Shame had her quiet as Tommy stopped and opened a door to two women, who introduced themselves as Tommy’s staffers. One was a massage therapist and the other a nail stylist. They’d re-created a day spa room, complete with soft music and snacks and more wine. Mindy got a massage, a mani-pedi, and some 411 on Brooke, including the fact that her current job was apparently nothing like Mindy had imagined, info she had to save to think about later or she’d fall apart even more.
Tommy did her hair. They changed her hair color and cut off her long braid. It felt so drastic, but when Tommy turned her to face the mirror a couple of hours later, she stared at herself in awe. Her hair had been long. Too long. Hanging nearly down to her elbows and usually pulled up on top of her head or braided. He’d cut it to her shoulders and given her some long layers in front that gave her face a frame. And the color. He’d given her both high- and lowlights, so her hair was now the color of a fawn in the sun, which was to say it was a million different colors, giving it depth and shine.
She hardly recognized herself.
Her phone buzzed in her hand. Linc. She answered, breathless.
“Mindy,” he said with clear relief. “I finally got reception. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not,” he said. “I tried to get out of here a few days early, but couldn’t since Ethan had to get home to work some things out.”
Of course he did . . .
“But I’ll be home in a few days, okay? Is there anything I can do from here to help?”
Her heart warmed a little bit. “You just did. Just by asking.”
“What were you trying to tell me before?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she lied, not wanting to repeat it all in front of her audience. Or ever . . .
“Text me later?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Love you, Min.”
“Love you, too,” she said, but felt a lot less warm without him on the line.
Tommy distracted her by taking her to craft services. There was a juice bar set up, and suddenly, she was in her element. She created unique juices for her entire squad based on what she’d learned of them over the past hours, and they all squealed in excitement, gushing over her skills.
From there, they went to a bar, and then a late dinner, and then a club.
She had the time of her life. Or so she told herself.
“You okay?” Tommy asked her.
“Sure, I’m great.”
“Is that why you kept sneaking into the bathroom to check your phone?”
She sighed. “Mom guilt.” And wife hope. But nothing more from Linc.
Tommy reached for her hand. “You love your family. You miss them. That’s the hard part. The good part is that you’re taking a little well-deserved time to put yourself back together after cracking.”
She looked at him. “You think I’ve cracked?”
“Like Humpty Dumpty, sweetness.”
She thought about that as she crawled into Brooke’s comfy, clean bed, luxuriating in the fact that she didn’t have to share it with a husband and at least one kid. Tommy was right. She had cracked. She just hoped she could put all the pieces back together again, and quickly, since Brooke was expecting her home tomorrow. But even as she thought it, she knew she wasn’t ready. She needed more time, a few more days.
Or months . . .
She was awakened the next morning by the banging in her head. Damn wine, she thought, and started to fall back asleep.
But then Tommy was standing at the bedside, looking disgusting healthy and not hungover in the slightest. He held out his phone. “For you,” he said.
“’Lo?” she managed, holding her head onto her shoulders. Damn. Thirty years old was too old to drink until two in the morning.
“When you’re not dead,” Brooke said in her ear with false politeness, “you return a damn phone call.”
Mindy gasped, sitting straight up. “The kids, is everyone—”
“They’re good. They’re great, actually. But jeez, Min, tell me you’re not still sleeping while I’m over here working on no sleep at all.”
Mindy let out a breath of relief. “Not still sleeping, at least not anymore. And hey, sometimes you just need to lie in bed and rest for a couple of years, ya know?”
“I hate you.”
Mindy could hear Maddox crying in the background. “What’s wrong with my baby?”
“Lots of things,” Brooke said. “But at the moment it’s the fact that I won’t let him get into the oven with my sweet lemon bread.”
Mindy snorted, but only because she totally understood. There was no reasoning with Maddox on the best of days. “You’re making my kids your sweet lemon bread?”
“Yeah. Figured it was more acceptable than a pitcher of frozen margaritas. So it’s been the agreed-upon two days, Min. What time are you coming home today?”
“Yeah, about that . . .” Mindy bit her lower lip, torn between momma guilt and the need to clear her muddled head. “I’m not.”
Chapter 5
When life gives you lemons . . .
Brooke stood in the kitchen staring out the window, running the pads of her thumbs over the tips of her fingers, back and forth, back and forth.
The calming gesture wasn’t working today. It’d been an hour since Mindy had told her she wasn’t coming home, and Brooke was still trying not to freak out.
Mindy wanted the rest of the week.
Brooke had taken personal time off from work for these past few days, and that hadn’t been a problem. Calling out for the rest of the week would be. Cole had a lot of good qualities. Patience wasn’t one of them. He’d most definitely bitch about it.
Or he’d show up here in some misguided attempt to take her back. Sweet, but she didn’t need him here. She had this.
Restless, she stepped out back to sit in the only shady spot on the deck. She had a glass of homemade lemonade—because when life gives you lemons, and all that—but wished it was something stronger.
A lot stronger.
She turned the glass around in her hands. Exactly twice. Then twice more. Rolling her eyes at herself, she drew in a deep breath of fresh air. Late May in Wildstone was just about perfect. Seventy-five degrees, with a light breeze that was scented with oak trees, sea air, and . . . more than a hint of lost hopes and dreams.
She didn’t miss LA. That was the shocker. She didn’t miss her current job, either. That wasn’t a shock at all. No, the things she missed, like the weight of her camera around her neck and the ability to go adventuring, hadn’t been within her reach in a long time. They were within her reach now. Or so she told herself. After all, she had her plan: Help Mindy and kick Linc’s ass. Apologize to Garrett. But that was proving harder than she’d thought it would be, and she’d thought it’d be really hard. He’d been right in front of her, and instead of apologizing for what she’d done, she’d . . . She shook her head. She’d ended up tongue-tied and unable to bring it up at all. She had no idea what was wrong with her, but all her feelings for him from that time in her life seemed stuck in her throat. Fact was, she was crushing on him all over again, and that couldn’t happen. She needed to handle this chapter of her life and move on. Go back to LA, talk to Cole about getting her old job back or one like it, and live life again.