7. She didn’t say, “I cried when no one was looking.”
7
She didn’t say, “I cried when no one was looking.”
Eden
“Well, well, well,” Yvette said. “Someone has some tea to spill.”
Her puffed marshmallow sleeves blocked the back door to the salon. Sneaking past was impossible unless…
I darted a look down the alley. I could make a run for it. The odds were in my favour. The catering boxes crooked under my arm weighed me down, but Yvette would never catch me in those stilettos.
She stood firm, fists on her hips. “Don’t even think about it.”
I was still considering running when I pushed past her with an unconvincing laugh. “Good morning!”
It was time to dial up the sunshine.
I was her boss. The boss. I wasn’t the pathetic little missus who’d been lied to and left without a scrap of affection. I’d left that pathetic piece of myself at Andie’s place. All weekend, I’d waited for Zach to crawl back and make it all better. He hadn’t. No more visits. Even before I’d blocked him, no calls. Silence. The wad of scrunched-up tissues I’d guiltily stuffed in the bin on the way out the door was the only proof my life had been torn apart.
I blinded Yvette with my best smile. “I’m loving this outfit. Is it new?” A sideways glance allowed me another peek. I wasn’t sure the scraps of pink and white gingham would pass as a dress. There was more fabric in the sleeves than anywhere else. “Andie’s going to flip when she sees that dress.”
“Don’t try distracting me with the promise of a good time.” Yvette’s eyes narrowed. “I’m so onto you.”
The catering boxes under my arm wobbled, the aroma of rich cheeses and freshly baked pastries reminding me I’d skipped breakfast…and dinner the night before. “Moi?” The indignant tone was convincing. “I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Ra-ha-healy? Here I am, innocently assuming you’ve ditched me all weekend because you’ve finally dragged your man away from his desk for some baby dancing, but no-oh-oh. Care to explain these?” She shoved a fan of heart-shaped sticky notes in my face.
My eyes bulged. Whoa. That was a tonne of phone messages.
“Well?” she said. “What do you suppose these are?”
“Dunno.” Even without seeing the neatly blocked capitals spelling out ‘Zach’ at the top of every note, it wasn’t exactly a lie.
“Oh, but I think you do. Your sweet nerd has been calling every ten minutes on the dot since seven o’clock this morning.”
I pretended to be busy sorting through parcels. “Nothing unusual about that,” I mumbled.
“Sweetie, we both know Zach isn’t usually tripping over his pointy black shoes desperate to talk to you. In fact, he’s never called here or dropped by. Makes sense, though, when he can just—I don’t know—see you at your place? Hmm?”
I shrugged.
“Spill it, Deenie.”
“Um…”
Andie strode into the kitchen, her hands overloaded with coffees. “Yvette,” she growled. “Put some damn clothes on.”
Silently, I sidled along the counter to sneak my coffee from the pile. As long as those two were bickering, I was in the clear. I inched closer to the doorway.
Yvette slipped the incriminating phone messages down the front of her dress and shook out her blonde curls. “I’m afraid I have to disappoint you, Andrea, my dear.”
“You did not just call me—”
“You’ve seen these beauties, right?” Yvette hiked up the front of her dress. “One hundred percent natural. You know what that means?”
Andie suddenly seemed very interested in fiddling with the lid of her coffee. “I’m sure you’re about to explain it to me,” she grumbled.
“It means I’ve got another five years tops before these girls start their ill-fated journey to my knees,” Yvette said. “I need to make sure they get the attention they deserve.”
“Nobody here’s interested in looking at your damn boobs.” But even as Andie lied through her teeth, she was sneaking another peek.
Sipping my coffee, I rolled my eyes. “When are you two going to get a room and get this over with?” Hopefully soon. This flirting nonsense had started well before I’d poached Yvette from another salon a year ago.
“Wha—what!” Yvette squawked.
“G-Gross,” Andie spluttered at the same time.
“Uh-huh,” I said. “Keep proving my point.” My grin grew wider the more they kept trying to deny it.
The front door chimed.
Andie puffed out a sigh of relief.
I bent over the kitchen counter to peer around the corner. I couldn’t quite see who was at the door.
A delivery?
Appointments didn’t start until nine, but the luxury experience we offered needed hours of meticulous preparation before the doors officially opened each day. Extra fluffy robes and towels, aromatherapy for the ultimate relaxation, five-star catering, and more alcohol than the bougie bar down the laneway made Voom tick. Our stellar reviews and a nine-month waiting list didn’t happen without supporting local businesses. We were always fielding deliveries.
I strolled into the waiting area. Stopped. My jaw hit the floor.
A woman teetered from side to side as she headed for reception. I guessed it was a woman by her faded denim skirt and ballet flats. The wall of roses trimmed with a floppy red bow hid the rest of her.
“No tea to spill, huh?” Yvette laughed behind me. “Someone’s been a bad, bad boy.”
My eyes narrowed. That bunch of poison had better not be for me. Was I imagining the sneeze tickling my nose and the itch clawing at my throat?
