“You’re paying for the repairs,” shouts David.
“Bill me,” says Reid. “Maybe you should go ahead and bill me for the dental work too. Looks like you got the last one fixed, so let’s keep your dentist busy.”
“The dental--”
Reid’s arm snaps out faster than my eyes can track. David’s head pops back and then he goes stiff, tilting backwards until momentum drags him down like a felled tree. He thumps into the grass, blinking hard and struggling to get back on his feet.
“Stay down,” says Reid.
“Asshole!” I shout. “You can’t just punch everyone who shows interest in me. You think I’m impressed? Well I’m not. You’re just making an idiot out of yourself. And you’re setting a bad example for your son.”
“Roman’s asleep,” says Reid.
I shake my head, kneeling to help David up. “Why don’t you just go home,” I say.
Reid doesn’t budge. He only stands there, looking like ten times the man David is and ten times more sexy than anybody has a right to look. Saying no to him feels like telling the sun not to rise in the morning or the tides not to come in. He’s an inevitability. As I look at him, I can feel that so powerfully in my chest I know it has to be true. Reid Riggins is a force. His will is inexhaustible and so long as he sets his sights on me, I have no hope to resist forever. All I can do is delay. Delay the inevitable.
But that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Delay, because what he did hurt, and I’m not ready to forgive him yet. “Screw you, Reid. Screw you and your stupid muscles and perfect face. And screw that magical cock of--” I slap a hand to my mouth, feeling like all the blood in my body just rushed up to my head.
David is looking at me like I just grew antlers, and Reid looks like he’s trying his hardest to hold back the smirk creeping across his face.
“That came out wrong,” I say, mustering as much dignity as I can. “Don’t!” I snap, jabbing a finger toward Reid. “Don’t you dare smile.”
Reid puts his hands up innocently, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Come on,” I say to David, dragging him inside.
David looks uncomfortable after the door closes behind us again. He’s dabbing at his lip checking to see if it’s bleeding. “I think I need to leave, Sandra. You clearly need to sort your priorities out. And my face hurts.”
“No,” I say. “You stay here. I don’t care if you just sit on the couch and watch TV. But I’m not letting him think he won. If you leave, he wins. Do you understand?”
David shakes his head. “I’m not about to let you use me like some chess piece, Sandra. This is unbelievable. He just assaulted me. Again.” He turns to reach for the door and I grab his arm, stopping him.
“David. If you go out there, Reid will probably kick your ass. More.”
David flinches a little at that, sniffing and straightening his shirt. “He could try.” David makes a show of yawning dramatically and stretching. “But I could catch a nap before I head home. And I should probably ice my lip. So he’ll have to wait.”
I breathe a sigh of relief, grabbing a spare pillow and blanket for David, who stretches out on my couch and starts fiddling with his phone. It’s not five minutes before he’s out like a light, snoring loud enough that I’m afraid Reid might hear from next door.
I lean against the countertop and sigh. I should be putting all my energy and attention into saving my bakery. Easier said than done, though. It’s not as if I can magically raise the money to pay for it. And I’m not about to go begging to my parents for it, either. I can’t fight the contract I signed like an idiot. I can’t fight the city. The more I think about it the more it seems like the only thing I can do is accept it and prepare to move on.
As much as it seems like the only option, I’m not wired that way. I’ve spent too long struggling against the current, now it has become second nature. I may not know how I’m going to stop him, but I know one thing, Mark Riggins isn’t going to get my bakery. I worked too hard for it, and no one is taking it away.
17
Reid
Roman slurps the milk from his spoon noisily and then crunches into his Fruit Loops. I watch him as I stab at my eggs, feeling no real desire to eat. I stayed up most of the night because I couldn’t sleep knowing he was in there with her. David Cum Fields. The fucker.
“Hey Bud, I have a question.”
“Okay,” says Roman cheerily. He’s wearing pajama bottoms and no shirt. Milk has dribbled all over his chest and his small pot belly.
“If you liked a girl, wou--”
“How much?” asks Roman.
“How much what?” I ask.
“How much do I like her.”
“Oh. You like her a lot. A whole lot.”
“Hmmmm. I’d tell her.”
“I wasn’t done with my question,” I say dryly.
“Okay.”
I take a deep breath. “If you liked a girl, a whole lot, what would you do if she didn’t seem to like you as much as you like her?”
Roman furrows his eyebrows and slurps another loud sip of milk. “She could borrow my favorite toy.”
I frown, leaning back and crossing my arms. I nod my head slowly, looking out the window toward her house. “Like a gift,” I say thoughtfully.
I step out of the general store with a bag full of clinking items and a certainty in my stomach that I’m going to win her back. I drop the things inside the house and go check on Roman. The guys are joking around with him in the garage so I let him stay with them while I make the call I’ve been meaning to make.
I have to look up Mack “The Mangler” Perry online to find his number after all these years. We were teammates back in high school, but lost touch not long after. He’s a big time lawyer now, and I just have to hope he has time to help.
“Hello?” comes a deep voice through the earpiece.
“Mack? This is Reid. Reid Riggins.”
“No shit! Big Rigg! How the fuck are you?”
I smirk. “Good, man. I’m good. Look, I’m not going to pretend I didn’t call you for a reason. I need a favor. A big ass favor.”
“All right,” says Mack. “Did you get tangled up with the law?”
“Heh. No. Not quite. Do you know anything about real estate law?”
Thirty minutes later, I’m outside Sandra’s house with the bag I picked up from the general store. She opens the door and sighs when she sees me. She’s wearing yoga pants and a tank top that falls halfway down her thighs. Her hair is pulled into a messy bun and she looks winded, like she was just working out. Or fucking.
My good intentions melt and I shove past her. “Where is he?”
“Hey!” she shouts. “You can’t just barge in here!”
“Like hell I can’t. Where is that fucker? Did he hide his car around back?”
“Reid!” Sandra shouts as she hurries to keep up with me. “Reid!” she says, getting in front of me and planting her hands on my chest. “He left. Okay? It’s just me. I was just exercising. Not that it’s any of your business.”