The Tenant (20 page)

Amanda found her mood already improved by the time she was done with the second coating of eggshell on the hallway. Family time and mundane chores were good for forgetting sexy troublemakers. If that didn’t work, she’d call up a couple gym friends and hit the dojo that afternoon. Better her outside be bruised than her inside.

“Living room is good as new!” her sister called out. “Should Mom and I do your room next, or do you wanna do that yourself?”

“I’ll do it. You do Derek’s room.” She froze. Derek’s room. How would she ever be able to think of it as anything other than that?

“That’s the master bedroom, isn’t it?” her dad asked. “Don’t you want to have that done once your new bed arrives?”

“Maybe,” she muttered. “He’ll probably get the walls all smoked up anyway.” But her mood had plummeted again. Even with a new bed and new color scheme, that room would always be the one in which she’d betrayed her future husband and loved every minute of it. How could she lie next to Mason at night…

Worse, how could she lie beneath him, spread herself open for him, knowing she’d be facing the same ceiling that had witnessed her ecstasy, surrounded by the same walls that had echoed her moans for Derek?

“You’re right. We shouldn’t go in there anyway. God only knows what you may catch from touching that guy’s stuff.” She sounded snider than she’d aimed for, but there was a catch in her throat. It got worse when she saw Alice glancing at her with pity.

“I want a break,” her sister said. “Who feels like coffee? Amanda and I can go grab something.”

“I think we all deserve something yummy.” Amanda imitated her sister’s false cheer. “We can even stop for the day and do both bedrooms when Derek’s out for good, huh?”

Her idea was received rather enthusiastically, and it wasn’t long before she made her escape, closely followed by Alice.

“You okay?” her sister asked with the elevator doors closed securely behind them.

“Sure. No. I don’t know. I just felt suffocated. Must have been the paint.”

“Was it? Or was it your choices?”

“Alice!”

“I know, I said I’d shut up about it, but I’m a younger sister. We’re pretty much expected to be obnoxious. And Becca said you weren’t exactly psyched you were wrong about Mason cheating.”

“When did you talk to Becca?”

“Hey! She was my classmate before she was your student. My friend first.”

Amanda shook her head. “She was never my student. She was the pain in my ass, who wouldn’t let the others focus on their katas.” Becca was never into aikido. She’d only chosen the dojo over a gym because Alice had told her some hot guys taught there.

“You realize I won’t let you derail the conversation, right?”

A ping informed them they’d reached the ground floor, and Amanda took advantage of the doors sliding open to put some distance between herself and her persistent sister.

“Won’t let you outrun it, either.” Alice caught up with those long legs of hers. “Amanda, please think of yourself for one minute. What do you
need
?”

“Whatever it is, I’m getting it from Mason now on.” The thought alone made her mouth go dry and her butt go numb, but Alice didn’t have to know that.

“Yeah, if he ever puts out.”

“He will. He’s ready to consummate our relationship.”

“Can you make it sound any more clinical?”

Probably not. Amanda stopped right outside her building and turned to stare her sister out—something not easy when she was shorter than said sister by about half a foot. “What do you want me to say?”

“That you realize you won’t be happy with him. Especially not when you’ve gotten to know a much better alternative! I mean, just last night you were crying over Derek not speaking to you. You can’t get hitched to someone when you spend nights moping over another guy.”

“I wasn’t moping. Alcohol brings me down. And anyway, if I walk away from this wedding, it won’t be because of an alternative. Derek isn’t my prince in shining armor. If I don’t marry Mason it’ll be because I don’t want him, not because I want someone else.”

“But you admit you don’t want him?”

“We were supposed to go for coffee. Mom and Dad will be waiting.”

“Can’t we at least take your car?”

Amanda turned on her heel with a huff and led the way to the nearest Starbucks, trying hard to convince herself she couldn’t hear her sister’s arguments.

•●•

Tuesday, May 13
th
2014

Amanda couldn’t decide what sucked the most, being with her folks or being alone. She’d spent most of the weekend with her parents and Alice, and met up with Becca for another dress fitting on Monday—this time the dress zipped up, but just barely.

Tuesday was another matter. All the people in her life seemed to be busy doing something that didn’t involve her. And yes, she was being irrational, whining about her friends and family having to work on a weekday, but she was the bride to be; she wasn’t supposed to always make sense!

She was downing her second Frappuccino of the day, guiltily indulging on the sweet, creamy taste, when her cell phone began buzzing. She fished for it between two sofa cushions, praying inwardly it wasn’t Mason. He had called daily, asking how she felt, but now that the possibility of sex had arisen, his concern got on her nerves.

“Yes,” she hissed when her fingers finally closed around her phone. Number unknown. Good. She accepted the call and brought it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Hello, is this Ms. Murphy?”

The voice sounded vaguely familiar. “This is she,” she said reluctantly.

“Hello, Ms. Murphy. This is Caitlin Taylor, from the catering.”

Right! Amanda remembered the woman’s smiling face and very pregnant belly. “Oh, hi! Is everything all okay?”

“That’s what I’m calling for. I was gone for a week, and didn’t get your message.”

“My message?”

“About changing to a vegan menu?”

“What…?”

