buying me one of those compact all in one-washer and dryer machines.
The bathroom door squeaked open. “I promise not to look. Where are your clothes?”
I opened the shower curtain. Kristie stood in the middle of the bathroom; eyes squeezed shut. Damp wavy red hair lay on her shoulders. She looked tiny in my white oxford shirt.
“Hurry and tell me where they are, Nic. I’m getting dizzy.”
I chuckled. “You can open your eyes, Kristie. They’re at your feet.”
One lid slowly opened with the other still squeezed shut. She looked at me and sighed, opening the other lid when she saw I was safely behind the shower curtain. After scooping up my muddied clothes, she gazed at me for a moment, her face turning serious.
“Thank you, Nic. For what you did.”
“It was nothing.”
“It was everything,” she breathed, blue eyes filling with hope. I gulped.
Don’t go there, Kristie.
“Nic, I...”
Shit! Don’t say it.
“Uh, you know what? I could really use something to eat. Think you can whip me up some pancakes or something.” I grinned.
She stared at me for a moment, the wheels in her brain slowly churning. I knew what she was thinking. She thought what I’d yelled at Mullet-head was about her. I held my breath, hoping she’d think that I was hungry.
Slowly, her face fell as realization hit. I clenched the shower curtain, fighting the urge to tell her something that would wipe the heartbreak from her eyes. I knew exactly how she was feeling at that moment because that was how I was feeling—about Mandi.
“Yeah, okay.” She hurried out of the room.
Sighing, I placed my head back under hot water, trying to wash away the guilt I was feeling. Maybe I should explain things to her.
Just as I turned off the water, I heard doors slamming and yelling coming from the direction of my bedroom.
“Let me explain, Mandi!”
No!
Quickly, I wrapped a towel around my waist. When I opened the door, a blur of dark hair followed by a blur of red rushed by me. I ran down the hall after them.
“Mandi.”
Stopping, she whirled around, chest heaving as if trying to catch her breath. Wild eyes widened with disbelief as she took in the towel around my waist and then looked at Kristie in my white shirt, the way-too-thin-you-can-see-everything-underneath-it shirt. I groaned.
Why didn’t Kristie wear anything under my shirt?
Mandi stood fixated, nostrils flaring. She bounced on her feet as if she couldn’t make up her mind which way to go.
Then, without a word, she spun around and flew out of the room.
“Mandi!” Kristie rushed out the door after her.
Shit!
I flew into my bedroom. It looked like a tornado had hit it. The closet and drawers were all open and empty. Where the hell were my clothes?
I picked up a lone pair of boxers from the windowsill. Leaning out, I watched as Mandi ran across the parking lot, stomping over what appeared to be my entire wardrobe.
“Mandi!”
Darting out of the room, I stopped by the washer and grabbed the first thing I laid my hands on.
I wasn’t going to lose her. I don’t care what it took or who I had to fight to keep her. No one was getting in my way, not Julian, not Kristie.
No one.
EIGHT: Mandi
“M andi! Stop! Let me explain!”
Ignoring Kristie’s cries, I flew out of the building. I ran down the front stairs, tears threatening to spill down my face.
There was nothing to explain. There was no doubt in my mind what I saw. She had on his shirt, the one shirt I’d bought Nic for Christmas. I’d special ordered it just for him. And she was wearing it and nothing else!
As I ran across the lot, a gleam of red flashed in the corner of my eye.
The Porsche. The car he said he’d give up for me—if I wanted him to.
Yeah right, I snorted. Just like he said there was nothing between him and Kristie.
Mother Dearest bought him a car and a skank on a silver platter. Stupid me, believing him when he said all he ever wanted was me.
I looked around the parking lot,
The bathroom door squeaked open. “I promise not to look. Where are your clothes?”
I opened the shower curtain. Kristie stood in the middle of the bathroom; eyes squeezed shut. Damp wavy red hair lay on her shoulders. She looked tiny in my white oxford shirt.
“Hurry and tell me where they are, Nic. I’m getting dizzy.”
I chuckled. “You can open your eyes, Kristie. They’re at your feet.”
One lid slowly opened with the other still squeezed shut. She looked at me and sighed, opening the other lid when she saw I was safely behind the shower curtain. After scooping up my muddied clothes, she gazed at me for a moment, her face turning serious.
“Thank you, Nic. For what you did.”
“It was nothing.”
“It was everything,” she breathed, blue eyes filling with hope. I gulped.
Don’t go there, Kristie.
“Nic, I...”
Shit! Don’t say it.
“Uh, you know what? I could really use something to eat. Think you can whip me up some pancakes or something.” I grinned.
She stared at me for a moment, the wheels in her brain slowly churning. I knew what she was thinking. She thought what I’d yelled at Mullet-head was about her. I held my breath, hoping she’d think that I was hungry.
Slowly, her face fell as realization hit. I clenched the shower curtain, fighting the urge to tell her something that would wipe the heartbreak from her eyes. I knew exactly how she was feeling at that moment because that was how I was feeling—about Mandi.
“Yeah, okay.” She hurried out of the room.
Sighing, I placed my head back under hot water, trying to wash away the guilt I was feeling. Maybe I should explain things to her.
Just as I turned off the water, I heard doors slamming and yelling coming from the direction of my bedroom.
“Let me explain, Mandi!”
No!
Quickly, I wrapped a towel around my waist. When I opened the door, a blur of dark hair followed by a blur of red rushed by me. I ran down the hall after them.
“Mandi.”
Stopping, she whirled around, chest heaving as if trying to catch her breath. Wild eyes widened with disbelief as she took in the towel around my waist and then looked at Kristie in my white shirt, the way-too-thin-you-can-see-everything-underneath-it shirt. I groaned.
Why didn’t Kristie wear anything under my shirt?
Mandi stood fixated, nostrils flaring. She bounced on her feet as if she couldn’t make up her mind which way to go.
Then, without a word, she spun around and flew out of the room.
“Mandi!” Kristie rushed out the door after her.
Shit!
I flew into my bedroom. It looked like a tornado had hit it. The closet and drawers were all open and empty. Where the hell were my clothes?
I picked up a lone pair of boxers from the windowsill. Leaning out, I watched as Mandi ran across the parking lot, stomping over what appeared to be my entire wardrobe.
“Mandi!”
Darting out of the room, I stopped by the washer and grabbed the first thing I laid my hands on.
I wasn’t going to lose her. I don’t care what it took or who I had to fight to keep her. No one was getting in my way, not Julian, not Kristie.
No one.
EIGHT: Mandi
“M andi! Stop! Let me explain!”
Ignoring Kristie’s cries, I flew out of the building. I ran down the front stairs, tears threatening to spill down my face.
There was nothing to explain. There was no doubt in my mind what I saw. She had on his shirt, the one shirt I’d bought Nic for Christmas. I’d special ordered it just for him. And she was wearing it and nothing else!
As I ran across the lot, a gleam of red flashed in the corner of my eye.
The Porsche. The car he said he’d give up for me—if I wanted him to.
Yeah right, I snorted. Just like he said there was nothing between him and Kristie.
Mother Dearest bought him a car and a skank on a silver platter. Stupid me, believing him when he said all he ever wanted was me.
I looked around the parking lot,
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