Page 10 of Make You Mine

“Goodnight,” I echoed, locking the doors as he had instructed.

He stood there watching as I backed out of the parking space, then drove away.

As I drove home, I couldn’t stop replaying the evening over in my head. The unexpected fake date and the way he’d looked at me—it all felt like the premise of a romantic comedy. But my life had never been like the movies, and I knew better than to get my hopes up again.

Chapter3

Piper

It was early morning; the sun had just risen in the sky, but I was already up, feeding my two cats in the kitchen. Nimbus and Smog were meowing desperately for food as they wound themselves through my legs. I swear they acted like I was starving them to death every morning.

The aroma of fresh coffee lingered in the air, and bright sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains. It was gorgeous, cheery as hell, and I wished I didn’t have to see Richard today. But the one person I really didn’t want to see was Dana. If he brought her here, I’d lose my damn mind on both of them and find a way to dognap Cody.

They stared up at me, rubbing against my calves as I scooped food into their bowls. I knew they were happy he was gone. They’d started using their litter boxes again now that his shoes were no longer here to poop in. The amount of hissing and kitty cat jump scares had also lowered to zero. It was nothing but purring, sweet little head butts, and cuddles now that Richard was out of here and back at his place.

“Don’t worry. He is not coming back to stay. Ever.” I reiterated before padding through my dining room and into the parlor to wait for Paige, glancing at the grandfather clock along the way. She should be here any minute.

I was dressed tounimpress. When we broke up, Richard seemed shocked that I let him go without a fight. I guess he’d expected me to beg him to stay or something else ridiculous and pathetic. I needed to make myself as unappealing as possible so that he knew I absolutely did not give one solitary shit about him or anything he had to say to me. So it was all about the caftan, fluffy slippers, and ratty bathrobe combo. I added a pea-green face mask and a non-attractive ponytail for good measure. Ponytails could be cute, but the look I was going for was Founding Father—think George Washington on the dollar bill. A quick glance in the foyer’s mirror told me I’d succeeded.

The doorbell rang, and I continued shuffling to the door, slippers scuffing against the freshly refinished wooden floors as I walked.

Paige stood on the porch with a face full of determination laced with sympathy—no thanks to the pity, I was fine. Totally freakin’ fine.

“How are the kids?” I asked, hoping to avoid a conversation about my recent life choices.

She breezed past me, taking in my appearance with a knowing smirk. “They’re good. Any more coffee?”

“In the kitchen, help yourself. I’ll be on the porch. Wait,” I called to her. “I’m sorry to drag you out here. You can’t stand Richard, and I know you’re busy?—”

She held up a hand to quiet me. “I knew the risk before I accepted the mission—it’s all good. I can handle him. In fact, Iwantto handle him. I don’t understand why you have such a hard time accepting my help. Okay, I’m lying. I totally get it. But it’sme.I’m always here for anything, whether you think it’s ridiculous or not.”

“I love you.”

“Love you back. But first, I need some coffee, and then we can discuss your outfit. I like it. You’re in your self-care era. Or are you in your old-lady era? Who are you today? Blanche or Rose?” She studied my face. “No, you look grumpy. Today is a Dorothy day for sure, or possibly Sophia. It’s too early to tell. Did you steal that caftan from Grandma?”

Despite my grouchy mood, I burst out laughing. “Nah, we went shopping together. I have a bunch more upstairs.”

“Nice.” She held her hand out for a high five, then went to the kitchen to fix herself a mug of coffee.

I went to the porch, battling the impulse to hiss and rush back inside, when I was suddenly enveloped in early morning sunlight. Oregon’s reputation for being overcast and rainy was legit, but today, for once, the sky was clear. Could this be a sign of good things ahead? Doubtful. I frowned at the street before settling onto the porch swing.

Paige joined me and got straight to the point. She wore jeans and a deep purple Twilight Tavern branded T-shirt. Renaming the bar felt personal to her, almost like restarting her life. It was inspiring. The way she bounced back, albeit fueled by plenty of anger, was what I wanted to do. I was tired of moping around and feeling sorry for myself. I wanted to be like her. Being perpetually pissed off and trigger-happy with rage always simmering beneath the surface was way better than being sad and pathetic any day.

“So, Dick still wants to be happy happy friends with you, huh? How convenient after all the shit he started between you and Dana. I’m not happy with her either, by the way.” She rolled her eyes over the rim of her mug and blew on the hot coffee.

I sighed deeply, feeling the weight of his recent attempts to ‘make it up to me’ and forgive Dana. “Yeah, he hasn’t given up. But I won’t go down that road. Both of them are cut off. No communication aside from what is necessary for the bakery.” I set my cup on the table next to me and then pointed to myself with both thumbs. “All my roads are closed for reconstruction. I need a do-over like you.”

Paige nodded, her understanding clear. “Yes, you do. Both of us will never put up with any more shit from any man ever again. Cheating is a deal breaker, especially after what Dad put Mom through for all those years. You’ve come so far. We both have. We deserve better, and we’re going to get it.”

“You’re so right, and I’m so done. But, um, about Ren? Are you sureyoudon’t want to be the one to go with him to his charity dinners or whatever? Youshouldbe interested in him. I mean, he’s really nice. Honestly, he seems too good to be true. Wait, is he? Is that why you aren’t going for it?” I felt an odd pinch in my chest at the thought of Paige and Ren together, but I shook it off.

She laughed, shaking her head. “I will never set you up again after being completely wrong about Richard; do not worry about that. Plus, I’m not interested in dating anyone now or maybe even ever again, fake or not. He was my divorce attorney, Piper, and you, more than anybody, know how nuts I’ve been since Eli took off. Let’s just say Ren knows way too much about my marriage.” She closed her eyes, shaking her head from side to side. “God, he’s seen me at my absolute worst. There was ranting, quite a bit of raving, and so many tears—just way too many freakin’ tears. There was snot involved, running mascara, and a couple of mental breakdowns. I ruined at least two of his shirts. It was ugly, Piper. We can only ever be friends. I can’t even think of going there with him. Plus, he’s hot, but I’m just not attracted to him. He’s in my permanent friend zone.”

“That makes sense.” I fumbled in the basket next to my chair and unearthed my knitting, which so far was nothing but a ball of yarn, two needles, zero skills, and some wishful thinking. “I get it. Okay.”

“Now, what’s with all this old lady shit?” She pointed to the porch’s overhang. “Is that a hummingbird feeder? And are you knitting?”

“Maybe I want to find things that bring me joy. Relationships have never brought me anything but trouble. And what do hummingbirds do but be cute and drink sugar water? Total joy.”

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