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7. She Had a Sale

She Had a Sale

Gwen

I spotted the megaphone wedged behind the doomsday stockpile of washing detergent stored in the garage and grabbed it. Perfect. Just what I needed.

The revenge yard sale I’d advertised had gone viral, and I had a feeling my afternoon would be like herding a bunch of bargain-hungry cats. People dotted the sidewalk outside. Cars already banked up along the road.

I needed to be prepared, but clutching the megaphone in my hand years later only reminded me how much had changed.

A lifetime ago, one of my high school teachers had the bright idea of dragging me out of my comfort zone.

Apparently, the token poor kid who’d scored a scholarship to the rich school needed to try harder to fit in, but I would’ve happily avoided all school social events to read—alone—under a tree until I graduated.

I had no interest in sports. School spirit? Some perky girl’s problem. It was only after I’d been “volunteered” to rally the fans that I learned about the rugby grand final.

But when a teacher gave me a special assignment, you can bet your ass I did it—and perfectly .

I’d dressed up in school colors, danced with the sucker boiling in the koala suit, and even cracked out war chants over that megaphone until I’d been rendered speechless by the gorgeous boy with the big, broad shoulders beaming straight white teeth fresh out of braces.

At me .

I’d never had a boyfriend, never snuck my first kiss.

My brother’s icy glare had scared anyone from even daring to peek in my direction.

But by the time the captain of the rugby team had started flirting with me and making dumb jokes about the size of my clipboard, Liam was gone, and somehow, beyond my giddy teenage dreams, this boy liked me.

I glanced at the megaphone in my hand. High school was a long time ago. The scrawled autographs of the team had faded, but the ghost of that nerdy, insecure girl stood next to me in the garage, tapping her foot and rolling her eyes as if to say, “I told you so.”

She’d always known Toby Sullivan would break my heart.

“Gwen! Where are—” Marnie’s voice was cut off by the sound of boxes crashing to the concrete floor. “Shit! Shit! Shit!”

I slipped the baby monitor under the waistband of my jeans and grabbed a box of Toby’s crap from the floor. “Hey, Mar.” I nodded down at the box balanced on my hip. “I think this is the last of the stuff to sell.”

She shot a sheepish look over her shoulder as she quickly restacked the plastic tubs in a wobbly tower by the garage door. “Look at you.” Her eyes landed on the megaphone. She laughed. “My girl’s serious about whooping some dentist ass.”

I grinned. I really was. That cheating bastard wouldn’t know what hit him when he came home.

If he ever came home.

I tried to ignore the knot in my stomach. Did Noah and I matter so little to Toby? It was three-thirty in the afternoon, and he still hadn’t called or sent a single message.

Eventually, he’d have to come home and face the music…wouldn’t he?

Panic curled tight around my lungs, and I sucked in a breath, desperate to slow my pounding heart.

Wouldn’t he?

Marnie followed me outside and pulled up to a stop on the driveway. “What’s left to do?” Her hands went to her hips. “Do you need me to hang up more bunting? Have we got enough signs and stickers?”

I scanned the rows of tables set up on the lawn.

Between my organizational skills and Marnie’s creativity, my yard sale looked fancier than the layout of most shops at the mall.

Toby’s life was on display, everything ready to sell for bargain basement prices, and as the signs proudly stated, every last dollar would be donated to our local women’s shelter.

“Yeah, I think everything’s sorted.” I let the box drop from my hip to the empty spot on the table. “Price stickers are on. I downloaded the app for payments and set up a spot for refreshments and kids to play. Hopefully, that will keep everyone happy.”

“What about the heavy stuff? The lawn mower? All of Toby’s mountain biking crap?”

“Sorted.” I pointed across the lawn to the display labeled with a sign stuck in the grass that said, “ Take a Hike .” Perfection. “Ian hauled it all out before I sent him to work.”

Marnie frowned. “I didn’t think we’d ever get rid of him.”

“He stayed way past his use-by date. Honestly, him being here…” I cocked my head, trying to articulate the strange prickle of nerves down my spine.

“Maybe I’m struggling with the timing. He’s known for weeks that Toby was fooling around and never breathed a word.

It seems like he only grew a conscience after he heard about the accident. ”

“Sometimes, people need an event like that to pull their head out of their ass. I can’t stand the guy, but… I get his reasoning. They’ve been friends their whole lives. Telling you the truth jeopardizes that.”

I sighed. “I don’t know. Something’s off.” And I hated not having all the answers.

Marnie nodded, thoughtful. “You think Ian wants to root you?”

“Mar!” I sputtered out a surprised laugh. “That word is rather… graphic .”

“Sorry, but I’m functioning on your shitty espresso after staying up all night worrying. I can’t be held accountable for my language.”

“Even a lawyer can’t argue with that logic.”

“So, is that what you’re thinking?” Marnie pressed. “Because that’s what I’m thinking. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. I don’t like how Ian watches you when he thinks no one’s paying attention.”

“Mar, come on. I’m an unemployed thirty-year-old with a belly pooch and a nine-month-old hanging off my hip.”

“Hey, all I’m hearing is smokin’ hot mama.”

I rolled my eyes but tossed the idea around in my mind. Ian and I were close. How could we not be after knowing each other for more than a decade? We had a lot in common. We both loved books and had escaped crappy childhoods we avoided talking about, but…

“Come on, there’s no way Ian’s interested in me,” I said. “You’ve seen the women he chases.”

“I sure have. Have you?” A questioning eyebrow crept upward. “Blonde hair, blue eyes. Sound familiar?”

