Revenge of the Sunshine (Love & Spite #1)

Chapter 1

Zoe

I look at the ominous text that I got two hours ago.

Mom: Call me at lunch. It’s important.

From my mother, this could mean anything.

It could mean someone died…or it could mean something completely innocuous.

Last time she sent a message like this, my dad had pneumonia.

The previous time, there was a product recall for something I’d never heard of.

And the time before that? She saw a groundhog.

Yet despite the text, there’s a spring in my step as I head to a park near the office. It’s the last Friday in September, and the weather is beautiful. Once I talk to my mother, I’ll be able to enjoy my lunch break. Hopefully.

My favorite bench—under a maple tree that’s just beginning to turn red—is empty. Perfect! I take a seat, then set my food beside me and give her a call.

“Zoe,” she says. “Finally.”

“You said lunchtime, and it’s twelve fifteen.” And if I’d called right after she’d texted, she would have gotten annoyed with me for not doing as she asked.

She clicks her tongue, and my heart rate kicks up as I wait for her to explain why she needs to speak to me.

“Can I donate your black dress?” she asks at last.

I shut my eyes and sigh. Hopefully, she doesn’t hear that. Why couldn’t she have just asked in a text? Or told me that she had a minor question, rather than making me worry? I’ve tried to explain this to her before, but she doesn’t seem to get it. “Which one?”

“You got it from Le Chateau, I think, and wore it to a semi-formal in grade eleven. You know, the time you had a secret boyfriend.”

Her voice still holds a hint of annoyance for something I did over a decade ago.

My brother and I were forbidden from dating in high school, so when I started seeing someone, I didn’t tell her.

When she found out, she was furious, and more than ten years later, she hasn’t fully gotten over it.

There are even a few incidents from when I was a small child that she holds against me.

I don’t understand. It sounds exhausting.

From a young age, I swore I’d never be like my mom. I wouldn’t resent people for minor things they did years ago. I would forgive and move on; I would look forward and not back.

I don’t address her comment about the secret boyfriend. “Sure, you can donate it. I didn’t know you still had it.”

We talk for a few more minutes before I end the call. Then I send a text to my brother and open up my lunch.

Although it’s the first week of autumn, it still feels like summer, but soon the weather will begin to cool.

It’s a wonderful time of year to have a boyfriend.

Being part of a couple makes the fall season even better, and unlike last September, I do have a boyfriend to cuddle up with me as the weather gets chillier.

Clifton Chung and I have been together for five months.

Tomorrow, we’re going to a cidery north of the city, and I have lots of plans for things we can do in the next several weeks to enjoy the fall.

Apple picking. A pumpkin patch. And then there’s the couples Halloween costume competition.

It might take a little coaxing, but I’m sure Clifton will agree to participate. I love dressing up.

When I finish my food, I close my eyes and tip my head toward the sun, enjoying the warm—but not oppressively hot—air on my skin. Just a few more minutes before I return to the office, and after work, I’m having happy hour drinks with a friend.

It’s going to be a great weekend. I can just feel it.

My phone vibrates.

Karina: Sorry, I’m really not feeling well. I won’t be able to make it tonight.

Oh no! I ask if she wants me to grab her anything, but she assures me she just needs sleep. I hope she feels better soon. Maybe we can meet up next Friday instead.

Still, I’m looking forward to the weekend, and I’m determined to make the most of it.

At six o’clock, I walk out of the elevator and head toward the apartment that I share with my best friend.

I’ve known her since grade two. I had to switch schools because my family moved, and it was a little terrifying to be the new girl, but Macy befriended me immediately. We’ve been close ever since.

I turn the key in the lock and step inside. I can’t wait to change out of my work clothes and put on a nice pair of fuzzy pants. I slip off my shoes and—

Wait. What’s that sound?

There shouldn’t be anyone here. Macy took the day off to visit her sister in Belleville, and she’s not supposed to be back until Sunday.

