Page 107 of The Toy Maker

I buried my head in my hands and listened to him breathe. Ishould have fixed the broken latch. Fuck.

“What now?” I groaned, already knowing that the answer couldn’t be anything good. I had screwed myself, royally, and it was only a matter of time before Kitty told Jade and Sarah. Then they’d judge me together.

“Whatever you want to do.” He shrugged.

I spared a glance at him. “What does that mean?”

“I can put my clothes on, leave, and pretend that nothing happened tonight, or I can stay.” He leaned toward me, pressing his leg against my bare thigh.

“I can’t even think about having sex right now.” I gathered my clothes from the floor and yanked on my shirt.

I tried to ignore Jason’s eyes following my every move.

“We could just watch a movie. I’ll even keep my hands above the blanket if it makes you feel better,” he murmured, voice soft. Was he suggesting a post-sex movie night?

I tried not to smile at the idea. “Thanks for the offer, but I think it’d be best if you left.”

“Yeah, of course.” Jason’s eyes fell before he got up and put on his clothes.

Once he was dressed, I walked him to the door. The same one that I had kissed Ethan by just a few hours before, the same one that my friend walked through to catch me screwing my boss, and now the one I was sending off the man that I wanted to stay through the night.

“Come see me tomorrow morning,” was all he said before leaving me standing alone in my apartment.

After Jason disappeared into the night, there wasn’t much left to do other than lay in bed and loathe myself to sleep. So that’s exactly what I did.

I squeezed my eyes shut and pretended that everything was fine. A coping mechanism I had perfected over the years and put to use quite a few times. My parents made sure of it during every holiday, birthday, and Superbowl Sunday.

I promised myself that Kitty would forgive me for lying. After all, I would do the same if the roles were reversed. Wouldn’t I?

When I curled into my bed and fought away the images plaguing my mind, I finally drifted to a restless sleep.

I groanedwhen the alarm shook me awake with its incessant ringing the next morning. I felt like I had been buried in a shallow grave, with dirt scratching at my throat but still close enough to the surface for the sunlight to annoy me.

I dragged myself out of bed and put on the first outfit I saw with a yawn. It was mismatched and wrinkled, but at least it was clean.

I didn’t know what to expect after the night before. My body ached with every step closer to Pink Cherrie, a dull reminder of Jason’s touch still lingering on my skin. Even now, I felt tethered to him, though I wasn’t sure if I had any right to.

I had given him so much of myself, but I had made a mess of everything in the process.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled open the door. The scent of pumpkin pie and cornbread hit me as soon as I entered.

My eyes widened when I saw the event decorations—the entire room had been transformed into an enchanted forest. Twinkling lights mimicked the glow of fireflies, casting soft golden glimmers over the fake stone path that wound through a thick maze of fake trees. Paper leaves hung from the ceiling, and vines twisted around the wooden pillars.

I followed the path into the winding woods and found a familiar clearing.

“What do you think?” Sarah was perched behind the front desk, her bright green overalls covered in tiny stitched daisies. Her grin was wide, genuine, and she seemed truly happy for the first time in months.

I wished I felt the same.

“It’s…” I struggled to find the right words. “They did all this overnight?”

She nodded, brushing a loose curl from her face. “Jason worked late setting it up. Also, Jade’s been looking for you. Your costume is the only one unfinished.”

I had been avoiding fittings alone with Jade. She had a way of prying out secrets I didn’t even know I had. Plus, she was a little stab-happy with the needle, and if Kitty had told them what she saw, I’d be a pincushion by lunch.

“Alright, I’ll go find her.” Before she responded or lured me into another conversation about ceramics, her latest obsession since the breakup, I wandered deeper into the “woods”, following the winding path until I stepped into a clearing.

I stopped when I saw the large dining table taking up most of the stage. I climbed the stairs and forced myself to investigate. Each chair came with restraints on the arms, legs, and waist.