22
She got just south of Tacoma and it hit her so hard she had to pull off the road. Up to that point she’d been so involved in just leaving, in getting the hell away from Sweet Hollow Ranch and out of Oregon, that she’d held the tears off.
In the parking lot of a suburban mini mall in front of a chain Italian restaurant she cried so hard she thought she might throw up.
Five hours ago she’d never been happier. She could envision this man and his family in her life. She was loved.
Had been loved.
Maybe.
Never.
She didn’t know what to do. She sat there in her rental car in the bleak, gray northwest November weather and stared for so long she wasn’t sure how much time had passed.
Her first instinct had been to call in the cavalry. To tell Daisy about all this. And then she hesitated because the last thing she could endure at that moment was to have an I-told-you-so moment. Especially when it was deserved.
She’d walked out on a job. Even if he had been a cheating bastard, she’d taken money and didn’t deliver her promised services. She’d send the money back when she got home.
First thing though, she blocked Damien from her cell. If he came back and found she’d gone, he might try to call, and if she heard his voice she’d lose it. No, it was better to ice him out so hard he got the point right away.
She didn’t look at her screen because his picture was there with his number. Once that was done she took a deep breath and got back on the freeway.
Though she felt guilty for slinking back home without telling anyone, she needed to be alone for a while. She grabbed her camp chair and a blanket and headed out, up to her spot.
* * *
Cal had been on his way back from his parents’ place when he noticed a strange car in Mary’s driveway. She was in Oregon until the following day.
Suspicious, he pulled in behind the rental and got out. The car was empty so he went to the house, taking a walk around the outside and finding nothing out of the ordinary.
He knocked on her back door but no one answered. Alarm began to rise so he let himself in.
“Mary?”
Her bags were in the kitchen, tossed, nearly haphazardly, which was not like her at all. After a quick check, she wasn’t in the house.
Her cell was off.
He called Jules, who said she hadn’t heard from Mary since the day before. Same with Daisy.
He knew of one other place she might be, so he headed out the back door.
He found her in her thinking spot, burrowed in a blanket, staring off into space.
“Hey, I thought you were in Oregon?”
She turned to face him, startled. That’s when he noted how red and puffy her eyes were. He moved quickly, kneeling before her.
“What is it?”
She went into his arms, shaking as she cried. And he was helpless. His sister was strong. Scrappy. When they were growing up he saw her cry maybe a handful of times. But when she did, it was really bad.
He loved her fiercely. She was always there when he needed her. Defended him, protected him, got on his case when he needed it. No one had ever loved him as unconditionally as his sister had. It broke him into little pieces to see her cry.
“Tell me. I’m freaking out here.”
“Damien cheated on me.”
He froze. “What? Baby, are you sure?” He hadn’t liked Damien at first, but over the months as the guy had come around, he’d more than proven himself to Cal. The guy was so crazy-gone for Mary, it was written all over him.
“While he was in New York last week. With the lingerie model he was with before me. Her head was on his shoulder. In another picture her hand was on his ass! Oh, and the last one was them in a hotel lobby. After the event.”
“What did he say about them?”
“Say? Like I needed to ask? I saw the situation with my own eyes. I packed my shit up, drove his car to town, rented a car and came back here. He’s probably still working and hasn’t noticed I’m gone yet.”
He sighed, holding her and rocking just a little. If this was true, Damien Hurley was in for a healthy dose of fist meeting face. He just hoped for her sake that it wasn’t true. Because he knew how much his sister loved the guy.
“Why don’t we go back to your house?” He kissed her forehead. “You’re cold. Let me make you some tea. I’ll liberally dose it with whiskey. We’ll get drunk and you can call the others.”
“I can’t face anyone, Cal. They were right. I told them they were wrong and they were right.”
He held her back at arm’s length. “No. I don’t want you to even think that. Do you truly believe any of us wanted this to fail? Or that any of us would say I told you so? He loves you. If he doesn’t, he deserves an Academy Award because I sure as hell believe he does.”
He stood, pulling her to her feet. He held her with one arm while he managed to get her chair collapsed. “Come on.”
She sighed but let him boss her around, which worried him. She wasn’t one to allow such behavior.
