Page 47 of Christmas with my Three Best Friends

The tension has filled my body yet again, my muscles tightening as I scoot over to the edge of the bed. I glance around the room, trying to remember where I left my clothes.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“I don’t think I want to spend the rest of my night here.”

“Shay, hold on. Just listen to me. It’s a good business decision,” he says. “Reason alone no longer allows me to invest further in West Key. It doesn’t mean I don’t believe in the gym or the people behind it.”

“Yeah, since you’re one of them. Remember, partner?”

Richard scoffs. “You knew I wasn’t a one-pony show from the moment we went into business together. This move is a natural progression for me, and I want to take you with me. I appreciate your skills and your talents. You wouldn’t have to leave West Key, of course. You could divide your time between the two. Financially, you’d be at a great advantage.”

“Dammit, Richard, you really are considering this.”

“Come with me tomorrow to see the place. I’ll drive us there, first thing in the morning. All you have to do is have a look and convince yourself it would be a dreadful shame to let it go to somebody else. The last thing Seattle needs is another express coffee shop.”

I curse under my breath and walk over to the armchair in the corner where my clothes wait. My boots are out in the lobby by the door, and so is my purse with my phone and keys. I’m already calculating my way back home—I’ll need to call a cab since I left my car at the gym and came home with Richard.

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” I say as I start dressing.

Richard gets out of bed and tries to stop me, but I push him away. “Shay, come on, don’t be like that. I’m not leaving you or the guys. I just trust you to run West Key without me.”

“No, you’re bored with West Key because it’s not the razzle-dazzle kind of gym you wanted, and so you’ve found a new place to focus on!” I snap. “You’re being selfish and extremely superficial, Richard. Meanwhile, Marius, Jax, and I keep wracking our brains to come up with ways to keep you on board, fully aware that if you leave, we’ll be pretty much screwed.”

“I can give you guys a business loan—”

“It’s not about the business loan! Screw your money, Richard! It’s about your support. About your invaluable input, your sharp mind, your resilience and determination. We didn’t get into business with you because of your fat bank account!”

He snorts a dry chuckle. “Well, my money did play a role.”

“Minor compared to the resources you came in with. Richard, this is heart-breaking, honestly. You know as well as I do that if you walk out, we’ll struggle horribly without you. I can’t stop you, of course… but I have to say… I’m disappointed.”

“Shay, wait.”

“No. I’m done. I have no interest in screwing over our other business partners,” I shoot back and walk out of the bedroom. A minute later, I’ve got my boots and jacket on, phone in my hand and purse on my shoulder as I leave his house behind.

Richard stands in the open doorway as I descend the front steps and tread through the snow until I reach the sidewalk, waiting for my cab. It’s weird to be standing out here in the middle of the night, darkness above and snow still falling around me as I begin to shiver. I glance over my shoulder and see him, only a towel wrapped around his waist as he looks at me.

“Let’s talk about this some more,” he says.

“Screw you,” I reply, then breathe a sigh of relief when my cab pulls over.

Once I’m in the backseat, I let it all out and start bawling, hiding my face in my coat as the driver quietly takes me away from here. I’m miserable and lonely, suddenly afraid and helpless. It wasn’t supposed to go south like this. He wasn’t supposed to do this. I’ve often worried he might, but part of me refused to accept the actual possibility.

It was one thing to voice my concern on the matter, and it’s a completely different thing to witness it happening right after one of the best and most beautiful nights of my existence. It’s not fair. It’s not fair to me, to Marius, or to Jax. It’s not fair to the four of us, either. Worst of all, I’m in love with these men. I’ve managed to accomplish the impossible, the crazy impossible. I’ve fallen for them, deeply.

And now I’m screwed.

18

Shay

Acouple days pass, and my mood does not improve.

Marius and Jax must’ve heard about Richard’s plans for a new gym. Our group chat has been blowing up, but I have actively avoided them all, even in person. I stay busy with clients and work more from home in a desperate attempt to put some distance between myself and these men who have come to occupy so much space in my life and my heart.

I’ve even skipped a couple of training sessions with Jax and Marius, which is unlike me. But my heart is telling me I need to wean myself from them, somehow.

Cassandra leans back in her recliner, watching me closely.

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