Always and Forever (7 page)

“No! Ry, seriously, I’m sure he’s gonna tell you what he needs, and, oh, let’s hope
his needs involve you between his sheets.”

She laughs nervously. “God help me if it’s that ‘cause I haven’t had any in so long,
I’d probably jump on him right here in the chair. Meet me at Jen’s after you get back
from Amelia’s and we’ll talk about what you find out and about Mike. It’s Thirsty
Thursday! Oh, and heads up. Peyton and her gang are talking about Brody’s ‘pity’ bid
for you.”

“Pity bid? Pity for me or the city?” What the hell?

“I don’t know. Both maybe? Blow it off. They don’t matter. We’ll talk tonight. ‘Kay,
gotta go! Mrs. Ralston’s waiting for me to mix her color so she can keep rocking the
blue. Bye!”

I snort at that as I hang up. Mrs. Ralston had been our middle school principal and
has gone with the old lady blue hair thing for years now. Ryan’s said she’s tried
telling her there are other dyes she can use but Mrs. Ralston has been adamant about
sticking with what she knows and stubbornly continues the 70s legacy of cobalt coiffures.
And Thirsty Thursday? Jen’s offers three free drinks to women every Thursday which
Ryan and I have taken advantage of for years.

And P.S. I hate Peyton.

~~~

I close up at six then run home to change into jeans and a sweater, grab the chocolate
lovin’ spoon cake I made (which is fucking amazing, I tell you) then head out to Amelia
and Kade’s. I drive the two miles north and three east to the gorgeous old Victorian
house where they live but once I pull up the long drive, I find I’m suddenly nervous.
What if I talk to them and find there’s really nothing that’s gone on and Brody broke
up with me because he broke up with me? What if he decided he didn’t love me anymore
and wanted to find someone new? Crap. In all this time, I haven’t even let my mind
go there. Nope. Egotistical little me has always thought it couldn’t just be me. It
had to be something else. And now as I get out of my car and go around to get the
cake out of the passenger side, I find I’m kind of terrified.

“Hey, Piper!” Amelia says with a big smile from the back door which instantly calms
me down.

“Hey,” I answer, smiling back as I walk up the porch steps.

“Oh, God, that looks absolutely evil.” She nods toward my hands indicating the cake.

I laugh. “It’s pretty wicked.”

“I’ll bet. Come on in.” She holds the door for me then leads me through the mudroom
and into the kitchen then takes the cake placing it on the counter. “Let me take your
jacket.”

While she goes back to the mudroom to hang it up, Kade comes in looking hotter than
ever.

“Hey, Pipe. What’s up?” he asks, coming over to hug me.

Kade’s four years older and has been like a big brother to me. He was mostly gone
the first nine years Brody and I were together because of his SEAL duties but he’s
always treated me as if I’m one of the family. He now kisses the top of my head and
pulls away and I watch as his eyes light up when Amelia comes back into the kitchen
which makes me sigh wishing I still had a man look at me that way.

“So, you ready to put the steaks on, handsome?” Amelia asks him with a flirty smile.

“Babe,” he says and moves to her, wrapping her in his arms and bending down to give
her a hot kiss. Dang. When he pulls away, she looks up at him as if he hung the moon,
trailing a finger down over his close-cut beard. After they’re finished ogling each
other, she gets the tray the steaks are on out of the fridge and hands it to him then
lets out a yelp when he swats her on the ass before he heads outside.

“God. I don’t know what I was thinking leaving him all those years ago,” she says
almost dreamily as she stares at the door Kade just went out, and I’m glad Ryan’s
not here because I know she’d put a finger in her mouth and act like she’s gagging.

I chuckle at the thought which brings Amelia out of her musings.

“Sorry! I know we act like a couple of teenagers but a lot of time was lost and we’re
working on making it up,” she says with a grin. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

“Sure,” I answer as she pulls a couple glasses out of the cabinet. “I’m really happy
for you two. Things just seemed off when you were apart.”

“Thanks, Piper,” she says as she pulls a bottle from a little wine refrigerator that’s
under a cabinet next to the big fridge. “That five years we weren’t together, I thought
I knew what I was doing but looking back, I know I was completely lost.” She uses
an electric corkscrew to open the bottle then pours me a glass handing it to me. “I
know it sounds so cheesy,” she rolls her eyes and chuckles, “but I feel ‘found’ now
