Once Kim and I are in her car and on the highway, I breathe a sigh of relief. I want to forget everything that just happened. Getting away for a few days will help. Who knows, I might decide to stay away a lot longer than that.
“All right, London, spill. If I quit my job for you, the least you can do is tell me what happened.” She glances over at me, her eyes sad. It takes all I have not to break down. I can’t give Alyssa and Max’s bitch of a stepmother and father the satisfaction. Even though they can’t see the damage they did to me. Why do I even care? The answer’s simple…I fell in love.
Her pitying stare makes my heart hurt worse. I turn toward the window and peer out, ignoring my reflection in the glass. I hate myself for being weak, for falling for a guy I knew was bad news. My phone rings again, but I reach into my purse to shut it off.
“What happened at the regatta, London? You were so happy when you left.”
I scoff. “Yeah, until Alyssa Worthington shows up parading around with a ten-pound engagement ring on her finger. Apparently, Max was with her last night.”
Kim gasps. “Seriously? What an asshole.”
The anger comes back with a vengeance. “Oh, and that’s not all.” Clenching my fists, I turn to her, my cheeks hotter than fire. “His dad had the gall to say I was nothing but a minimum wage waitress used as a fuck buddy to quell his son’s needs before walking down the aisle.”
Kim’s mouth gapes. “Holy shit. I’d love to ram a hot ass poker up his ass and say it quells my need to punish him for being a dick. What kind of man says that crap to someone?”
“A man like Sheldon Richmond,” I say through gritted teeth. Tears form in my eyes. They burn, but I refuse to let them fall. “Things were going great there for a while. I was sitting with Kitty and Mark, drinking mimosas, and having a good time. Max’s mother is so sweet.”
Kim huffs. “Obviously, he didn’t get the sweetness from her.”
“Exactly,” I scoff.
Closing my eyes, I replay it all in my head. I don’t want to, but it’s like it’s on a rapid loop through my brain. I’m sitting there laughing and smiling, watching Max on the water. Everything feels right. But then it all goes to shit when Sheldon and Brandy Richmond show up with Alyssa. I’ve never hated anyone in my life, but I loathe them. They’re bad people. You can feel their toxicity oozing off them in droves. How miserable do you have to be to cut someone down the way they do?
I shrug. “I feel like such an idiot, Kim. Why would Max use me like that? How could he do it?”
“Because men suck major assholes, my dear friend. Sometimes I think I need to be a lesbian. Women know what other women want.”
She has a point, but something tells me it doesn’t matter if I’m with a guy or girl. There will always be complications. Love is never easy, especially with my luck. I have one failed marriage under my belt, and I’ve been used by another man who I thought cared for me. Guess it goes to show how naïve I am.
“I’m going on a detox while we’re away,” I say in all honesty. “A man detox.”
Kim giggles. “So, will I. Then again, I don’t think we’ll have much of a choice in Maine. Your parents live in the middle of nowhere. There probably isn’t a man our age in sight.”
After everything that happened at the regatta, the only place I knew I could retreat to was Maine. My parents are ecstatic to have me and Kim stay at their house for a few days. They think we’re coming there for vacation, but in all honesty, I’m running away. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back to Newport. My job is gone, which in a way, really sucks. I won’t get the management position now. All that hard work was for nothing.
“We’ll be fine,” I promise her. “Remember, a man detox. Maine is a beautiful state. We can go to the beach and go hiking in Acadia National Park.”
“How long are you planning on staying? I need to head back to Rhode Island in a few days.”
How long? I don’t know exactly. I look over at her and sigh. “I’ll stay as long as it takes.”
Even though Maine isn’t where I grew up, it feels like home. Then again, my parents are probably laying on the charm pretty thick because they want me to stay. I can’t complain though. I’ve missed them.
They bought a small farmhouse on a couple acres of land. It’s not much, but they’re really happy with it. They have a chicken coop in the backyard, a beehive where they raise their own bees for honey, and an empty barn that could house several animals. In a way, I hope it stays empty or else they’ll have me out there mucking the stalls. I never thought my parents’ dreams were to own a tiny farm in the middle of nowhere, but it’s what they wanted. At sunrise, I went out to the chicken coop with my mom and helped her grab all the eggs while my dad mowed the lawn. Kim stayed asleep the entire time which didn’t surprise me.
“What made you want to come home so fast?” my mother asks. She flips the last pancake and scoops it onto the plate with the others. When she looks at me, I turn my focus to the massive spread in front of me. I don’t want her knowing anything about Max and what happened.
“I figured it was time for a visit,” I lie even though there’s some truth to it. I really did want to see my parents.
She sits down at the table and scoops some eggs onto her plate. “How long are you staying?”
I fill up my plate with eggs, bacon, and two pancakes. “At least a couple of weeks. I had some vacation time built up at the yacht club that I needed to take.”
She grins. “Nice. You must like it a lot there.”
If she only knew how much I hated it now. The last thing I want to do is go back and have to serve Max and his new fiancé. Luckily, Kim strolls in, still in her pajamas, and waves. “Morning.”
My mom laughs at her. “It’s practically afternoon for us. We’ve been up since the crack of dawn.”
Sheepishly, Kim looks over at me and I nod. “It’s true. We have. After breakfast, you and I are going hiking. Hope you’re ready for that.” It’ll be nice to get some fresh air and time to think.
Kim’s stomach growls and she clutches it. “I’ll be ready as soon as I eat. I’m starving.” Mom and I laugh at her as she fills her plate completely.
“Don’t you ever eat?” my mom asks her teasingly.
Kim scoops a bite of eggs into her mouth and moans. “Yes, but the food back home isn’t as good as this.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s because she’s never awake when I cook,” I say to my mom.
My mom pats my hand and winks. “I taught you well.”
“Yes, you did,” I agree. Being around her makes me realize how much I really do miss spending time with her.
As soon as we finish breakfast, Kim and I clean the dishes so my mom can go outside and help my dad in the yard. I can see them through the kitchen sink window, laughing as they pull weeds out of one of the flower beds in the front yard.
“Think we’ll ever be that happy?” Kim wonders.
I thought there was a chance I could be, but I was totally wrong. “I hope so.”
She dries off the last dish and hands it to me. “All right, girlie, let me get dressed and we’ll get out of here. You need to get in a better mood.”