Page 39

PIPER

Piper,

You know, sometimes life really sucks.

That’s all I have to say about that. As for how my leg is, it’s still attached and pissing me off.

On the bright side, it’s still attached.

On the downside, the moment I came home, my mom decided to visit.

Chase outed me to her with cow porn—there’s more to the story, but I think you can get the severity of the situation—to which she demanded I go to church to pray for my soul.

Now, she’s trying to set me up with every single woman within a fifty-mile radius so I have someone to look out for me. She’s terrified that I have no one here with me, and until I do, she won’t leave.

Do you have any idea what it’s like to spend that much time with your mother as a grown man? It’s just not right.

Send reinforcements. I won’t survive another month with my mother.

Desperately seeking sanity,

Patrick

Send reinforcements. That could be arranged. No, I was not the ideal candidate for his mother, but hell, I could play the part of his loving girlfriend and help get his mother off his back. And in the meantime, I could escape the city for some much-needed perspective.

I actually looked into applying for a permit yesterday to sell pretzels on the street.

Desperation was not a good look on me. So, I pulled out my bag and packed for a week.

I had no idea how long it would take to get his mother off his back, but I would give it my best effort.

Maybe I’d even get to have some life-altering sex while I was there.

“Where are you going? Did you get an apartment?”

“Nope. I’m going to Kansas.”

She gasped behind me. “Surely, things aren’t that bad.”

I smirked at the horror in her voice. “Patrick’s mother is there and she’s threatening to set him up with women.”

“Why?”

“Something about a cow porn stash.”

It was so silent that I turned around to see her reaction. It was priceless. “And you’re going? Girl, you cannot hook up with a man who wants to fuck a cow!”

“Trust me, he doesn’t,” I laughed. “Besides, I’m only going so I can get away for a week. The city is starting to get to me. I need a new perspective.”

“And you think Kansas is the place to do that? Seriously, go to New Jersey or something.”

“No, this is the right thing to do,” I said with a nod. I was positive about it. “Besides, maybe I’ll get lucky and have another round of amazing sex.”

“If you say so. But girl, seriously, Kansas?”

“It’s a short trip. Besides, it’s not like I’m moving there.”

“Thank God because I am not driving out there to visit you in the land of corn.”

“I’m not sure it’s the land of corn.”

“It might as well be!”

I rolled my eyes at the absolute astonishment in her voice. If ever there was a woman who didn’t belong in the middle of nowhere, it was Jeanie. “I’m looking forward to this getaway. There’s nothing that puts your life in perspective like going somewhere boring.”

“You already did that, remember? Hello! You went missing for three days.”

“With the bear,” I added, even though she didn’t believe me.

“Piper, seriously, I’m begging you not to go.”

I zipped up my bag and turned to her, taking her hand in mine. “I swear to you, I will return in one week and still be the same woman. I will not let Kansas change me.”

Tears filled her eyes as she ducked her head. “I don’t think I could stand it if you moved to Kansas.”

“Neither could I, which is why I’m only packing one bag.” I picked it up and headed for the door, only realizing right then that I didn’t have a plane ticket or anything else that might actually get me to the airport. Oops. Guess I was a little too excited about the trip.

As I turned directions, Jeanie sighed in relief. “Oh, good. You’ve changed your mind.”

“Nope. Just thought it might be helpful if I had an actual plane ticket. Don’t want to end up in the woods again.”

She sighed and flopped down on the couch. “Seriously, when are you gonna let that go? You know, it’s not nice to lie to people.”

“When are you going to believe me? It’s not nice to accuse people of lying.”

She didn’t have a response for that, which I was perfectly fine with. I knew my adventure was less than believable, but I hated that she wouldn’t even consider that it really happened.

“What is it about this guy?” she asked as I booted up my laptop and went online.

“I don’t know. He’s funny and hot. Great sex. That’s always a good thing.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never seen you so willing to drop everything for a man. I mean, besides James, and look how that turned out.”

“Believe me, if I had a job and wasn’t going out of my mind, I wouldn’t drop everything for Patrick. It’s not like that with us.”

“No, but he wrote to you and asked you to come, and you packed a bag.”

I winced at her assessment of the situation. “Technically, he didn’t ask me to come.”

“He didn’t?”

“Well, he said send reinforcements, but I’m pretty sure that was a joke.”

