Page 6 of Claimed By my Frenemy

I stare at the slice of orange on the rim before squeezing it into the drink, stirring it up with my straw and taking a big slurp. I blink my eyes, adjusting to the taste of gin underneath the fruity overtones.

“Come on,” Stella elbows me, “don’t tell me you’re super picky about what you drink.”

“I’m not super picky. I just want to make sure I’m going to like whatever I drink.”

I take another sip of my drink, trying to enjoy the fruity flavor without letting the alcohol hit too hard. Then, I glance around the table at my friends, their familiar faces bringing back memories of simpler times. It’s good to be back, even if it’s under strange circumstances.

I didn’t expect to feel this comfortable with them right away. It’s like no time has passed at all. And there’s another part of the story I haven’t told yet.

“So, when are you going to open the bed and breakfast?” Aurora asks.

“Do you need help getting things ready? I don’t have an eye for decoration, but I don’t mind building something or following directions,” Madison offers.

“I don’t know, and I don’t know. The thing is…” I trail off, trying to figure out how to mention what happened yesterday.

Zoey lays a hand on my arm. “Did something happen?”

"Well…there is something else. Yesterday, this guy showed up at my grandma's house."

"Ooooh," Madison coos, wiggling her eyebrows. "A guy? Spill the details!"

I can feel my cheeks heating up, and I hate that I can’t control my reaction. "It’s not like that. It was Theo. You guys remember Theo, right? From high school?"

"Theo?" Stella gasps, almost dropping her drink.

"Theo Roberts? The guy with the stringy hair and the attitude problem? The one you dated for way longer than you should have?" Aurora peppers me with questions.

"That’s the one. Only he’s changed. A lot. He looks...different."

"Different how?" Madison asks, leaning forward with interest. "Good different or bad different?"

"He’s, um, well, he’s definitely grown up.” I twirl my straw in my drink and think about how I can explain exactly how much Theo has changed. It’s not just in the way he looks. It’s in the way he carries himself too. "His hair is short now, and he’s got this confident air about him. He’s handsome, okay? There, I said it."

The table erupts into laughter and teasing comments, but I can tell they’re genuinely curious. "Handsome, huh?" Aurora grins. "But you don’t sound too happy about it. I mean, there are some exes of mine who could show up, and I wouldn’t turn them away without a conversation at least."

I sigh, feeling the weight of the situation. "It’s not just about how he looks. He came over because he wants to buy my grandma’s house. Apparently, he’s planning this huge resort and needs my property to make it happen."

Stella’s eyes grow wide. "Oh, wow. That’s unexpected. What did you say?"

"I told him no, of course. He tried to sweet-talk me with numbers and talking about how much the land is worth, but I’m not selling. The house means a lot to me, and I have plans for it. I mean, I kind of quit my job to come down here and run a bed and breakfast. That plan is out the window if I don’t have the house to do it with.”

"Good for you," Madison says firmly. "Don’t let him push you around.”

“Did anything else happen?" Zoey asks quietly. I appreciate the way she listens instead of just jumping to conclusions.

I take a deep breath, deciding to just lay it all out. "He’s been making things difficult. I think he’s trying to get me to sell by making my life miserable. He used a jackhammer right by my back window at 10:30 at night. Apparently, he’s allowed to make noise that late at night by city ordinance, but it’s annoying. How am I supposed to sleep there or have guests there in a couple of months if he’s still tearing up the place with loud machines?”

“Construction will eventually end,” Madison reminds me.

“I know. I get that. But it’s just the disrespect. Oh, and after I went to pick up dinner yesterday, I came back to find the street practically blocked by his excavator. I was barely able to inch around it. I mean, it’s affecting a lot of people, not just me. It’s like he doesn’t think of anyone else but himself.”

"That’s low. What a jerk!" Stella agrees, running her hand through her blue hair.

"Yeah, he’s definitely full of himself,” Madison agrees. Aurora just watches me.

“The real problem is that he thinks can just throw money at any problem and make it go away. But I’m not giving in."

Aurora raises her glass. "Good for you, Mia. Stand your ground. And if you need us to come over and help you out, just say the word. We’ll form a human shield if we have to."

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