Page 69 of The Icing on the Cake
A 650-square-foot storefront just became available near the Capitol Hill district. Let me know if you’re interested.
I stop on the landing, staring at the screen. Ironically, the perfect Seattle opportunity opens up just hours after I spent my entire savings at the auction. Six months ago, I would have called immediately. Now the thought of leaving Lucian makes my chest ache—and it has nothing to do with money.
On the other side of my apartment door, Henry’s frantic bark grows louder.
“I’m coming, Henry.” But when I push the door open, Henry doesn’t bound over like usual. Instead, he’s standing frozen inthe middle of the living room, a low growl rumbling through his body.
That’s when I see him, leaning casually against my counter, like he has any right to be in my space.
Nate.
A cold wave of panic rushes through me, as every instinct Mom taught me about men who don’t respect boundaries floods back.
My hands tremble as I slide my phone from my pocket, thumb flying across the screen as I text Lucian:Please come. I need you.
I glance toward Lucian’s house, but it’s still dark—he stayed late to help clean up. Which means I’m on my own with the man who spent months making me doubt my own worth.
And now he’s in my kitchen—uninvited—again proving that my boundaries mean nothing to him.
He’s scrolling his phone when I see him, the same phone where I discovered months of messages with Brittany, including photos of places we’d been together with captions like “wish you were here instead.” Screenshots of our conversations turned into private jokes between them. But the message that destroyed me was from our last date night: “Just finished dinner with her. Can’t wait to see you later. Every time I’m with her, I realize how much I wish it was you. She means nothing to me.”
I’d worn the blue dress he said he liked because I wanted to look pretty for him.
And I’d actually spent that whole evening thinking how lucky I was, while he texted another woman that I meant nothing.
All that ended after I confronted him at the restaurant where he was on a date with Brittany. I remember the way his face went white when he saw me and how quickly he dropped her hand. But the worst part wasn’t catching them together. It was realizing, as I stood there frozen, that this was the same restaurant wherehe’d promised me we had a future together. And when Brittany looked up at me and said, “Oh, you must be so surprised to find us out,” I knew he’d been lying to me the entire time.
I was literally a placeholder for someone else.
This man who thought my dreams weren’t worth anything, who thoughtIwasn’t worth anything is so different from the man who reminds me daily that I’m not only valuable in my own right, but that I’m worthy of love and he chooses me.
Lucian didn’t just show me what real love looks like—he helped me remember that I’m smart enough to recognize it. My judgment isn’t broken; Nate was just that good at making me doubt what I knew was true.
I drop my purse on the table. “What are you doing in my place?” I demand. Then, to make it clear I don’t approve: “I didn’t invite you.”
“I thought we were friends,” Nate says, flashing that smile that once charmed me and now sets off alarm bells.
I scoff. “Friends? There is no friendship after what you did to me. How did you even get in here?”
He shrugs lazily. “Mrs. Nelson still keeps the spare key in the same hiding spot. Some things never change in this town.”
The casual way he says it makes my skin crawl, like breaking into my home is just another Friday night.
“Breaking and entering. Classy.” I don’t hide the sarcasm in my tone. “You’re right: some things don’t change—like your complete disregard for boundaries.”
A year ago, I would have made excuses for his behavior, twisted myself into knots trying to keep him happy because I was so sad after losing Mom.
Henry circles to stand beside me.
“I saw you won a date with Lucian at the auction.” Nate smirks. “Ironic, isn’t it? After what you said about never dating another athlete.”
“First of all, Lucian is nothing like you,” I say. “And why areyou here? I doubt you came all this way just to comment on the auction.”
“Brittany and I broke up,” he says. “That’s why she didn’t bid on me tonight.”
“It seems the Seattle women were only too happy to throw their money away on you,” I say, knowing Nate loves that kind of attention—the bidding war, the girls fighting over him—he eats it all up.
His mouth quirks. “Yes, they wereveryenthusiastic. But you know I don’t care about that.”
