Page 80 of Bad Boy for Hire
Lou promised to be over in as soon as possible, and with reinforcements. When May opened her mouth to argue, she hiccupped instead.
“Hang tight, babe. On my way.”
Lou was knocking on May’s front door thirty minutes later. May had abandoned her salad-making and did a quick clean of the kitchen before touching up her makeup. She looked…okay, she guessed. Tired, and there was no hiding that she’d been crying, but Lou already knew that.
Lou walked through the front door with take-out Italian in both hands. Elliott and Lisa filed in behind her, Lisa carrying a six-pack of cream soda and Elliott with a custom-made T-shirt. The graphic on the tee was a coffee pot wearing a bib that read: Currently Brewing. It was, in a word, perfect.
May insisted on opening wine for her friends. Just because she was abstaining didn’t mean they had to follow suit. There was a bit of weak protesting from Elliott before Lisa elbowed her and said they’d have a glass.
Lou agreed to join them, but not before checking with May. “You’re sure it’s okay with you?”
In answer, May filled three glasses for her friends and then poured herself a cream soda—in a wine glass, thank you very much.
The four of them were sitting around May’s coffee table, empty food containers scattered over its surface—er, close to empty, anyway. Lamberto’s offered generous portions.
“Best ravioli ever,” Elliott said.
“It really is,” Lou agreed. “May?”
“Best ravioli ever,” she agreed.
“And how are you?” Lou asked with a smile.
“She’s capable. And not alone.” Lisa squeezed May’s forearm supportively.
Her friends were watching her expectantly. Lou had confessed to filling in Lisa and Elli on the details on the way over, so May dove into the conversation they’d waited patiently to have tonight.
“I used to think the length of a relationship meant it was serious. But that wasn’t true for Prescott. He was fine with coasting. We made no plans to move in together, never really talked about the future. He was content with the status quo. Xavier is better than Prescott. He’s honest and he cares and he’d do anything for me…”
“But?” Elli prompted.
“But being on his to-do list is different than being in his heart.”
Heavy sighs all around.
May refused to be mired by what was, so she literally shook off the sympathy. “I’m not looking for a man to organize my life. I want him to build a life with me.”
“Damn straight.” Lisa held up her wine glass in agreement.
“Xavier doesn’t sound like your ex,” Elliott agreed. “But I understand how this hurts in a similar way. And I understand having to find your own strength again. Learning to trust your own intuition. No one wants their life arranged for them.” Elliott had been in a relationship with a narcissist ex and had found the courage to leave him. She’d escaped to her parents’ beach house in the Cove, ending up next door to Lou, which was how she’d entered their friend group. “After I broke it off with Neil, I woke up to find that I had no friends, no job, almost zero drive.”
May nodded, understanding. She had felt similarly when she “woke up” from grieving losing her parents.
“Meeting Brady threw me for a loop. I thought I was going to have a fun fling. That’s it.” Elli offered a raised eyebrow. “Sound familiar?”
“A little too familiar,” May agreed.
“I set out to find myself, to unearth the Elliott I was before Neil shaped her. Then here comes Brady with his confidence and caretaking, and I freaked out. What if he was trying to cage me like Neil? I wasn’t sure I could trust myself.” She paused to sip her wine. “At least you trust yourself, May. That’s huge. You acted fast. That’s smart.”
May appreciated the compliment, but she didn’t feel triumphant.
“And because you can trust yourself…and I am only saying this because you’re my friend…” Elliott scrunched up her nose and trailed off.
“Say it,” Lisa encouraged.
May nodded. “You can say it.”
“I was going to say that if you change your mind and decide to give Xavier a second chance, you can trust that too.”