“Then why are you going?”

“Because I’m going out of my mind here,” I laughed humorlessly.

“I have no job, and I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get one with James being a douchenozzle.

Which means I need to find a new path in life.

This is not the way I thought my life would change.

And since I don’t know what to do, getting away for a few days might just give me some insight. ”

“Maybe.” She gnawed on her lip in thought. “So, you’re really not going out there to see if things could work out?”

“Not at all,” I chuckled. “Trust me, he’s just not that type of guy. We might have some fun, but that’s where it’ll end. I’m well aware of that, and I’m fine with it.”

“Because of James,” she hedged.

“Because James really fucked with my head. I’m not sure I could date any man right now and trust that he wouldn’t screw me over.”

“Well, as long as you’re clear on where you stand.”

“Trust me, I set up these borders all on my own. The only thing this trip will do is help with the boredom.”

She still didn’t look like she believed me, but that was okay. I didn’t need her approval. I knew in my head and my heart what was really going on here, and that was all that mattered.

I finished buying my ticket and then looked for jobs in the hour before I needed to head to the airport.

This time around, I had medicine to knock me out.

It was a risk, for sure. If the plane went down, I wouldn’t be able to jump out of the plane.

Then again, I doubted anyone on this flight would have a parachute, which meant I would go down in a fiery blaze, and it was really better to be unconscious for those things.

“Do you want me to go to the airport with you?” Jeanie asked as I picked up my bag.

“Nah, I think I’ve got it this time around.”

“Well…” She shifted uncomfortably, shoving her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. “You know, don’t go falling in love with any Kansanites.”

“Is that what they’re called?”

She shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care. Just come back as yourself.”

“I think I can say without a doubt, that will happen. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

She had nothing to worry about, but I was on the verge of a panic attack. I dug through my bag again, but couldn’t find any pills. “Where are they?”

I growled in frustration as anxiety built inside me. I would never make it on this flight without something to knock me out.

“Or alcohol,” I murmured, glancing at the clock. I had enough time to get good and wasted before the flight started to board, and that’s what I fully intended to do. But before then…

I pulled out my phone and texted Patrick for the first time on the brand new device. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Headed your way to rescue you. Flight 783. You’d better be there to pick me up because the only way I’m boarding this flight is drunk.

I didn’t wait for him to respond before I tossed my bag over my shoulder and headed to the nearest restaurant. I walked right up to the bar and signaled the bartender.

“What can I get you?”

“Liquid courage.”

He smirked slightly, grabbing a shot glass for me. “Not a flier?”

As he slid the drink in front of me, I tossed it back, wincing at the burn. “I jumped out of the last plane I was on, so…not really.”

“Jumped out of a plane, huh? That’s pretty impressive.”

“It was either that or go down in flames.”

“And you’re getting on another flight?”

I tapped the bar and waited for him to pour me another shot. Then I drank it down and let the alcohol run through my veins. “It’s a desperate situation. I’m needed to ward off a pushy mother.”

“Wow. You’re running in to save the day. That’s kinda hot.”

“Only if I can manage to not throw up on his mother.”

“Ah, his . Boyfriend? Lover?”

I shook my head, sighing as I felt the alcohol tingling in my body. “Just a friend.”

“Hmm. Seems like an awfully rough trip for a friend.”

“Well, I jumped out of the plane with him, so…”

“So, what?”

“So, going to visit him and fight off his mother hardly seems like a challenge.”

“If only you could get on the plane without having a major anxiety attack,” he teased.

I cocked my head to the side as I studied the man. He seemed awfully good-looking for a bartender. Then again, I saw men from romance novels wherever I went.

“You don’t happen to be a bartender who moonlights as a teacher, do you?”

“Uh…” He let out a throaty chuckle that I felt all the way in my lady parts. I really needed to stop reading so many romance novels. “Actually, I’m in flight school.”

I grimaced at his hateful words. “You know, I think I’ll take my drink to go.”

“Turned you off, huh?”

“The moment you said flight.” I sighed, resting my chin in my hand as he poured me a drink to go. “You know, it’s a shame. We could have made beautiful babies.”

I tossed some money on the counter as he handed over my drink. “I put a splash of vodka in that for you,” he said with a wink.

“Thanks.” I held up the cup. “To what could have been.”