Page 26 of Beautiful Lies
Stay strong, Ava. It’s one thing to get tricked into seeing him, but only a fool would go into it knowingly. “I can’t have lunch with you. Or dinner. Or anything else.”
“All I’m asking for is another chance to make things right.”
“You’re asking too much.”
“My tragic flaw. But I’m asking anyway. One more chance to get it right.” He moved closer and dipped his head, his warm breath on my neck sending shivers down my spine as he whispered in my ear. “’Wild Horses.’ That was the song playing in my head.”
I took a few steps back to put distance between us and shook my head, trying to clear it, but he’d put the song in my head. Now it would be stuck there, playing on repeat. Why was I still standing on the sidewalk in front of him? A sane girl would have left as soon as she’d entered the coffee shop.
“Lunch,” he said. “You, me, food, conversation. Perfectly harmless. I’ll text you.”
Without giving me a chance to respond, he strode away. It had been so much easier when he’d honored my wishes and hadn’t texted, called, or tried to see me. Maybe he’d be too busy running the shop to make time for me. Maybe he’d forget to text like he used to before everything fell apart. But no, he wanted to show me that he’d changed. He wanted to show me the possibility of us. I just needed to decide if I was emotionally prepared to go along for the ride.
Little did I know at sixteen that the roller coaster was going to be our life together.
* * *
“You’re evil,”I told Eden after she unlocked the door of the boutique to let me in. Even covered in paint splatters with her blonde hair in a messy topknot, Eden was gorgeous. The wicked witch cackle she emitted was not so pretty.
“Payback is a bitch,” she said, returning to her painting. She was painting a mural on the wall of a boutique on Bedford Avenue that would be selling funky clothes and jewelry and was set to open next month. Normally, I’d gush over Eden’s artwork, but my brain was too scrambled to appreciate it. I wrung my hands and paced up and down the shop floor.
“So … how did it go?” she asked.
“Terrible. You can’t meddle in our lives because … it’s not the same as you and Killian. We’re … Connor and I…” Good Lord, I couldn’t even form a coherent sentence. I planted my hands on my hips and glared at her back. A complete waste of energy. “Was this your idea?”
“It was Connor’s idea. But I thought it was the perfect way to get you two together.”
“Congratulations. Mission accomplished.” I flopped down on the drop cloth protecting the hardwood floor and lay there, staring at the funky crystal chandelier above me, and the midnight blue ceiling with metallic gold stars. “Did you paint the ceiling?”
“Yep.”
“It’s cool,” I said grudgingly.
“This shop is going to be cool. You’ll love it.” I turned my head to look at the wall she was painting. A celestial scene. It was cool. I loved it.
“So … tell me about your coffee date,” Eden said.
“It wasn’t a date,” I snapped. “You and Connor conspired to … destroy me, I think.”
She glanced at me over her shoulder. “You don’t look destroyed.”
“I’m lying on the freaking floor like a ragdoll!” I yelled.
“Your lungs still work.”
I sighed. I was acting like a six-year-old, reduced to throwing a tantrum. It must be a rebellion for all those years of striving for perfection and trying to live up to my mother’s expectations. How horrible for her that I’d derailed all her carefully-laid plans. How horrible that Connor still had this kind of power over me. “You don’t know what he does to me.”
“Tell Dr. Madley. I’ll talk you down from the ledge.”
“You’re on his side.”
“I love you both. I’m not taking sides. In fact, I was hoping you’d be my maid of honor.”
“Really?” I asked, brightening up at the prospect. I loved weddings, and even though I’d never gotten through one dry-eyed, I still loved them. And I loved Eden and Killian, separately, but even more as a couple. They were perfect for each other.
“Will you?” she asked.
“I’d love to. But you’d better not make me wear an ugly dress.”
