Page 52 of Return to You

Ali had no plans to get married, but if she did and it didn’t work out twice, she would probably throw in the towel. People like Laura intrigued her. Life knocked her down and yet she sprung right back up like a weighted, inflatable punching bag. No matter how hard you punched it, it popped right back up like nothing had happened.

When life knocked Ali down, she got up again, but it was more like an elderly person getting up from a chair after sitting a long time. It was slow, awkward, and she never really stood up straight.

Laura pointed a sky-blue acrylic-tipped finger at Ali. “Don’t forget to tell Kade. Strawberry shake.”

“Got it.”

That was another thing that was getting on Ali’s nerves. People kept wanting her to tell Kade things. She hadn’t passed on this many messages since she was in seventh grade. Just like her sexual frustration and irritation at how lucky people thought she was, people using her as their personal telegram service wasn’t Kade’s fault. Logically she knew that. Emotionally, it was another story.

Ali was doing everything she could not to let Kade know that she had a boatload of resentment with his name on it. He didn’t deserve her emotional cargo. She’d tried to be extra nice to him whenever he was around. He’d kept asking her what was wrong, kept trying to make sure she was okay, and she kept telling him nothing was wrong and she was fine. The issues she was dealing with were her own and she didn’t want him to feel like she was unhappy he was there.

She wasn’t. She had mixed feelings about it. Feelings that she was sure a therapist would have a field day with. But since she didn’t have a therapist, she’d been solely relying on humming therapy. It might not solve anything but it did brighten her mood.

Kade had just finished stocking sunscreen on the bottom shelf when he heard the back door slam. In the reflection on one of the displays he saw Ali walking down the aisle toward the front of the shop. She was humming, something he’d noticed she did a lot the past week. It was strange, most people hummed when they were happy, but he got the feeling that it was the opposite for Ali.

She’d been acting strange for days. Since they’d spent the night together, honestly. The real Ali was feisty, demanding, and competitive. This Ali said little but always said it with a sweet voice and a fake smile. This Ali reminded him of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Kade stood to let her know that he’d completed the final task on the list she’d given him a few days ago but when he opened his mouth no words came out.

The setting sun was streaming through the front window and it cast an ethereal mist around her as she walked toward him. Her dark blonde hair fell in soft waves around her face and he wanted to thread his fingers through it. Her skin glowed in the golden rays that bathed her. Her eyes were a translucent amber that captivated Kade in a way that nothing else did.

When those captivating eyes met his she jumped and her laptop flew out of her hands. “Ahh!”

On pure instinct, Kade reached out and grabbed it.

“What are you doing?!” she gasped.

“Stocking the sunscreen. And saving your laptop.”

With one hand still clutched to her chest she used the other to swat his arm. “You scared the shit out of me!”

That was the Ali he knew. Spunky. Fiery. Swatty.

He couldn’t help but grin down at her. “Sorry. I was just going to tell you that I finished the list.”

She blinked up at him, tried to regain her composure, and inhaled slowly. He saw her switch back.

“Thanks.” Reaching out she pulled the rescued computer from his arms. “For everything,” she said with her sweet alien-invaded Ali smile. And with that, she headed into her office.

“What’s going on with you?” he asked as he followed her inside.

Her tone was kind but impersonal as she answered him. “Just going to finish up here and then drop the boys’ stuff over at Ryder’s, they called to ask if they could spend the—”

“No. I mean, what’s going on with you? Why are you acting like…?” He paused. He wasn’t sure how to put her odd behavior into words.

She spun around to face him, her brow furrowed. “Acting like what?”

Seeing a glimpse of the real Ali gave him the incentive to say exactly what he was feeling. “Like a Stepford Wife.”

Her mouth fell open, but then it closed again.

“That’s what I mean.” He clarified. “Just say it. Ever since we had sex it’s like you’re scared to talk to me.”

“Oh. My. God.”

Anger radiated off of her as she set her laptop down on the desk beside her. She looked like she was about to rip him a new one and he had to fight the smile that threatened to show on his lips. He’d felt so off-balance this entire week not knowing what was going on in her head, what she was feeling.

He’d never felt as lost as he had these past few days, not even when he’d hit rock bottom. Because he’d always had her. Whether she knew it or not, she’d been a lighthouse in the storm of his life. And he didn’t know how to navigate without her.

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