Chapter 9
Mallorie Jade
I’m wearing the blazer my mother bought me and attending an interview she scheduled.
What is wrong with me, you ask? My mother said please. That’s what’s wrong with me.
I left here determined to do the opposite of everything she wanted for me, and now I’m back—following a line she’s drawn. But somehow, I don’t hate it like I did when I was sixteen. I think it’s because, in her own way, she’s finally seeing me.
My shoes pound against the pavement as I pick up my speed. I’m not late—I’m just not early. My inability to be on time for anything used to drive Hayes crazy when I’d tag along with him and Langston. He never made me feel bad about it, but there was always a twitch in his eye that would get worse with each minute I ran behind. I used to do it on purpose just to watch it.
The A/C blasts me in the face as I open the door and step into a school that holds practically no fond memories for me—besides one, but that was in the parking lot, not the school. Plus, I’m not sure if I view it so fondly anymore.
Chatter comes from the office door to my right, and I pivot to head in that direction, gearing myself up for an interview I’m not ready for.
It turns out I’m not ready for more than the interview, though, because when I step into the office, a familiar tall blonde greets me with a smile so fake I want to gouge my eyeballs out from just looking at it.
“Hi, Mallorie Jade. It’s nice to see you again.” It’s what her mouth says, but her eyes say, “I was hoping I never had to have a second encounter with you.”
Same, Lily. Same.
Pasting on my best socialite smile—I guess that Southern Belle training came in handy after all—I step up to the counter she’s standing behind.
“Lily, right?” I ask, trying my hardest to remain polite as her eyes throw daggers at me.
Nodding, she says, “Yeah, we met the other day with Hayes. He’s such a great guy.”
Those daggers turn to hearts as she daydreams about Hayes, and it takes everything in me not to puke right here in front of her.
Gag. Me.
“Yeah, great. Anyway,” I say, needing to change the topic because I really might puke. “I’m here for an interview with the principal. Would she happen to be around?”
A funny look passes over Lily’s face before a smile crosses her lips. Maybe it’s my imagination, but it looks a little sinister.
In a voice that can only be described as sickly sweet, Lily says, “Oh, that’s me. You have an interview with me. I’m ready when you are. Want to step into my office?”
Heat creeps up my neck and into my cheeks.
My mother sent me in blind.
Had I known Lily was the principal, I probably wouldn’t have come, and from my reaction at the coffee shop to both Hayes and Lily, she had to have known that.
Gritting my teeth, I step around the counter and follow Lily as she leads me to her office.
“Why don’t you sit,” she says, gesturing to the seat in front of her desk as she shuts her door behind us.
Taking my seat, I cross my legs and uncross them as I wait for her to seat herself in front of me.
“So, MJ—Hayes has told me so much about you. I feel like I practically know you already.”
Anger roots itself deep in my stomach. What I want to say is “funny because he hasn’t said anything about you,” but that would be rude and unfair. I haven’t spoken with Hayes in years. We don’t know each other anymore, and even if we did, we wouldn’t have the type of relationship where we would tell each other about the new people in our lives. It might actually kill me if he were to do that, so instead, I say, “That’s nice,” and wait for her to ask the first question for the interview.
And while I wait, I secretly rage inside because the truth is, I don’t want Hayes telling this woman anything about me. I’m positive he has nothing good to say, and selfishly, I want our story to be just that—ours. I don’t want the outside world to taint it any more than it already is. But I guess that’s what happens when you move on—you let the new people in on your life—the good, the bad, and the really, really bad.
My relationship with Hayes, or lack thereof, falls into the last category. Healthy relationships mean sharing who you are and the parts of your life that turned you into that person, or so I’ve been told. I’ve never had a healthy relationship, so it’s not my forte. I can’t blame Hayes for telling Lily about me, but I want to.
Lily clears her throat, and I realize I’ve been spacing out. I missed her first question.
Wincing, I say, “I’m sorry. Can you repeat that? I missed it.”
She gives me a disapproving look but repeats the question anyway, scribbling something down in her notebook as she does. “What made you come back to Benton Falls?”
