Page 44 of Renegade

He stood up and ran his hands through his hair. “She showed up at my hotel. It wasn’t like you’re thinking.”

I stood up as well and, while I wanted to yell, I managed to keep my voice at a whisper. “Yeah? Well, as much fun as it was to hold your wife while she fell apart earlier, it’s not something I’m planning on doing long-term. Sort your shit out, David. She’s a good woman who deserves better.”

He nodded. “It’s just these jobs…”

“Fuck the jobs. Focus on your wife and fix what’s broken. Your dad isn’t here to tell you, but you’ve got me. You’re going to have to come clean to her.”

David stared at me as if I was speaking French. “You want me to tell her?” He hissed.

I nodded. “You fucked Jess—the woman’s what? A hairdresser? There’s no way in hell that she’s keeping her mouth shut. This whole thing is a ticking time bomb.”

He disagreed. “Jess knows where I stand. I made that clear tonight. I’ll stick to jobs here in town. It’s going to be fine.”

He walked me to the door and repeated, “It’s all going to be fine.”

I left him that night, knowing that once the shit hit the fan, fine wouldn’t even be a word in his vocabulary. It wasn’t a question of if; it was a matter of when.

Lauren

May 2014

I rang the doorbell while juggling an armload of bags. Elizabeth poked her head around the door with a little scream. “Come in! This is going to be so much fun. We can do each other’s makeup and hair.” She continued rambling on as she led me down the hall to the guest bathroom.

I pointed back toward her bathroom in confusion, still unable to get a word in edgewise.

She came to a sudden stop, the pale blue kimono billowing around her. “Oh, I bet you’re wondering why we’re in here. Well, David is going to be getting ready in the master bathroom and I thought it might be fun if we set up our beauty shop in the back to surprise them.”

I hid a small smile from her. If she only knew what we had in store for her. David had reached out to me a couple of weeks ago, asking if I’d be willing to help him throw a surprise anniversary party for Elizabeth.

Obviously, I’d immediately agreed.

Elizabeth had sworn off Landon and was completely committed to David again. He’d quit taking jobs unless they were in town.

It was horribly romantic. Boy met girl. Boy and girl got married. Girl had an affair. Boy won her back.

So, maybe it was more of a modern-day fairy tale. But, it was still proof that my Mr. Right was out there waiting for me.

True love conquered all.

They were my Scarlett and Rhett…my Jack and Rose…my Christian and Satine.

I paused, as Elizabeth ransacked the bathroom. So, maybe my analogies weren’t great, seeing as to how none of those couples made it, but the gist was the same.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth was on her hands and knees, pulling every beauty product ever made from the cabinet beneath the sink.

“I think I got everything,” she breathlessly exclaimed.

I surveyed the crowded counter and grinned. “Well, I can’t imagine that we’d be missing anything here.”

An hour and a half later, we were almost ready.Almost.Elizabeth’s lip kept twitching while I was in the middle of lining her lips. “Be serious,” I warned before we both lost it and started laughing.

“What is it with someone doing your makeup that makes you think of the funniest things?” She asked.

I shrugged. “I wouldn’t know—I’ve never had anyone else do my makeup before.”

Her smile faded and I knew that the conversation was going to turn to more serious topics if I didn’t act quickly. I blurted out, “So, Mike. Is he hot?”

Elizabeth was under the impression that we were just going out to dinner with a group of friends. Once she let it slip that David’s friend, Mike was going to be joining us, I was intrigued.

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