“Mar, that’s…” Creepy? Weird? On the wrong track? I shook my head.

“Just promise me you’ll keep your guard up. You’re the smartest person I’ve ever known, but you don’t know men like I do. You skipped all the awkward first dates and one-night stands and attached yourself to a teen heartthrob before the world ate you up and spat you out the other side.”

“Dating’s that good, huh?”

“Babe, it’s hell out there.”

I laughed. “Okay, okay. My radar’s up. If Ian’s planning an attempt to get in my pants, he won’t get a sneak attack past me. I’m ready.” I followed all my false bravado by slicing the air with my best karate chop.

Marnie’s scowl faded into a wide smile. “Good. You might want to keep those moves coming.” She nodded her head at the picket fence lining my front yard. “There’s a ravenous mob gathering.”

I shielded my eyes from the afternoon sun and squinted down the driveway, but I barely got a glance at the people swarming for bargains outside the gates. My eyes were on Toby. He sprinted across the street and up to the fence.

“The devoted husband has finally returned,” Marnie muttered.

Toby’s palm hit the gate, but it didn’t budge. His eyebrows pinched together, and he looked down, confused, until he finally noticed the lock. “Gwen?” He jiggled the gate again.

I rolled my eyes. Still locked, cheater.

An old guy hiding under a baseball cap stepped forward. “Hey, mate! No cutting the line!”

Toby’s head snapped to the side. “I live here.”

Someone else in the crowd twittered a laugh. “Not for long.”

Ignoring the whole commotion, I focused on displaying Toby’s running shoes on the table. I stuck on a sticker, uncapped my marker, scrawled ten dollars, and tucked the marker behind my ear. I glanced up in time to see Toby hurdle over the fence and jog over to me.

I plastered on the face of someone whose life wasn’t falling apart. Growing up, I’d had so much practice faking a happy facade that smiling through the pain was almost second nature.

“Afternoon, sunshine,” I sang.

Toby stepped back. A line creased between his eyebrows. He wasn’t expecting that reaction. Good. Let him keep guessing about the freight train heading for him.

“Where’s the car?” My tone only got sweeter.

“Parked down the road.” He jerked his head in the direction of the fence. “In case you didn’t notice, a thousand people are here.”

“Oh, and here I was thinking you might have had a little visit from the police.”

“I did.” His lips pressed into a line. “You really reported the car stolen?”

“Well, when you didn’t come home… Can you blame me? I thought something terrible must have happened.” I hated that I’d wasted so much time worrying if that had been the truth. I blotted out the pain and fluttered my eyelashes up at him. “I hope they didn’t cause you too much trouble.”

“No.” His face gave nothing away. “They just asked a few questions.”

My lip curled. What a letdown . I was hoping the guys might’ve taken him in for questioning or put him in the lockup overnight. “Well, Tobias, as you can see, I’ve got a lot going on this afternoon. If you’ll please excuse me.” I forced my sweetest smile. “Ta ta!”

“Gwen.” His hand caught my arm. “We need to talk.”

My eyes narrowed on the fingers he’d curled over my skin. How dare he think I’d waste one breath on him after what he’d done? I yanked my arm free.

“Talk?” My laugh was brittle. “Your opportunity to talk ended after you enjoyed an evening of carnal delights with your darling dental assistant.”

Toby’s mouth dropped open. “I-I never—” He shook his head. “Gwen, please. I know this looks bad, but I swear I never—God— nothing is going on between me and Kay.”

I straightened my spine. I was determined not to let him see that calling that woman by a nickname ripped me in half.

“It’s three-thirty in the afternoon, Toby.

Where have you been? Volunteering at the homeless shelter?

Manning the phones at the crisis center?

” I glared at him, my heart burning with so much anger my fingers twitched.

“You weren’t at work today. You certainly weren’t here checking whether your son was safe after the accident. ”

All the color drained from his face. “Please.” His hand shot out, but I stepped out of his reach. There was no way his filthy hands were touching me. “Didn’t Ian call you?”

“Oh, Ian called me alright.” I laughed. “Pick someone a little more convincing to cover your tracks next time, okay, stud?”

“I wasn’t—that’s not—” A gasped breath did nothing to help Toby get his words out any easier. “My phone—and then—walking—and—and I just felt so fucking weird . And then, Christ… Your messages.” He pressed a hand to his chest and forced in more gasps.

“My messages?” I narrowed my eyes. “Oh, you got them? Funny. You didn’t reply.”

“I read them as soon as I woke up. I listened to your voicemails. Every single one.” He tugged a rough hand through his hair. “Over and over.”

I folded my arms over my chest. “When you woke up?”

“I know how this looks, but…” He shook his head. “Christ, Gwen, I’ve been to hell and back.”

My hands balled into tight fists. That man didn’t know the first thing about being in hell. Standing on the side of the road, helpless, with a baby, and the one person who’d promised to be there in good times and bad nowhere to be found— that was hell.

I hid the rage boiling my blood under a forced smile.

I stepped closer. “Poor Toby.” My arms weaved around his neck, and I arched on my tiptoes so the ice of my voice would spear straight through his thick skull.

When his body melted against mine with a false sense of relief, I whispered, “Too bad the lipstick all over your collar and right here under your ear proves you’re nothing but a fucking liar. ”

Toby’s body went very still. He didn’t even breathe.

I patted his cheek. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, stud, I have all your shit to sell so I can erase you from my life.”

I shoved him away from me, and after I flipped him the bird, I stormed over to unlock the gate. Half an hour early, but who cared?

Let the revenge yard sale commence!