that I’m back with him.” She pours her own glass then laughs. “God. Tell me to shut
up.”

I snort. “No, you’re right. Like I said, it was like the universe was out of balance
until you two got back together.”

She answers sarcastically, “Yeah, like the ocean without the moon to bring in the
tide.”

“Like the earth didn’t rotate the whole time you weren’t together,” I reply with a
grin.

“Like Hostess when they got rid of Twinkies.”

“And when they brought them back but now they taste like shit,” I answer.

We both laugh.

“Oh, lord. How in love am I?” She takes a drink then I see her face get serious when
she lowers her glass. “But, really, how are you?”

I lean against the counter. “As good as I can be, I guess.” I shrug then putting my
glass to my lips say before taking a drink, “Is wanting to rip Brody’s testicles off
a bad thing?”

She chuckles as she pulls baked potatoes out of the oven and sets the cookie sheet
on the stovetop turning off the oven. “Nope, not at all. I get it. And what he said
Saturday night totally deserves that action. I can’t believe the way he acted.”

“I think he was embarrassed when you guys walked up.” I’ve thought about this a lot
and still haven’t found a clear answer for what he said. “You need any help?”

“Can you get the butter and sour cream out and put them in those little bowls by the
microwave?”

I do what she requests as I tell her, “But it
was
a dick thing to say.”

“I agree.” She grabs a head of lettuce, a tomato and cucumber out of the fridge and
sets them on a cutting board on the counter. “You might be right. Maybe he was embarrassed.”
She runs the veggies under the tap. “I don’t know why, though. He knows Kade and I
think you belong together.”

I spoon the sour cream and butter into the dishes. “What else can I do?”

“There’s some asparagus in the veggie bin if you wanna get it going. Use the butter
you got out. Thought I’d sauté it. There’s a clove of garlic in the basket by the
sink and pans are down there.” She points to a drawer then continues with the salad.

I get this all going as we talk about the store and the trips I’ll be making this
year then she tells me that she’s possibly found another accountant for the firm she’s
trying to get up and running. Well, it’s not quite a firm yet but it’s getting there
as she’s taken on the accounts of several businesses in town including Kade’s lumberyard.
On top of that, she owns and runs Hale’s Garage but has left most of it to an older
couple she’s hired. When Kade comes in with the steaks, we’ve just finished everything
and set the dishes on the table.

Once seated, our conversation flows easily but I can feel myself getting nervous again
as I prepare to ask them my questions. When Amelia cuts the cake and puts it on plates
for us I feel like it’s the right time and go for it.

“So, why exactly did Brody break up with me?”

Kade chokes on his beer and Amelia sets down her fork and bites her lips.

“Well, I can see this is going to go smoothly,” I state before I take a sip of wine.

I hear Kade mumble, “The fuck?” and see him giving Amelia a scary look. Whoops. Guess
she forgot to tell him why I was there.

Amelia clears her throat. “Kade, I thought it was time Piper knew what happened.”

“Not our story to tell, Mill,” he says a little too dangerously for my taste making
me sit up straighter at his tone.

“But it’s been over a year and—” she begins when he cuts her off.

“Not our story.”

“Kade, look,” I start and he turns his look on me. Yikes. I swallow thickly and continue.
“I—I don’t know what happened.” Tears sting the backs of my eyes as I look at him.
“Did… did he just… fall out of love with me?” I whisper the last part because it’s
hard to say. Hard to hear out loud. I feel a tear slip down my cheek and wipe it away
quickly, upset that I’m letting this affect me so much.

“Christ,” I hear him mutter.

“Kade…” Amelia says and I look to see she’s teary-eyed too.

He takes a deep breath and turns to me. “You wanna know the truth, Pipe, go to Brody.
Don’t know why he didn’t tell you in the first place, the dumbfuck, but he didn’t.
Took me forever to share with Mill, so you know it’s big.”

“Does it,” I clear my throat, “have something to do with Peyton?”

Kade purses his lips and looks back at Amelia as he breathes in deeply through his
nose then lets it out. He gives her a nod and I glance her way.

“It does,” she confirms as she wipes her ring fingers under her eyes. “And you know
she’s a horrible person, so I’d be careful, Piper.”

“Okay, I will.” Then I let it go. At least I’ve gotten a lead but now I don’t want
to make them uncomfortable any more than I already have.