The question catches me off guard.
“Oh—um—is this part of the interview?” I ask.
“Not necessarily, but curious minds and all,” she says, that fake smile on her lips again.
“I needed a change.” The answer is vague but true all the same. I did need a change. I just won’t be disclosing why I needed that change to someone like Lily. I can imagine her running back to Hayes, telling him everything that happened in this interview, and my reason for returning home is not something I want him to know.
She makes a non-commital sound in her throat, and I try my best not to fidget in my seat. This woman doesn’t intimidate me, but she’s starting to make me angry.
“Can we start with the interview questions now?” I ask, losing patience by the second.
“Yes, yes,” she replies, ignoring the irritation in my voice. “Let’s see—let’s start with how you think you will be able to transition to a school position when you worked in a high-paced environment previously.”
With my resume in hand, she lets her eyes roam down the paper, reviewing my prior experience. There’s only one job there, and she’s right, it was fast-paced—but I’m not looking for that type of environment anymore. It nearly broke me. There were so many people I couldn’t save—but the last one almost pushed me over the edge.
Not wanting to think about it, I give a subtle shake of my head to clear the memories and then answer her question. “I would counter you by saying kids are fast-paced and almost as unpredictable as an ER. You never know what will come out of their mouths.”
Lily looks up from her notepad, tapping the pen against her lips. One of her eyebrows raises as she stares at me, and I shrug a shoulder. I’m not sure what answer she was looking for, but it was the truth.
“Look, I’m going to be frank,” she says, putting her pen down on top of her notepad, “This interview is a courtesy to your mother, but I’m not sure you’re the right—mmm—fit for the position.”
Sitting straight up, I dig my fingernails into the armrests of the chair. “And why, might I ask, do you feel that way?”
My voice is calm and collected, but my eyes tell a different story. I’m positive I’m glaring at her. Frustration ripples through me.
Lily listened to the town’s rumors instead of making her own judgment of me.
“Your resume is—lacking, and honestly, I question your dedication to this town.”
I grit my teeth, trying not to explode. “You don’t even know me.”
Lily stands up primly, smoothing out her skirt, “I know enough.”
The snort slips out before I can stop it, but dang it, I’m tired of being judged by what people think they know about me. Standing, I walk to the door Lily has opened for me, and I stop in front of her. She towers over me, looking down with pure distaste, curling her lip.
“I am more than the rumors you know about me. I’ve spent the last five years of my life learning to put others above myself so that I can save their lives, first in nursing school and then in my job. But if you really want to know my story, it’s actually been longer than that. I’ve been doing it my whole life, and I know what it’s like to lose the person you were trying to save—sometimes in death and sometimes in other ways. Maybe I don’t have a lot of work experience, but I can tell you that I have a lot of life experience that makes me more than qualified for this position. But I can see that you’ve already made up your mind about me, so I won’t spend more time trying to convince you otherwise.”
I walk through the door she’s holding open for me with my shoulders pulled back. I won’t let her be another person who drags me down. Halfway out of the main office, I hear Lily call my name. I’m tempted to keep walking until I’m out of this town that’s always pushed me out, but something in her voice causes me to stop.
Spinning on my heel, I turn to face her. She stands at the counter, just like when I walked in. Her lip is still curled in distaste, but indecision swirls in her eyes. I don’t say anything as I wait with my arms crossed over my chest.
“The board vote is in three weeks. I’m not saying you have the position, but I’ll at least take it to the board.”
There isn’t much left to say, so I nod once and follow my path out the door. Only once I’m outside do I allow myself one deep breath. There are so many reasons this position isn’t right for me.
Lily. The high school. Nursing in general.
Those things should make me run screaming, but I find myself wanting this job for a reason I can’t explain.
But God and I both know I’m always wanting the wrong things.
______________________
That interview was exactly the disaster I thought it would be, but at least I’m coming out of it with the possibility of direction. And that is enough for me right now.
