions. I still might get pregnant, I guess. But at least I’ll have tried. It’s weird Grady doesn’t want kids. He seemed to like them before. He’s great with my other three.”
My throat closed. He was great with Amir too. So much so I’d thought my ovaries might have been overproducing at the sight of him with my nephew. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. “Is there anything else I can help you with?” I rang up the charge and took Sabrina’s money.
“No.” She looked over my head and then around the store. “It’s so great he’s back. Isn’t it? Feels like old times. Me and him, together. You know, we never could stay away from each other.” She met my gaze. “If he hadn’t gone on Center Stage , I bet we’d be married by now.”
Each claim she spoke was like sharp knives in my side, forcing me to see what I’d let myself forget last night. “Do you think?” I floated around the counter, putting away products that didn’t need to be put away.
“Oh yeah. He told me he’d never really gotten over me. Isn’t that sweet?” Her tone was tinged with syrupy sweetness.
Something in her voice didn’t feel truthful. My heart beat erratically at the thought of him saying those words to her. Despite the roller coaster of emotions inside, I’d learned a long time ago that letting people like Sabrina walk all over me wasn’t good for my emotional well-being.
Meeting her gaze, I said, “That’s wonderful Grady said that to you. I hope those words weren’t in exchange for stealing my campaign signs.” I tried to imitate Sabrina’s overly sweet smile. “I didn’t press charges, but I’m still considering my options. Video evidence and some eyewitnesses have been so helpful. It’s amazing how many people have cameras at their houses now, isn’t it?” I waited for a beat to let my words sink in. “Taking those signs was a felony. And since you took so many, the crime would be considered a state felony and you’d spend some time in jail.” Sabrina’s face went bright red and then deathly pale. “I want you to think about that next time you decide to sashay in here to talk to me about Grady.”
Sabrina gaped. “You wouldn’t put a mother in prison.”
“Sometimes,” I said in a conspiratorial whisper. “I think your kids might be better off with their dads. Don’t you?”
With a gasp, Sabrina rocked back on her heel and stomped toward the door.
“Good luck with your Plan B. Next time, remember not to be silly and get him to wrap his willy.”
Sabrina glared over her shoulder before pushing open the pharmacy door with torrential force. Good thing no one was walking on the sidewalk in either direction.
As soon as the door clicked closed, I went behind the tall desk and sank into a chair. Grady and Sabrina. Sabrina and Grady. Their names spun around my head in a haze. He’d been my first, and I’d admitted that to him last night. Regret ate at me. He hadn’t known, had no clue. Back then, I’d been another conquest. He’d probably laughed about me with his buddies. Some lovesick high school girl.
At the time, the extreme emotional distance he put between us from that night onward, had hurt. I’d been convinced that how I felt about him, the way he made me feel, how important it had been that he was my first, outweighed his indifference. The choice had been mine, and I refused to regret it.
Maybe I would have been okay if he’d stuck with indifference, but his attitude toward me had morphed into hate. A hate so specific, so all-consuming, I’d inspired multiple songs on his first album. I’d recognized parts of me, dissected, even if no one else had.
Now, I’d been a fool for him again. Back with Sabrina? The proof had stood right in front of me, and I’d heard it with my own ears. Come back to bed. It’s too early. The words had been seared into my brain that morning.
So, what had last night been about? My brain was muddled.
The last few times we’d been around each other, he’d been kind and open. The burst of hate and the surge of lust had been replaced with other, more complicated feelings. I genuinely liked him. How did I reconcile the Grady I’d come to know with the one who’d have unprotected sex with Sabrina and then suggest she take Plan B? I ran my hands down my face in frustration. Both versions of him couldn’t exist, could they?
Maybe he’d decided if he couldn’t win the mayoral race, he’d make a fool of me instead. Emily’s words of caution played in my head. Any affair would make him look like a sex god and me like some weak, simpering woman who couldn’t resist him. Especially true if people believed he was also involved with Sabrina.
I wasn’t going to let him make a fool out of me. Walls would go back up between us, and
I wouldn’t let him tear them down this time.