“Nope. I’m moving to Omaha. My fiancé and I got transferred.”
“Well, good luck.”
Before Shelly left, they threw a farewell party for her with sparkling cider and cupcakes—and the guys from the service center seemed really bummed, which told me I had big shoes to fill. But all told, it wasn’t that much different from working in the fine arts building. As the days passed, the work didn’t offer any challenges I couldn’t handle, and I was making progress with the stick shift.
It was Tuesday night, and I was on my way home from a successful day at the dealership. All things considered, I was in a good mood, though I missed hanging out with Rob. He’d texted earlier to tell me that he’d finished the dining room completely. Though it was March, it was still cold enough to snow, as proved by the whiteness spluttering down. My phone buzzed.
Get milk, my mom ordered.
“Yes, ma’am.” I pulled into the Stop & Go parking lot, along with four other cars. In another two minutes, I would’ve passed the store.
After the deepening dusk outside, the lights were so bright that I stood for a few seconds blinking as I wiped my feet. A red-haired woman had her back to me, browsing the snack shelves. From behind, she was slender and graceful, even bundled for cold weather. I have a bad feeling about this. As if she sensed me looking at her, she turned—and across the racks of pastries and engine oil, I locked eyes with Avery Jacobs.
Seeing her with Rob last Thanksgiving had driven me crazy. I’d gone out of my way to avoid her; we hadn’t exchanged more than ten words. But seeing her now that she was Rob’s ex wasn’t any better, especially when I compared us. There was no question she was beautiful: tall and slim, natural red hair, stunning features and cool green eyes. Girls had whispered they must be contacts, but if you peered close enough, there was no telltale ring. Her hair was a little shorter, a few more layers, and if anything, she was even thinner than she had been in November.
Shit. Well, this will be awkward. I swung my gaze away and headed for the freezer at the back of the store. Gallon of milk, coming up. But before I could open it, someone grabbed my arm. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
Pulling free, I said, “Hey, Avery. I didn’t know you were back in town.”
“How can you stand yourself?” she demanded.
“Excuse me?” There was an old man trying to get past me to the beer, so I sidestepped, coming up against the hot dog-and-nacho counter.
“You crashed and burned in Michigan, and then, it wasn’t enough to ruin your life, you had to take a run at mine, too.”
“Look, whatever your friend told you, I have nothing to do with any problems you had with Rob.” It seemed best to get it out in the open.
“Bullshit. My cousin saw him kissing you at the Grove.”
Fucking small town. No question, this looked bad, but I refused to accept the home-wrecker tiara. Whatever my feelings for Rob, I’d indulged none of them while he was taken. “After you broke up, because you accused him of cheating.”
“So I gave him the idea? Rob’s slow, but he’s not clueless. In other words, fuck you.”
I sighed. My feet hurt, and my mom was waiting for the damn milk. “How, exactly, do you see this conversation ending?”
“With you admitting that you’re a bitch and a blight on womankind.”
With some effort, I swallowed a scorching retort, mostly because we were attracting an audience. “Agree to disagree. If you’ll excuse me—” She wrenched on my arm, whirling me around, and it fucking hurt. “Get your hands off me.”
“Don’t walk away. I’m not done talking.”
“Well, I am.”
“Don’t you think you owe me something after stealing my boyfriend? Everyone knows you’re desperate, a college dropout.” Her gaze dropped to my stomach. “Oh, I see. You’re hoping to trick poor Rob into thinking the kid’s his.”
“Nice. And I’m the bitch in this situation?” I spoke the b-word deliberately, and she reacted by slapping me so hard I saw stars.
Lifting a palm, I touched my cheek incredulously. “Did you seriously just hit me?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, I smacked her back. No turning the other cheek. I tried to be fucking reasonable; I tried to leave, but no. She was furious and wanted to kick my ass. So fine, bring it. Avery grabbed my hair and pulled, so I yanked on her earrings. She landed a kick on my shins, which was so third-grade that I rolled my eyes. I stumbled back and laid hands on a cold tray of abandoned nachos. When she came at me, I flung it at her and burst out laughing at her murderous expression as the goopy orange cheese slid down her pretty blue jacket.
“That’s enough out of you crazy bitches,” the cashier shouted. “Keep it up and I call the cops. How’d you like that?”
Avery’s eyes narrowed. She glanced between me and the redneck behind the register. “What did you say to me?”
“I’m wondering if you want to repeat it, too.” I picked up a jar from the aisle next to me. “Because if I heard you right, I’m about to get crazy with the Cheez Whiz.”
Other customers were backing out of the store, and when Avery grabbed a withered old hot dog off the rack like it was a lethal weapon, the clerk actually cowered. What he thought she could do to him with that, I feared to ask. Tonight, I would not be buying milk, obviously. Weighing the situation, I took a few breaths, wondering what Avery would do. She was still glaring at the cashier. I picked up a handful of napkins and wiped the crap off her coat while everyone watched. In my opinion, we’d created enough of a scene.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said.
“No shit.”
Outside, Avery stood, breathing hard, with one fist still clenched around that desiccated wiener. I was surprised when she didn’t immediately tackle me and shove me face-first into the dirty snow. Instead, she hurled it into a distant bank and impressed me, reluctantly, when it sank in to make it look like a phallic Jabba the Hut. Then she let out a bloodcurdling yell. When she spun toward me, I braced for round two, but she didn’t rush me. She only stared.
“What?” I demanded. “You want to trash me some more?”
“Why did you have to ruin everything?” Her plaintive tone made me feel horrible.
I could handle her fury, but the idea that she might be hurting bothered me. Though it was technically true I didn’t cheat with Rob, I’d wanted him while they were together and I’d bonded with him emotionally while she was gone. I couldn’t feel 100 percent good about the situation. Maybe I could explain, set the record straight.