Page 18 of Sunshine & Sinful

Satisfied with his generosity, I turn on my heel, snatch up the desserts in their paper bag, my purse, and coat, and saunter out of the restaurant, never looking back.

Wanting to be alone after whateverthatwas, I dial Till on the sidewalk outside, beneath the glow of the moon.

“What happened?” she answers, knowing I’m supposed to be out on a date.

“Long story. Can you pick me up?”

Till curses under her breath. “Of course. Send me your location.”

We hang up, and I text her where I am. So I don’t freeze my butt off in this skimpy dress, I set the paper bag on the sidewalk, slip on my coat and tighten the tie around my waist before I scoop it back up and walk down the block to wait for Till and avoid the men.

Minutes tick by at a snail’s pace as I try to hide beside a lamppost that flickers like something out of a horror movie. My leg jiggles as the men exit the front of the restaurant, their loud voices booming over the quiet road. Todd first, followed by Dark and Sunshine. Three sets of eyes sweep the sidewalk, looking for me. Sunshine finds me first. I groan inwardly, having been caught.

As if summoned by the Goddess herself, Till’s sports car rips around the corner in my direction and screeches to a rough stop beside the curb as the three assholes saunter this way.

“Kali!” Dark yells.

“Please. Stop!” Todd adds.

Cringing at the urgency in their tones, I shake my head to clear away the mounting guilt and climb into Till’s car before the wine wears off and my stupid conscience forces me to hear them out. Ugh. I’ve been so good lately. Four months of strength. But that’s easy to do when you’re not faced with their presence. It’s much harder to do when they stare at you through a car window, frowning as Till flips them off and zips away.

I slump in the bucket seat and groan. “Fuck. My. Life.”

Tapping her fingers against the steering wheel, Till throws her head back and laughs. “You gonna tell me whyTodd, the ex, and his hot dad were all at the same restaurant?” My best friend pauses to rake her wide eyes over me, then whistles. “Damn, girl, you look fuckin’ hot.”

I roll my eyes and smooth a hand down my jacket and dress. “I hate men.”

Till laughs again. “Did I see blood on Dark’s face?”

“Yep.”

“I don’t know how you thought you could divorce him and he’d somehow stop pining after what he wants but can’t have.”

“We’re not talking about this.”

Till snorts like I’m full of it. “We sure as hell are. I left the bar to save your ass. You’re stuck in this car with me ‘til I choose to stop. Kali, I’m sick of this evading shit. You might not wanna tell the sisters what’s up, but you will tell me, or I’ll torture you.”

Lolling my head against the headrest, I roll my eyes at the nosy bitch. “Till, I love you, but you don’t scare me.”

Removing her hands from the steering wheel, she rubs her palms together like a villain. “I have my ways.”

I snort. “Uh-huh.”

“I’ll play nonstop folk music in the bar for the next month.”

Clutching my heart, I gasp. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh. But I would.”

“You evil, bitch,” I hiss good-naturedly.

Till cackles in triumph. “Try me, bitch.” She arches a brow in challenge.

Fine.

I suppose I can tell her something. A little something. Nobody wants to listen to folk music at the bar for a month. Consider this a favor to our patrons.

Staring out the side window as the shadowy world flashes by, I spill the beans. Once I get started, I can’t stop. The faucet opens, and everything that happened on the yacht, down to the cheating and everything in between, pours from my traitorous lips. When I’m done, every part of me feels lighter. The tension in my shoulders, which I didn’t realize was there, is gone, replaced with relief. Relief that I shared with someone who cares, someone I can trust.

---