“So, how ‘bout those Cubs?” I turn to Kade and ask.

He barks out a laugh. “Not bad. For now. Give it some time.”

I start laughing because he is not wrong. “I saw in the power rankings they’re doing
better than your Yankees.”

He snorts. “Like I said, give it some time.”

And suddenly everything’s back to normal.

Chapter 6

“I knew that skank had something to do with it!” Ryan says then downs the rest of
her Zombie. She always makes us order these because they’re strong and, as she says,
“We don’t want to waste our free drinks on pussy stuff.”

I’d left Kade and Amelia’s after helping clean up and leaving the cake with them because
Kade said it was “the shit” and I wanted to make it up to him for putting him on the
spot like I had with my choice of conversation. I’d walked from my house to Jen’s
and Ry and I are now getting our drink on.

“Seems like she’s always behind the bad shit in this town,” I mutter then take a drink.

“For real. I’m just gonna go ahead and blame her for the last couple hurricanes that
have come through.”

This makes me snort. “So how do you think we should approach this?”

“I don’t know. I can hold her at gunpoint and you ask the questions.”

I now laugh. “No, seriously.”

“I’m
being
serious. Or I can tie her in one of my salon chairs and threaten to dye her hair
green if she doesn’t spill the beans.”

“Then she’d think she was that Kardashian chick and act like she was awesome, behaving
even more like a bitch.” I take a drink. “Do you think I should just ask her? I mean,
she’s here and all.”

Ryan shrugs. “Probably isn’t a bad idea. But I’m going with you.”

I look over at the table where Peyton sits with her clique of fellow divorcees. They’re
all blonde and gorgeous and bitchy. One is Stacia Mackie, one of the hags who asked
me if it was okay if she asked Brody out after our breakup, then there’s Kensley Hubbard
who’s in her forties so Ryan and I secretly call her Kensley the Cougar. Yep. We’re
the mature ones, we are. And the last to round up the catty quartet is Sarah Foster
who’s lived here for as long as I can remember. She’s a year older than I am and I
remember her as being sweet in high school but I guess she’s changed since she’s hanging
with that crowd now. She works at Sanderson Insurance Agency in town as a receptionist
and I’ve had to talk to her a couple times and she seemed nice enough over the phone
but you never know.

“I need a little more encouragement,” I say and take another drink.

“Oh, God,” I hear Ryan whisper and I look at her to see her eyes aimed at the front
door and they’re bugging out of her head.

“What?” I ask and twist on my barstool to see Mike heading our way. I turn back to
Ryan. “You’re good. Relax.”

“Forgot to tell you he didn’t say anything today when I was cutting his hair because
I had five people waiting and I guess he didn’t want them to hear,” she mumbles then
she’s looking up because he’s at our table.

“Ladies. What’s on the agenda tonight?” he asks with a sexy smile.

I shrug. “Drinking the liquid torture Ryan forces on me every Thursday.” I snort when
she kicks me under the table.

I check out Mike and appreciate the fact that he’s pretty handsome. He’s around Kade’s
age, which is four years older than Ryan and I are, and he’s actually built a lot
like Kade, around six-four and very muscular. He’s got dark hair that’s longish on
top and he wears it slicked back, David Beckham style. Right now some of it’s gotten
loose and is hanging over his forehead and, yeah, he’s hot.

“So, Ryan, how ‘bout I give you a call tomorrow and we can set something up for this
weekend?”

Yes! Totally using this to ask her out.

Ryan nods shyly which makes me bite my lips because the girl is anything but shy.
“Okay,” she whispers and I now want to laugh because she’s acting so demurely.

He smiles at her then echoes, “Okay.” He turns to me then back to her. “You ladies
have fun tonight.” And then he’s gone.

I watch as he walks through the crowd, his broad shoulders covered in flannel looking
huge compared to some of the dudes in here and his denim covered ass isn’t bad to
watch either.

Ryan’s turned on her barstool to watch him too then twists back to face me. “Oh, my
God. He’s freaking hot!”

“Agreed. I can’t wait to see where he’s gonna take you!” We both squeal and clink
our glasses together before taking a drink.

Over the next thirty minutes, a few friends come by our table and say hi and then
I’m ready. I drink the rest of my third Zombie, look at Ryan and dip my head toward
Peyton’s table. “No time better than the present.” I hop down from my barstool and
jerk my head motioning her to come with me.