He seriously couldn’t have forgotten my allergies…could he?
“I’m looking for Eden,” the delivery girl squeaked.
He forgot.
Andie stormed across the salon. “What the fuck was he thinking sending these here?” She grabbed the bouquet and signed for the delivery with the ridiculous mess of flowers propped on her hip.
Yvette’s chin tipped in my direction with a smug grin. “Care to explain?”
I absolutely didn’t, so I examined my nail polish instead.
Andie glanced around the salon, searching for somewhere to dump the flowers. “Eden caught him with his pants down.”
There was no sugarcoating my humiliation. The truth was just…there.
Yvette’s eyebrows shot to the roof. “Say it isn’t so?”
I sighed. “It’s true.”
“I wasn’t expecting anything like that.” She cocked her head, humming as she thought the news over. “Now, there’s no doubt Zach’s a catch. Rich, gorgeous, and a hot bod. He could pull some serious pussy if he weren’t so damn shy—”
“Is this helpful?” Andie snapped. “What’s your point?”
“My point,” Yvette shot back, “is that despite all his selling points, Zach’s so socially awkward it’s a miracle he bagged one babe, but juggling two? Come on. When would he even have the time? The man’s chained to a desk.”
“It helps the side chick’s chained with him,” Andie said.
“He said they weren’t”—I waved a hand around, searching for the word—“dating.” Or fucking. Same, same.
“Anymore,” Andie added.
That reminder was worse than an elbow in the ribs. My eyes zeroed in on the roses dumped on the counter. A pink envelope was tucked in between the green stems. I grabbed the card, running my finger along the sharp edge, my pulse kicking into gear.
I didn’t want to admit it, but the words on the paper meant something. Oh, who was I kidding? The words Zach had written on the card meant everything . An explanation, a promise, an apology—I wanted them all.
The card was light, a feather, air even, but somehow, the weight of the thin paper was enough to almost buckle my knees. I couldn’t read it.
I flicked up the card. “You read it,” I said to Andie.
She hesitated before plucking it from my fingers. “You sure?”
I nodded.
Frowning, Andie scanned whatever was written inside. She grimaced.
Yvette peered over Andie’s shoulder. Her eyes darted over the words. “Yikes on bikes,” she murmured under her breath.
“It can’t be that bad,” I squeaked. “Can it?”
“Ah…” Andie said.
“Well…” Yvette said at the same time.
I snatched the card from Andie. The message was typed because Zach couldn’t even be bothered to write a message himself. I read the card.
I miss your smile.
There had to be more. There had to be. I flipped the card over. Nope. The other side was blank.
Anger exploded in my chest. “That’s it?” I scrunched the card in my fist and pitched it across the room. It hit the wall and dropped to the floor in a crumbled pink mess.
No one dared to say a word. I rarely lost my shit and certainly never over a man. The only sound in the silence was my scratchy breaths. My chest was tight. I wanted to punch something. Yell at someone. No. Just one person. Zach.
The shrill chirp of the salon’s landline broke the silence.
Yvette cackled and tugged the wad of phone messages out of her cleavage. “I wonder who that could be!” She fanned the messages in my face before she strolled over to pick up the phone.
Andie was watching me closely. “You okay?” she asked gruffly.
“No.”
“He’s a thoughtless dick.”
“Yeah.”
“Told you we should’ve taken out the TV.”
I laughed.
“The offer’s still there to torch his place,” Andie said. “I’d do time for you.”
I bumped my shoulder against hers. “Right back at ya.”
Yvette waved us over to reception, the phone cradled in the crook of her neck.
“Zach, I swear I’ll pass on your messages the second Eden gets here,” she said. “Uh-huh. Sweetie, I’m totally writing this down.” She quirked an eyebrow at me, not writing a word. “Mmhmm. Okay, so you’ll be in a meeting for the next two hours, but you’re going to call Deenie the second you’re back. Got it. Toodles!” Yvette hit the button to end the call and propped her hip against the desk. “He sounds like shit, by the way.”
“Good,” barked Andie. “He’ll sound a lot worse if I get my hands on him.”
“Should we arrange a catch-up?” Yvette smirked. “A special lunchtime delivery of Andie’s right hook?”
Andie chuckled low. “Ed?”
I stood bolted to the spot. My mood was bouncing somewhere between murderous rage and complete devastation.
How had I lived with that man? Didn’t he know me at all? And what the hell was that note? I miss your smile. Generic. No thought. No explanation about why he’d hidden the truth of his precious Mac from me. No apology. Our six months together hadn’t even been worth a simple sorry.
I fought the tears stinging my eyes. My friends deserved better than seeing me crumble like a soggy old cookie, and I’d never give Zach the satisfaction of making me cry. Voom was my domain. My second home. He didn’t get to destroy me at work, too.
A diabolical smile twisted my lips.
A new scheme started spinning in my mind. I was channelling evil genius with a petty revenge side plot.
Zach was about to find out exactly who he was dealing with.