34. Bailey
Bailey
“Do you think it’s odd that I haven’t heard from my mother in a while?”
I was on the phone with Harper, getting ready for a long day of making sure the biggest wedding in town went off without a hitch. Noah had dropped me off at the inn this morning, a quick kiss pressed to my temple before he rushed off to run last-minute errands. He said he’d see me soon.
“Do I think it’s odd that you haven’t heard from that raging lunatic? No, I think it’s a blessing for your blood pressure.”
Valid.
“It’s bizarre, is all,” I said, attempting not to stab myself in the eye with my mascara wand. “Not that I’m complaining, but…she’d normally be blowing my phone up, asking when I’m coming home and just generally talking down to me.”
“Maybe she found Jesus,” she said.
I snorted. “You’re going to hell.”
“Only if you’re allowed to come with me,” she chirped. “How are things going with Noah?”
“Great. Better than great…” I trailed off.
“It’s starting to feel too good to be true?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah. A bit,” I admitted, lowering the wand. “Like I’m just…waiting for something to go wrong.”
Harper sighed. “Good things are allowed to happen to you, Bailey. I actually encourage them.” I heard her car door slam shut. “Stop waiting for the other shoe to drop. Text me and let me know how the wedding went.”
“You know I will. I love you, Harp.”
“You’re stuck with me, B.”
The line went dead, and I checked the time on my phone—time to pull out Badass Bailey.
Badass Bailey commanded the room, kept the DJ from playing any song with the word shuffle in it, and made sure the mother of the bride wasn’t drunk before she walked down the aisle.
I needed to text Grant and remind him to be light with her pours.
I swiped open my phone, pausing on Noah’s contact. I was still reeling from last night, but didn’t want to come off clingy.
Bailey: I can’t wait to see you.
It showed read at 9:02 a.m., but no response. I knew he was busy. I didn’t know why I was expecting such a quick reply. Still, I debated sending another message, something casual, but I didn’t.
I pulled half of my hair up, knowing if I left it down, I’d be blowing it out of my face all day.
Time to kick some ass.
I was getting my ass kicked.
My clear blue sky was suddenly missing, clouds rolling in where there hadn’t been any an hour ago. The florist was late, the seating chart had somehow been smudged, and the groomsmen had all decided to show up hungover and borderline useless. I still hadn’t heard back from Noah.
I tugged on my hair, forcing myself to take a steady breath. I could feel my anxiety creeping in, slow and insistent, and guests would be arriving any minute.
I searched the grounds for a familiar face and spotted Eli going over the guest list.
I darted over, getting his attention.
“What do you need?” he asked.
“Besides a muscle relaxant?”
He gave me the look of a disappointed father.
“Kidding,” I mumbled, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Have you seen Noah? I haven’t been able to get in touch with him all day.”
He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging on his tie. “I haven’t. But I know without a doubt he’ll be here before the ceremony starts.”
I closed my eyes and took a breath, counting to ten before opening them again. I cleared my throat.
“All good then. I’m going to run inside and grab some extra pens from the office for the guest book.”
I turned to head inside when a voice I had heard my entire childhood called out my name.
“Bailey, be a dear and make sure your father and I get seats in the front row.”
Everything in me went still. My stomach dropped before my brain could catch up, and for a split second, I thought I had imagined the voice. I turned slowly, dread crawling up my spine, and there they were.
“What the fuck?” The words slipped out under my breath as I stumbled back, shock and horror crashing over me. A hand reached out to grab my wrist, the familiar “Hey, Bails” making my skin crawl.
Caleb.
What the fuck?
My breathing turned erratic, and I didn’t know where I needed to go, but I knew it couldn’t be here. Eli looked confused, his gaze bouncing between all four of us on the lawn.
“Mom. Dad. What are you doing here?” I yanked my wrist out of Caleb’s grip, glowering at him. “You especially.”
My mother’s lips curved into that tight, polished smile she reserved for public interactions with me.
“Honestly, Bailey,” she said lightly, as if we’d run into each other at the grocery store. “Is that any way to greet your family?”
Her words hit like a slap. For a split second, something old and familiar rose up—an automatic apology sitting on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it down.
My father adjusted his cufflinks, and his eyes scanned the property as if he were assessing its worth.
“It’s a beautiful venue,” he remarked. “Smaller than I expected, though.”
Caleb shoved his hands into the pockets of his suit pants, rocking back on his heels like this was some kind of reunion picnic.
“Relax,” he said. “We’re guests.”
“Guests?” My voice came out thin. “You weren’t invited.”
Eli cleared his throat awkwardly beside us, glancing down at the tablet in his hand.
“They’re on the list,” he said slowly.
My stomach dropped, and my hands began to shake. My mother’s smile widened a fraction.
“It doesn’t hurt to remain friendly with the mayor, Bailey. Plus, Emory’s mother and I have been reconnecting. Such a lovely woman. When she heard we’d be in town…” She trailed off with a delicate shrug.
What a liar, pulling on her social connections to make my life a living hell.
“You’re not staying,” I said, my pulse thundering in my ears. “This is not the time for whatever this is.”
