Page 22 of Euphoria

“Oh, no,” Ink whispered, “how awful for you.”

“Shut up,” she grumbled, “and it was awful.”

“I take it that he’s not your type?” Ink asked. Spade was definitely her type. He was more than perfect for her, but she had sworn off all men for another six months, and she didn’t want to break that promise to herself.

“No, he’s not my type,” she lied, defiantly raising her chin as though challenging him to question her.

Ink chuckled and stood to put Bethany in her crib that he kept in his office. “Okay, if you’re not going to tell me the truth, then forget it.” He walked out of his office and headed to the front of the shop to get ready for his afternoon client.

“Wait,” Cynthia said, chasing after him. “You’re giving up just like that?”

“Yep, I don’t have time for games. I have a client coming in about fifteen minutes and will need to get ready for him,” Ink said.

“Fine, I’ll tell you the truth,” Cynthia grumbled. She needed to talk to someone about what she was going through and right now, Ink was her only real friend. She knew that she could confide in him and that he wouldn’t make fun of her—well, not too much.

“I’m all ears,” Ink said, sitting down in his chair.

“Well, I can’t tell you everything while you’re staring at me. Can you turn around?” she asked. Sure, she was acting like a child, but the story of her life over the past year was a bit embarrassing.

“Just tell me,” Ink insisted.

Cynthia took a deep breath and let it out. “I don’t tell people this but the reason I left town and went to California wasn’t to take care of my parents,” she admitted.

“You didn’t take care of your parents?” Ink asked.

“Well, I did, but that wasn’t the reason why I went to California,” she said.

“Why did you go then? I mean, this town was your home, right?” Ink asked.

“Yes, but I needed a break from my boyfriend—well, now ex-boyfriend,” she admitted. “I thought that he might be cheating on me, and I needed some time and space. So, I made up the lie that my parents needed my help out in California. The crazy thing is, they did end up needing my help. While I was flying out, my mother had tried calling me a dozen or so times. She was hysterical when I finally was able to turn my phone back on and call her. My father fell, and I did need to stay with them for a few months to take care of them both. Karma, right?” she breathed.

“I’d say,” Ink agreed. “I mean, she really came for you, didn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Cynthia said. “My father’s fall became my excuse, rather than a lie. Once they got better, I decided to stop being a coward, and come back home to face my ex.”

“You never mentioned a boyfriend. I mean, why don’t you bring him down to the Road Reapers when you come in?” he asked. This was the part that she didn’t want to have to say out loud.

“I don’t bring him into the bar because we aren’t together. Plus, I figured that his new wife would be pretty pissed off if we hung out together at the Road Reapers,” she mumbled.

“His wife?” Ink asked. “This story is just getting better and better.”

“Well, I’m glad that you are enjoying it,” Cynthia griped. “It’s not very fun for me to tell, though, so just let me get this partout.” He nodded and she sat down next to him. “I came back to town and after a few weeks, I got up the nerve to go over to his house. That’s when I found out that he wasn’t living there anymore. He was living across town with his new wife.”

“Shit, so you never got to confront him?” Ink asked.

“Nope, and it took me a while to decide if I even wanted to stay in town or make a fresh start somewhere else,” Cynthia admitted.

“Why did you decide to stay here?” Ink asked.

“Because I ran into you and you offered me a job,” she said. “I decided to stay, but gave myself a few conditions.”

“Which are,” he asked.

“Well, the biggest one is that I wouldn’t date for one year after moving back here. I still have another six months, so now you know why I turned down Spade. I don’t trust myself to date right now. He seems like a nice guy, and yes, he is my type, but I need this time for me, you know?”

Ink nodded, “Thanks for telling me the truth, Cynthia,” he said. “And if you don’t want to date right now, I think that sounds like a good enough reason to turn Spade down. But it might be better if you just tell him what you told me because I know Spade and he won’t give up without a fight. You’re a challenge to him, and the guy seems to love a good challenge.”

“Shit,” Cynthia grumbled. “I’ll figure something out because if he keeps asking me out, I might just cave, and that is the last thing that I need right now.” She had a light bulb moment and jumped down from the chair. “If there was another guy in the picture, would Spade back down?” she asked.

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