Daisy stood on Mary’s back porch and she moved quickly once she caught sight of the two of them.
“What? Oh my god, what is it?”
“She tells me Damien cheated on her.”
He handed Mary over to Daisy as he got them all inside.
Daisy ushered Mary into the living room and onto the couch.
“Why are you here? God, Cal, when did you have the time to call everyone? I can’t take all this nice. Please just go and leave me alone.”
Daisy looked to Cal and then back to Mary. “Tough shit. I seem to remember you bursting into my house, yanking my blankets off, taking away my pint of Chunky Monkey and making me shower when Levi broke my heart.”
“I’m opening your mail. I want to see these pictures myself.” Cal dropped another kiss on the top of her head. “Water’s on for tea.”
Jules burst through the back door and it only made Mary cry harder.
“Shhh. Oh baby, honey, stop. Stop crying.” Daisy hugged her tight, and Jules landed on the other side, hugging her as well.
“I need to be alone.” Mary pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face. She hadn’t thought she had any more tears left but there they were.
“Bullshit.” Jules brushed the hair from her eyes.
Daisy pressed tissues into her hand and a shot glass into the other.
Gillian came through the back door moments later. “What is that prat on about?”
Mary laughed through her tears. “You all should go home. Gillian, you don’t need any upset. Jules, you have to work tomorrow and, Daisy, you have Levi waiting for you. You all tried to tell me and I thought I knew better. This is what I get.”
“This is most assuredly not what you get! He loves you. I know it. I don’t know what the hell happened in New York but I know what I know. I know what I saw every time he looked at you.” Gillian sat next to her on the couch, kissing her temple.
“What does he say?”
“Nothing. I left. I didn’t . . . I couldn’t. I just left. I saw enough. What can he say? I blocked his number from my cell.”
Cal cleared his throat. “These are some pretty damning pictures. But . . . I think you should see what he says.”
They all got up to look, clucking and arguing amongst themselves. Mary lay on the couch pulling the blanket up and over her head.
Gillian simply moved her over and pulled the blanket back. “Baby, remember the night that whole business with Adrian went down? You and Jules picked me up at the ferry? I cried and cried until I nearly threw up. You said to me that you knew Adrian loved me and you asked if we couldn’t work it out. I’m asking you the same right now.”
Jules snorted. “Why should she? Gillian, he cheated on her with a panty model. My god!”
“We don’t know that. I’m saying, Juliet, I know from experience now that the paparazzi sometimes makes things look like they aren’t. They catch a certain angle or a moment that is completely innocent but it doesn’t look it. I know Damien. I spent a lot of time with him on the tour and I just—Mary loves him. You know it. I know it. What’s the harm in hearing his side of the story?”
“The pictures came from that dude who threw you under the bus.”
Gillian exploded with a string of curses as she rose to her feet. Her accent got so thick Mary couldn’t understand more than a word or two in every sentence. “You can’t trust this man. Or his motives. Mary, he’s an awful, petty, destructive little worm. He probably saw you that night at the club and wants to mess with you. I wouldn’t put it past him. He’s a terrible human being and I bet his mother cries herself to sleep every night.”
There followed much drinking of heavy-handed whiskey with a little tea in it. Cal went to return her rental car. Jules made dinner and they all stared at her until she managed to eat a few bites. Mary forced Gillian to leave at ten to go home and rest. Daisy refused to go until Mary retreated into her bedroom. Cal had been very stubborn but he and Jules left with a promise that they’d return first thing in the morning.
Daisy got in bed with her. “You’re going to get through this. I know it doesn’t feel like it right now. I know your heart is broken and you’re sadder than you’ve ever been. I love you. We all do, and we’re here for you. No matter what happens, you will get through this.”
“Go home. I want to be by myself to cry and go to sleep. Thank you for being here for me today; I mean that.”
Daisy kissed her forehead. “All right. But I’m coming back tomorrow. You will call me if you need anything. Even just a shoulder while you cry. If you don’t, I will be very mad at you. As you can tell, this is about me so don’t hate America, Mary.”
She managed a snort.
“I’ll be back. I love you.”
At least someone did.
She lay there in the dark, listening to the sound of the rain, feeling totally and utterly exhausted and empty.