Caleb stepped closer again, lowering his voice.
“We just wanted to see you, Bails. You don’t answer your phone.”
My laugh was sharp. “That’s rich.”
My father finally met my eyes.
“You left without much of a conversation.”
I searched the lawn instinctively for Noah. God, where was he? I needed someone who would step in between me and this nightmare.
“This is my place of business,” I said, forcing steel into my voice. “If you cause a scene, I will have you removed.”
My mother’s gaze flicked over my outfit. My hair. My posture.
“Well,” she said smoothly, “look at you. Playing grown-up. How long will that last?”
The old shame flared hot and fast. Behind me, I heard Eli shift his weight, and I could sense that he was piecing it together now.
“Bailey?” he asked quietly.
I swallowed. Not here and not today
“I have a wedding to run,” I said, stepping back and smoothing my hands down the front of my jumpsuit. “You can sit wherever you’d like. But you do not speak to me unless it’s an emergency. And you”—I shot a look at Caleb—“do not touch me again.”
Caleb’s jaw ticked, and I turned before they could see my hands shaking. I was outside and somehow still felt like the walls were closing in on me. I stumbled inside the lobby, beelining toward Noah’s office so I could take a breath. I pulled out my phone.
Bailey: I need you. Where are you?
No response. I stared at the screen for a second longer, willing it to light up. I groaned, tears of frustration streaking down my face. I reached for the door when suddenly my left wrist was yanked backward, pain sparking up my arm as the smell of bourbon infiltrated the air.
“Bails, just fucking talk to me,” Caleb grunted.
“What part of don’t touch me do you not understand?” I ground out, twisting against his grip. His fingers only tightened, pressing deeper into my skin.
“You ran off to your whimsical small town and had your summer fun. I gave you space because I didn’t think you would last this long, but it’s time to come home. We have a life to build together. Me as a partner at the firm, and you looking gorgeous by my side.”
For a split second, I could see it, the version of my life he was describing. One that was perfect on the outside but suffocating underneath.
I looked into his eyes—steely, gray, and devoid of any feeling except selfish ambition.
Caleb wanted a trophy to tout around on his arm, who only spoke when spoken to, and had dinner on the table by five o’clock sharp every night.
Well, fuck that. I ripped my wrist free and shoved my finger into the middle of his chest.
“There is no life to build, Caleb. If your cheating and gaslighting hadn’t driven me away, your obsession with kissing my father’s ass would have been the final straw.
I used to need you to make me feel better about myself or to fill some crater-sized hole in me that my parents had left.
But not anymore. I can stand on my own feet, ten toes down, and confidently tell you to go to hell without any regrets. ”
He ran his hand down his face. “Is there someone else? No one can take care of you the way I can, and you know that.”
“You’re right, because I take care of myself now,” I said.
I yanked the office door open, shutting it quickly behind me and twisting the rarely used lock. The show had to go on. I had worked too hard on this wedding to let it crumble, and I needed to do this for myself. To prove that what I did, what I brought to the table, was plenty.
I pushed away from the door and moved to Noah’s desk, rummaging for a matching set of pens. Why were half of these missing caps? I found four that would work and turned to head back out.
Ping.
I didn’t really have time to be curious, but I couldn’t deny I felt like snooping. I’m sure it was something normal, like a guest confirmation or payroll. I sat down slowly, my fingers hovering over the mouse before I clicked.
My eyes scanned an email draft. Once. Twice. My name sat at the top of the message.
Hello Ms. Collins,
As you know, your events contract was accepted on a 12-week trial basis to assess the impact on the inn before offering you a full-time position. I regret to inform you that we will not be renewing your freelance contract with Whitaker Inn and will conclude our work on August 1. If you need—
No. That couldn’t be right. I leaned closer, my eyes racing over the words, trying to make sense of them, trying to find where I was misunderstanding.
My eyes dropped back to the screen.
Is this why he hadn’t gotten back to me today? Was he too busy preparing to drop this bomb on me? All of the hushed conversations and secret meetings finally made sense. The distance and distraction.
How considerate of him to separate his professional decisions from his personal feelings. Betrayal wrapped around me like a vise, and my vision blurred over the rest of the draft. My hands went numb, and the pens clattered to the floor.
I slumped against the wall.
I wasn’t sure if I had ever felt true heartbreak before. This must be the feeling artists wrote songs about.
Losing this job was like a broken bone, painful, but I’d recover.
Losing Noah? That felt fatal because I didn’t know how I was going to come back from this.
Noah knew me. Why would he feel like he couldn’t come to me with this?
The formality of the tone hurt the most, as if we had nothing but a professional relationship. As if I didn’t love him.
God, I loved him. When had that even happened?
Time didn’t stop, even though it felt like it should have.
There was still a wedding happening outside those doors, and people depending on me.
I ran a hand down my face, pushing myself up off the floor.
Leave your employer on a high note, right?
I bent down, picking up the pens with hands that still trembled, and straightened my shoulders.
Badass Bailey. One more time. I opened the door and stepped back out to do my job.