Page 63 of Deal with Mr. Cruel

“Thank you, Braydon. Truly. I appreciate it.”

“Call if you need anything, Mae.”

She hung up and turned her phone off again before heading downstairs to eat breakfast.

“All good?” asked Lindsay, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. I figured it was time to call my boss before he fired me.”

“Braydon? That man would never fire you. I think he’d adopt you if he could.” Lindsay laughed.

Ben set down a plate of pancakes with two eggs for eyes and bacon for a mouth. Mae looked at it and giggled. It was the first time she had smiled in days.

“I think it’s going to be my last night here,” she said in between bites.

“No!” Ellie shouted. “Who will keep my bed warm?”

“You, silly,” said Mae with a smile.

“But where will you go?” asked Lindsay, concerned.

“I’ll get a hotel for a little while until I figure things out.”

“Like hell you will,” said Ben with a mouthful of bacon.

“Or I’ll stay with Nico for a little while. It’s time we finally talked,” said Mae, assuring. “I can’t stay here forever.”

“You can, but Idolike the idea of you patching things up with your brother,” said Lindsay.

Mae nodded in agreement. She truly missed her brother. They had gone from living together, to living apart, to not speaking. It just wasn’t natural. She felt like a piece of her was missing. She promised herself she would text her brother later that evening.

The next day, Mae took a long shower and got dressed. Since she didn’t have any of her things, she had been borrowing clothes from Lindsay. Thankfully, they were the same size. She slid on a pair of jeans and a sweater. She looked in the mirror and was happy to see her eyes weren’t giant, red, puffy pillows anymore.

Downstairs, she hugged Ellie and Jack goodbye. “I promise I will be around more.”

And she meant it. Having this time with her best friend and her family made her realize what her priorities had been for years, and where they should be.

Ben gave her a hug. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“I won’t.”

She followed Lindsay into the garage and slid into the passenger seat. The drive to Jonas’s went by too fast, and soon, Lindsay was parked at the curb.

“Are you ready for this?” she asked, eyeing Mae.

“He’s not home. There is a work gala tonight. Braydon reminded me earlier. I’ll be in and out.”

Lindsay nodded, as if comforted by the thought.

“Do you want me to come up?”

“No, no. You’ve done enough. I’m fine.” Mae waved her off before giving her a big hug.

“I’ll see you soon, okay?” whispered Lindsay.

Mae kissed her on the cheek and climbed out of the car. It felt weird being back in the building, knowing it wasn’t her home anymore. Knowing that Jonas would still be here, carrying on with his life as if she was just a blip. She swallowed hard thinking about it, as she pressed the button for the elevator and rode numbly to the top floor.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside. The lights were off, but the fireplace was on.

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