Callum put the paper back on the desk. “Jay, you have the wrong idea.”
“Shut the fuck up, Reid,” Jay said firmly before he looked at Peyton. “What’s the matter with you, Peyton? You’re better than that. How could you do this to me?” The torment in Jay’s eyes confused Peyton.
“What are you talking about, Jay? We haven’t slept together. We’re working on the Reynolds’ wedding,” Peyton explained.
Jay’s nostrils flared and he banged his fists on the desk before sweeping everything onto the floor. Peyton watched, horrified, as her father’s clock hit the wall. A gut-wrenching pain she had never known attacked her stomach at the sight of broken clock.
“Callum, I need you to leave,” she said, not sure how her voice sounded.
“Peyton—”
She raised her voice. “Get out!”
Callum nodded once before he walked towards the door.
“You’re going to give up everything for him?” Jay asked, unaware that he’d just torn out her heart with his previous action.
“You don’t understand. Nothing’s—”
“The whole town’s talking. Someone saw him leave your house this morning!”
She noticed Callum stop just near the door, his body strung up tight.
“They have the wrong impression of what—”
“But he spent the night?” The anger in Jay’s eyes was something that she hated seeing. He was meant to be her friend, but he wasn’t listening.
“You’re not letting me finish!” Her breathing came in gasps as she raised her voice higher, demanding his attention.
Jay looked at her hand. “You took off Graham’s ring.”
Callum winced before he walked out of the office. Then the front bell rang, signalling that he had left the hotel.
Peyton stared at the door, ignoring Jay’s presence.
“Look at me, Peyton,” Jay demanded. With each interaction they had, she was beginning to see a new side of Jay. “You. Took. It. Off.”
“And?” she asked, shaking her head and stepping towards the mess Jay had made. She bent down and picked up her father’s clock. The sight of the mangled pieces caused her eyes to water as she took in the broken hands and the lack of ticking.
“Shit, Peyton. I’m sorry.”
“Get out, Jay,” she said, trying to control the hot emotions working up her throat.
“Peyton—”
She stood up and looked at him hard. “He spent the night, okay? But nothing happened. You were at Daisy’s farm and I’m not even mad that you went against me for her. Keeping me safe from stuff like a storm was your thing. I never obligated you to it. But when I needed someone, Callum was there. And yes, I took Graham’s ring off. Not for Callum, but for me. You won’t understand, but Graham will. I’m not giving up anything for Callum. He’s leaving soon.”
She wasn’t sure when she’d lied, but somewhere in what she’d said, there were a few. Right now, though, she didn’t care. She decided that in order to save their friendship, Jay would have to leave. Peyton placed the clock down on the wooden desk and fought the tears from falling.
“Get out, Jay. Before I say something that I’ll regret.”
Jay clenched his fists tight. “I’m sorry, Peyton. The clock—”
“Just leave,” she instructed, not looking at him.
When the door slammed shut, she breathed out exhaustedly. That wasn’t what she’d expected. Rumours spread like wildfire, but Jay had believed them.
Peyton looked at the papers, the pen, and the frame on the floor. Then she bent down, picked up the picture of her and her parents, and placed it back where it belonged. The glass had smashed, and the sight of the fragments angered and destroyed her. After she examined the frame, she saw the pier design on the floor.
“Callum,” she uttered and raced out the door of the office.
Her heart was beating wildly as she ran out of the hotel. She needed to find him, explain, and apologise for her harsh ways. She just hadn’t wanted him to see Jay in such a way.
Peyton stood on the path outside the door of The Spencer-Dayle. She wasn’t sure where he’d be or how she would contact him. Desperation bled into her chest as she scanned the area, her eyes landing on the pier across the lake. The achiness in her chest relieved the moment she saw him sitting on the edge, staring at either her or the hotel. She wasn’t sure.
When Peyton turned her head, she saw Jay stalking towards town. He didn’t get it, but she understood where he was coming from. Jay felt a need to protect her; she had sensed it in the years since they’d become friends. Sometimes, protection induced suffocation. And that was how Peyton felt when she was around him.
She looked back at the pier and then to the path—two choices, and whichever direction she chose meant consequences.
She squeezed her eyes shut before she started to run down the path. She was sure she saw Callum’s head dip from the corner of her eye. But all she did was run. Hard and fast. Her breathing had become heavy gasps.
Peyton heaved as she reached where her head told her to go. She stopped for a moment to regain herself before she walked towards him.
“You should go after him, Peyton.”