Chapter 57 – Mindy
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
The reckoning
Mindy
“This is soooo much fun,” Aubrey slurs from her position on the floor.
“Best tradition ever,” Caroline agrees, trying to stand up from the couch. She stumbles, flops back down, and apparently gives up. “Can someone go pee for me? My legs aren’t legging.”
I giggle drunkenly and stand. The room spins a little, and I hold out both arms. “Look, I’m Simone Biles on the balance beam.” I take a few steps, putting one foot in front of the other.
“That’s so good,” Aubrey says, wide-eyed and serious. “You’re really talented, Mindy.”
Then I promptly bang my leg on the coffee table and let out enough curses to make a sailor blush.
“The table moved,” I proclaim, pointing at the offending furniture. “It must be possessed.”
“We should hold an exorcism,” Caroline suggests.
“I think you have to be a priest or something to do that,” I tell her, reaching down to haul her up and wrap an arm around her waist. “Come on. Let’s get you to the bathroom before you pee on the couch. I’m sure the owners of this Airbnb wouldn’t appreciate that.”
We’ve rented a small cabin on the outskirts of Houston, something we do every year in April since we all have birthdays around the same time. We drink Fireball, watch dopey movies, and eat all the junk food we can for one fun girls’ weekend.
I manage to get Caroline to the bathroom and back to the cozy living room without either of us running into a wall or falling down. Curling into the corner of the couch, my friend asks, “What did Remi get you for your birthday?”
Tears well in my eyes, and she jerks upright. “Did that asshole forget your birthday? Because I will karate chop him right in the nuts.”
“Me too. Huuu-yah!” Aubrey yells from the floor, slicing a hand through the air above her.
“No, he didn’t forget,” I say, reaching for a paper napkin to dab my eyes. “He got me a hat.”
Caroline’s nose wrinkles. “The man is a literal billionaire and he got you a damn hat?”
“A big red one because he’s taking me to the Kentucky Derby in May,” I sniffle. “I only mentioned to him once that I promised Mom I would go one day since she never got the chance, and then he went and arranged for us to go this year.”
Caroline melts like snow in the Sahara. “Oh my god, Mindy. I take back what I said about chopping his nuts. In fact, I will protect those testicles with my life because that is the sweetest thing ever and you should breed with the man and have all his babies,” she gushes in one long sentence.
“Breed with him?” I ask, giggling through my tears. “You make him sound like a stud horse.”
“If the loafer fits…” she shoots back.
I flop over onto the couch and count the wooden beams overhead. “He makes me so happy, y’all.”
My friend’s cool hand swipes a wild piece of hair from my forehead. “No one deserves happiness more than you, Min. I think we should toast with another fireball shot.”
“Dammit, are you trying to kill me?”
Caroline reaches for the bottle and waggles it at me. “Tell your liver to shut up. It’s fine.”
“Hey, baby. Did you have fun?” Remi’s deep voice never fails to stir my blood.
“So much fun, but I missed you.”
“I missed you too. Where are you now?”
“Driving,” I say. “I planned to be home already, but we slept late due to our stupid hangovers.”
“You want to do something? Phoenix and I were talking about playing golf this afternoon, but I can stay home.”
“No,” I insist. “You go with your brother, and I’m going to take a nap.”
His voice drops, low and sultry. “Will you nap at my place? I’ll wake you up in a way I think you’ll really like.”
I can feel the wrinkles forming on my forehead. “Won’t Serena be there?” I ask, letting the bitterness cloud my tone. The woman is still staying at Remi’s apartment, and I’m getting annoyed. We have no privacy unless we go to my place.
To my surprise, Remi says, “No, she’s going back to her place today.”
“Thank god,” I say, wincing at how rude that sounded. “Sorry, I know it’s not my apartment, so I have no say in how long your houseguest stays. It’s just been frustrating having a third wheel around all the time.”
“She definitely overstayed her welcome,” Remi says with a chuckle. “Now you can walk around topless all the time.”
“So can you,” I retort.
“I was actually planning to go bottomless.”
I laugh as I take the ramp onto the freeway. “Ah, the Winnie the Pooh look. Very sexy.”
“You know it, baby.” Remi is quiet for a moment before saying, “And I don’t want you to think you have no say in my home. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the lady of the house, so what you say goes.”
My lips curl into a happy smile. “If I wanted to institute a Topless Tuesday rule, you’d be okay with that?”
“I’d highly encourage it,” he says with a chuckle before his voice turns serious again. “And when you’re ready, you have an open invitation to move in with me. I’d love nothing more than to wake up every single day with you in my arms.”
My heart skips about five beats. “You want me to move in with you?”
“Yes, but only when you feel like you’re ready. I want to live with you right now, but I can be patient. We have the rest of our lives to be together.”
Gahh, this man... Once you peel back all the layers of grumpy, he truly has the most romantic heart hiding underneath.
Remi’s penthouse apartment is cool and quiet when I arrive. Leaving my small suitcase by the door, I head immediately upstairs and dig through his closet until I find a T-shirt to nap in.
After using the bathroom, I pull back the covers on the bed and notice a stain on the sheets. My eyebrows pinch together. It appears to be a stain from a wet spot. Did he spill something?
I shake my head. No, he definitely would have changed them if he did. The man is fastidious when it comes to his space.
Going into the linen closet, I find a spare set and carry them to the bedroom. As I’m stripping the navy sheets from the bed, something catches my eye.
My blood chills, freezing in my veins when I pick up a lace thong that was wedged halfway beneath his pillow. The panties are white—or non-hued—and judging by the dampness, they’ve obviously been worn.
“Ew,” I yell, throwing them down before running to the bathroom to wash my hands with scalding water.
Then I use rubber gloves to pick up the offending garment and place it in a Ziploc bag like I’m a forensic scientist collecting evidence at a crime scene.
I’m oddly calm, though all thoughts of taking a nap have evaporated. My ass is wide awake now.
I take my bag of evidence and go downstairs to wait for the reckoning.