When I got home, my mom was gone—which was surprising. I thought she would be sitting in the foyer waiting for all the details, grilling me on what I said and critiquing what I did say, but the house was blissfully empty.
Now I’m in my room, and if I don’t get this blazer off, I might suffocate.
Pulling it off my arms, I chuck it across the room and grab a sweatshirt and leggings.
It’s only noon. Dad is probably at the hospital, and Mom is likely at the country club, so I have the house to myself for at least the next couple of hours.
What will I do with my time?
The answer should be to look for any house listings in the area now that I have a potential job, but that is, in fact, not the answer I’m going with.
Walking out of my bedroom, I descend the stairs into the family room. Langston and I are the only people who have ever used this room. It’s one of the smaller ones in the house with a projector screen and theater seats. It was always one of my favorite places to hide from my parents—and sometimes myself.
I guess old habits die hard.
At this point, hiding should be my middle name.
The screen flickers to life, and with the remote in my hand, I click through the channels. I’ve only been searching for a minute when the doorbell chimes.
I’m tempted to ignore it—to continue to hide—but it would be rude.
Sighing, I stand up and toss the remote on my seat.
“I’ll be back for you,” I say aloud.
And I have to get a life. I’m twenty-seven and talking to a remote.
The family room is at the back of the house, so it takes a few minutes before I reach the front, and during that time, the doorbell rings no less than ten times.
Whoever it is is annoying. That should have been my first warning to ignore the person on the other side.
Turning the knob, I swing the door open, and regret seeps into my soul.
Hayes stands on the other side, sporting two black eyes and a smirk. That smirk makes me wish I hit him harder.
The bruises under his eyes and across the bridge of his nose are starting to turn yellow, and in a few days, they won’t be visible at all.
Too bad.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“I came to collect my reward,” he says, a smile that causes my chest to tighten, slipping onto those perfect lips.
Nope—not going there. I will not think about Hayes’s lips anymore, especially not the way they are just plump enough to fit perfectly against mine.
No. Get it together.
“About that,” I say, dragging my eyes up to his and keeping them there so I don’t lose my mind again and fantasize about his lips, “I decided you cheated, and I’m not going.”
The corner of his eyes crinkle. I think he’s smiling, but nope—not looking at those lips.
“Oh, MJ, you act like you have a choice.”
I’m about to ask what he means by that when he leans forward and throws me over his shoulder. It’s like an instant replay of the first time he kissed me.
“Put me down, you big oaf,” I say, squirming in his arms, but it’s useless. He just tightens his hold. “You can’t just manhandle people like this.”
“And you can’t hit people with a tire iron, yet here we are.”
The jab is made as he deposits me in the passenger seat of his truck and slams the door.
Truly, it’s like I’ve lived this day before. The next thing you know, he’ll be scooting across the bench seat of this truck he’s had since he was sixteen and leaning in to kiss me. Only nope, there’s no way that’s happening—not this time.
I don’t have to worry about it, though, because he jumps in his truck, starts the engine, and takes off down the pristine driveway. Ironically, it’s one of my favorite places in this town. Trees line the pavement, making it look enchanted. Too bad it leads to the house of a villain—or maybe it’s a reformed villain because lately, my mom doesn’t seem so bad.
“This is kidnapping. As a cop, you should know that,” I say, poking the bear.
Hayes ignores me, so I try a different tactic—one that he could never say no to before. I let myself be vulnerable.
“I’m not ready to go with you, Hayes,” I say, my voice nearly a whisper.
Without warning, he pulls the truck over to the side of the road. Once we’re stopped, he turns to me, and I can practically feel the air thrumming with tension.
“It’s been six years, Mallorie Jade,” he says, tracing his fingers over mine. The contact sends a shiver over my skin, and I pull my hand back to sit it in my lap. That contact—the way he steals my breath every time he’s around—is what got us in trouble the last time. I can’t lose my head around him anymore. “It’s time. He deserves a visit.”
Heaving a sigh, I nod, and he turns back to the steering wheel, driving us back onto the road toward a place where I’ll have no choice but to let Hayes see all of my brokenness.