Page 32 of Christmas with my Three Best Friends

“Shay?” Alice says. I’ve yet to answer, I quickly realize.

“Oh, sorry, I’ve got stuff on my mind. The Christmas holidays were wonderful,” I tell her. “A nice resort up in Chappaqua, plenty of snow and mulled wine. You know, the classic winter tale.” And with a meaty feast to match.

“That’s nice.”

I’m about to ask what she did for Christmas when a man comes into the reception area. A man I never wanted to see again. My stomach drops, suddenly filled with dread and tons of lead as I recognize his fox-like smirk, his sharp hazel eyes, and his overall intrusive presence.

“Vincent,” I whisper.

“Hi,” he says, wearing a gentle smile that looks foreign on him.

All I can do is stare in disbelief as my brain shuts down. What can I even say to this bastard? Six months ago, he got me to fall in love with him, he even proposed to me before he vanished into thin air. He left me with my heart in shambles and my self-esteem crumbling. He broke me, and I have spent every waking hour since rebuilding myself, stronger and better, so no man can ever hurt me the way Vincent hurt me.

“Good morning,” Alice greets him with the politeness of a gym’s receptionist. “Gym pass?”

“Yeah, I’m new here,” Vincent says, giving me a sideways glance.

I almost forget I’ve got a coffee in my hand. I’m tempted to throw it in his face, scalding hot as it is. But I keep myself together. He doesn’t deserve my anger. He doesn’t deserve a single ounce of my energy or attention, for that matter.

“Oh, okay. Well, we have a number of different options for you to choose from,” Alice goes on, putting on her brightest smile. I can’t blame her. Vincent can be really charming to the untrained eye. “How often would you like to come to the gym?”

Vincent looks at me directly, and I feel like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming fourteen-wheeler. “Hey there, stranger.”

I can’t answer. Fury is boiling in my blood. All those nights and days spent crying my heart out. The misery. The heartache. The feeling of worthlessness and self-doubt that his disappearance left me with. It’s coming back with a vengeance. I’d thought my gym and therapy hours had fixed everything, but here I am, standing motionless by the reception desk, coffee in hand and completely triggered. Unable to breathe.

“Shay?” Alice gives me a curious look.

“It’s been a while,” Vincent says. “I owe you an apology.”

Again, I should say something, but nothing decent comes to mind. In the meantime, Alice’s gaze keeps bouncing between him and me as she tries to figure out what’s going on.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Vincent asks. He’s got his doe eyes on. Like that will work on me again. I can certainly see the appeal and how easy it was for me to fall for him the first time. But the rage inside me is too powerful to let me bite the bait twice.

“I have nothing to say to you,” I reply bluntly.

His eyebrows arch upward in surprise. “Shay, I know I’ve made a mess of things, but—”

“Are you here to buy a gym pass or to waste my time?”

“Shay,” Alice says, “maybe don’t push new customers away?”

“Maybe mind your business?” I shoot back with a stern glare.

Vincent clears his throat. “My apologies. I should’ve been more tactful about this,” he says, shifting his focus back on Alice. “So, yeah, I’d like to buy a gym pass. You do monthly subscriptions, right?”

“That’s right,” she perks up now that she has his attention again, the little fool.

I choose to drink my coffee quietly, watching Alice as she tells him about other gym pass options and available amenities throughout the gym. But then the universe decides to throw another wrench right in my teeth as Marius comes out of the hall, having just finished a training session with one of his clients. He sees Vincent, and his mood suddenly changes.

Alice may be unaware of my history with this man, but she is right about one thing, as much as I hate to admit it. We do need customers, and we can’t turn any of them away. So I instinctively take the lead, fully aware that Marius is ready to kick Vincent’s teeth in.

“Hey, Marius. This gentleman would like to sign up for the gym,” I say, trying to sound as professional as possible.

“And I was just telling him about our gym passes,” Alice chimes in. “Oh, we also have fitness trainers who can coach you,” she tells Vincent. “Marius is our best, mind you.”

“You’re here for the gym?” Marius replies bluntly, giving Vincent the death stare.

Vincent turns to face him and smiles politely. He hasn’t changed much since I last saw him. A handsome man, I’ll give him that. Dark hair, hazel green eyes, a debonair smile and an athletic frame. He likes his high-end fashion brands, logos visible everywhere—I’ve always found that to be somewhat tacky, but Vincent manages to wear them with just enough style for the logos to seem passable. He’s not a rich man, though.

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