I suck in a breath. Is there an intruder?

No, it’s more likely that Macy didn’t go to Belleville after all—maybe her sister, like Karina, is sick—though it’s weird she didn’t text me about the change in plans. Still, I grip the keys in my hand, just in case I need to stab someone in a ski mask.

“Macy?” I say as I step down the hall toward the kitchen.

No response.

But there’s a repetitive slapping sound, like…skin against skin?

I turn the corner and shriek.

There, on a kitchen chair, is Macy. Naked. She’s bouncing up and down on very familiar man, and her response to my shriek is delayed, like she’s stuck in a sex bubble. But then she freezes, and her eyes widen in horror. As do mine.

Because yeah, I just walked in on my roommate and my boyfriend.

“What the fuck?” I say. “What the fuck?”

I’m incapable of speaking any other words. I press a hand to my chest and step backward.

Macy jumps up. “I thought you were having happy hour drinks?” she says accusingly, as though I’m the one in the wrong here.

I cover my eyes and turn away. “How long has this been happening?”

“It started today,” she says, at the same time as Clifton says, “One month.”

For fuck’s sake.

I glance at my former boyfriend. I’ve seen him fully naked many, many times before, but now, the sight hurts my eyes.

“In case it’s not clear,” I say, “we’re over. Put on some damn clothes.” To my satisfaction, my voice is crisp and commanding, even though I feel light-headed.

I stalk into my bedroom, shut the door, and lean back against it. I’m trembling; I need a moment to compose myself.

Clifton and Macy?

I won’t be able to get that image out of my head for a long, long time, and the idea of staying in this apartment makes me want to shriek again.

What. The. Hell.

I pull my large suitcase out of the closet and begin throwing things into it. I can’t think straight; I just know that I have to leave and should pack anything I might need. Socks. Underwear. T-shirts. Blouses. Work pants. Jeans. Pajamas. Laptop and tablet and skincare products.

“I didn’t mean for you to find out like that.”

I jump at Macy’s voice. She’s standing in the doorway, wearing shorts and a T-shirt—at least she’s clothed. I glare at her.

“How did you mean for me to find out?” I ask sarcastically.

She twists her hands together and doesn’t answer my question. “I didn’t intend for this to happen, Zoe, I swear. It’s just…he came by to surprise you last month. You weren’t home, and he opened up to me about some of the problems in your relationship. One thing led to another and…well.”

She looks a little embarrassed, but she hasn’t apologized. She’s acting like it’s just something that transpired, something outside her control.

It pisses me off.

“The problems in our relationship?” I clench my jaw. “The biggest problem is that he’s fucking my best friend!” I pause before amending that statement. “Former best friend.”

I can’t fully wrap my head around this. I’ve known Macy for twenty-three years. How could she do this to me? I’d never dream of sleeping with one of her exes, even after they’d broken up, but clearly, she viewed our friendship a little differently.

I toss a few more things in my suitcase and start zipping it up. The zipper sticks.

“Fuck!” I cry.

Fortunately, I get it moving again a moment later. I’m glad something is going my way.

“Where will you stay?” Macy asks as I roll the suitcase out of my bedroom.

“Why do you care?” I shoot back.

“You don’t sound like yourself right now. I’m worried about you.” She touches my shoulder, and I flinch.

“I’ll be fine.” I grit my teeth.

I shove my feet into my running shoes, grab the heels I was wearing earlier, and glance toward the other end of the apartment. Clifton is casually sitting on the couch in his boxers. What did I ever see in that asshole?

I’m about to leave when my gaze snags on his phone, sitting on the floor. I guess it ended up there when they tore off each other’s clothes. I should have noticed it—and his shoes—when I arrived ten minutes ago.

Impulsively, I lunge for the phone and hurry out the door.

Well, so much for having a great weekend…and a cozy autumn with a boyfriend.

I can’t believe I was so wrong about everything.