Page 18 of Forever Mine

“Sorry. My mind got away from me. Just thinking about some stuff from this weekend.”

“You still dating Marcus?”

“Kind of. I guess? I don’t know. He’s getting on my nerves. I think I’m going to start tapering off from him. We had a fight at a bar, and he stomped off, then came back and got all snippy with me. Too much drama. Guys aren’t supposed to be the dramatic ones,” I tell her.

“Honestly, I didn’t get the best impression of him when you introduced me a few months ago. I thought he was just a fuck buddy, though. Does he want more?”

“I think so. He got really pissy when I was talking to another guy at the bar and fought with me about it when we got home. Fucked me super fast and then told me it was my fault I didn’t come. It was really weird. I went to sleep and was relieved he was gone when I woke up.”

“That’s messed up, Mon.”

“Yeah. I didn’t want a relationship anyway. That’s just not for me,” I tell Meghan. She cocks her head to the side and studies me.

“A relationship with Marcus isn’t for you, or a relationship in general?” she asks.

“In general. They’ve never worked out in the past. Besides, all it means is control. That’s all men want in relationships. I’m not interested in that. I control my own life,” I explain.

“I think that’s very interesting that you phrased it as ‘all’ men want control. That’s not accurate, Mon. You’ve been dealt a shitty hand with guys, but there’s someone out there that is the perfect match for you. I feel it,” Meghan tells me. I chuckle derisively.

“Yeah, I don’t think I believe you,” I respond.

“Someone is going to come along and rock your world, Mon.”

“Nah.”

Meghan chuckles and shakes her head at me. I try to keep my expression calm and indifferent, but her words rattle me. I don’t trust men. I just don’t.

“I have to take this box out to my car, then meet me in the conference room, okay? The new manager will be here with lunch,” Meghan says over her shoulder as she walks out of her office with the last of her things.

Dang. I don’t want to meet him today. Meghan was the first broker I actually enjoyed working for. It’s a real shame I only got to have her as my boss for a few months. Realtors are generally lone wolves, but Meghan instilled a team atmosphere where we all wanted to be together. It was a refreshing change.

I loiter in the hallway before finally trudging into the conference room. I intend to go to the back and remain out of sight. I don’t want to interact with this new douche at all today. I’m rattled about Meghan leaving, and I don’t know why it’s affecting me so much.

As I walk toward the back of the room, I hear a deep voice clear his throat.

“Don’t know how to knock?” the voice asks.

“It’s a conference room, not an office. And I’m here for a meeting,” I retort as I slink down in the furthest chair, suddenly aware I’m the only other person in the room.

“The meeting doesn’t start for twenty more minutes. You can come back then,” the voice says again, and I see someone hunched over a laptop at the front of the room. His voice sounds oddly familiar.

“Seriously?” I ask.

“Seriously.”

I huff as I flounce dramatically out of the room. The new manager is already rubbing me the wrong way. Clearly, my gut instinct to call him a douche was completely correct. I walk out to the parking lot to get a little sunshine and look at the mountains. I can totally understand why Emily was thrilled to move here. The view of the front range of the Rockies never disappoints.

My phone rings, jarring me. Speak of the devil.

“Hey, Em,” I say once I accept the call.

“Hey, Mon. Nathan is working late on a project tonight. Want to come to hang with the girls and me? I’d love to see you,” she says. Her voice sounds odd.

“You’re pregnant again.”

“Holy fuck, how did you know that?” she shouts.

“Because there’s something in the damn water here. Never met so many stupid pregnant people in my damn life,” I mumble. But, secretly, I’m thrilled for her. Em was made to be a mom. She’s in her element.

---