Caitlin went on, as if Amanda hadn’t spoken. “There’s no actual problem; we still have time to make all the changes. I was simply wondering if you’re set on having a dairy free cake. I’d suggest a vegan fruit tart instead.”

Amanda felt her mouth open and close, but no sound came out.

“You’re probably skeptic about it, but it would go with the Luau theme.”

This time Amanda managed to form actual words. “What vegan menu? What Luau theme? What are you talking about?” she asked, unable to control her rising voice. She and Mason had picked every single item on the five-course wedding menu, including the
very
buttery,
very
creamy cake. Neither of them was remotely interested in anything vegan. Either Caitlin had gone crazy or…

Amanda took a slow breath, hoping to regain some of her composure. “Was the message from me, or my fiancé?” she asked, before Caitlin had time to answer any of her previous questions. Amanda knew it was Derek. It had to be. Messing up her remodeling hadn’t been enough. She’d kill him when he came back!

“I’m guessing he didn’t run things by you?” Caitlin’s voice sounded timid, and despite her own panic, Amanda felt bad for the woman.

“It wasn’t him,” she said, trying to keep her tone as light as possible. “My ex is trying to cause trouble at the wedding. I’m glad you called. Saved us a lot of trouble.” She faked a chuckle. Panic was choking her now, but she refused to let it overtake her. “Can we please go with the original menu we discussed?” She crossed her fingers the answer wouldn’t be negative.

“Of course.” Caitlin’s relief was audible. “You can come by for another tasting, if you’d like.”

The control freak in Amanda wanted to say she’d like to have several of those, but she shook her head even though Caitlin couldn’t see her. “It’s okay. As long as we stick to our initial plan, it’ll all be okay.”

And wasn’t that the truth in general?

She craved Meat Lover’s pizza, but the memory of the zipper struggling to close made her opt for yoghurt instead. She dragged her feet to the fridge, threw the door open, and her eyes watered at the smell of meat and cheese gone bad.

Weirdly, that gave her mood the boost it needed. Yoghurt be damned. Derek would pay for what he’d done, with the loss of his gruyere and prosciutto.

Though he’d have lost them just as much if she’d eaten them, and then her stomach wouldn’t be complaining.

She decided to help herself to Alice’s apartment. Alice rarely had any food in her refrigerator, but she loved dairy products. Amanda tried calling first, but there was no answer.

“Going by your place for some yoghurt,” she texted when she was right outside Alice’s door.

She thought she heard something as she pushed the key inside the lock, but didn’t pay any attention. Alice had probably left a window open.

Amanda couldn’t have been prepared for the sight waiting for her in her sister’s living room. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, to hold back her laughter.

Alice had apparently left
her legs
open, and wrapped around a guy’s naked ass.

They showed no sign they’d heard her, but Amanda stammered, “Sorry,” anyway, and backtracked the hell out of there. She closed the door behind her and let a small giggle escape, pleasantly surprised at the happy sound. At least her sister was getting some—and that had been a nice ass. Nice back too. Lucky Alice!

The memory of Derek’s naked body covering her own killed her mirth.

God, that man was destroying her life, bit by bit.

And
she was still hungry!

Wednesday, May 14
th
2014

Derek tried to be quiet as a mouse when he entered the apartment in the small hours. He almost failed when he saw Amanda on the couch, covered with a thin summer blanket. She lay on her side, one arm folded under her head, and for a moment, Derek thought she was watching him, but then her soft snoring reached his ears. He smiled, despite himself. She’d kill him if he mentioned she snored.

He left his suitcase by the kitchen counter and approached carefully. He hadn’t gotten much chance to study her face when she was as relaxed as she was now. The surviving table lamp bathed her face in a sweet yellow light, and Derek could easily imagine her napping on a meadow, surrounded by wildflowers. She’d be at home there, wild and beautiful as she was. Her eyelashes were long, even without mascara, and her skin—naked of makeup—glowed with health. She seemed so serene.

So fall-in-love-able.

Stupid thing to think.

A tuft of golden hair lay against her cheek, and Derek brushed it to the side.

Stupid thing to do.

He got no warning other than a flutter of her eyelids, and he was on his knees, his arm folded behind his back, his index finger twisted at a harsh angle.

“Hey! It’s me!” he said, waiting to hear bone break or ligament tear.

Recognition lit her gaze, and she let up just a little bit. “Sorry,” she said in a tone indicating she was anything but. “I don’t like people touching my face when I don’t expect it.”

“Yeah, my bad. Can I get up now?”

She narrowed her eyes and gave one last hard tug before letting him go. “You’re a bastard,” she said.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry.” He got on his feet and pretended the entire right side of his body wasn’t in pain.

“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it! You’ve been acting all friendly and flirting with me—”

She jumped to her feet, and Derek gave her boxer shorts and tank top an appreciative once over. The woman obviously disliked being clothed!

But she was still talking.

“—while going behind my back to destroy my wedding. A luau? Rearranging the refurbishment crews?”

He
really
shouldn’t be grinning, but he loved how she looked when she was mad at him. Her hair disheveled, eyes sparkling but still hooded with sleep, lips begging to be kissed…

“Why does my misery make you so happy?”She obviously misunderstood his expression.

“It doesn’t—” He could see there was no convincing her that wasn’t true. And a few days ago, it had been.