Page 47 of Mad Rivals (The Bradley Legacy #1)
Girl Time with Clem
I should’ve known. I should’ve felt it coming.
I crumple to the floor as grief plows into me.
He really did it. He really just broke this thing between us off.
I bet the call he had to take this morning was his dad beckoning him back home. I don’t know if he’s doing this because he thinks I’ll betray him or what, but telling me to keep my mouth shut was about the most hurtful thing he said to me, as if I’d ever betray him after everything we went through.
Aside, of course, from his words actually ending this thing between us.
Maybe he’s right. Maybe it’s better this way. It’s too complicated working against each other, and maybe I should just swallow my pride and move back to Chicago. It was a bad idea for me to come out here, chasing some man who was never meant to be mine.
Except it’s not like I can go to Chicago right now .
For one thing, that’s where he’s headed.
I don’t know how long he’ll be there, but I can’t make it look like I’m chasing him even though every instinct in my body is telling me to do exactly that— to save what we have because it’s the first time I’ve ever felt something so meaningful in my life.
It’s why it hurts so much. It felt like forever, and I know it did to him, too. I could see the way he was affected as he brushed past me to leave.
He doesn’t want this anymore than I do, but for some reason, he feels like this is what he needs to do.
I hate it. I hate him.
I don’t hate him. I could never hate him.
But I’m angry and disappointed. I’m mad and sad. I’m heartbroken.
I truly didn’t think this was how today was going to go, but here we are.
I call the only person I can think to call at a time like this…the one person who has always been there for me even though I haven’t been a very good friend lately.
“Kenny Van Benny!” she answers cheerfully, and a broken sob falls out of my mouth. “Oh my God, babe, what’s going on?”
“Madden ended it,” I manage to choke out.
“Oh, shit. Why? Hang on, I’ll grab a flight out there to kick his ass,” she says, and this is why I called her. The solidarity.
I gasp for a breath, and I manage to find one. I gulp in some air, and then I say, “He’s on his way to Chicago.”
“Then I’m on my way to Los Angeles. Where are my shoes? Where’s my fucking suitcase?” she says to herself as she starts gathering her things to toss them into a suitcase.
I’d tell her not to, but the truth is, I need her here. I don’t bother to put up a protest she’ll ignore anyway.
“I’ll book you a flight,” I say instead. I wander over to my laptop to look up flights. “Tell me something good while you pack.”
“Work is going really well. I’m living with Lainie from marketing, and we’re having fun.” She lowers her voice. “Not as much fun as I had with you, though. ”
It prompts a small chuckle from me. “How are things with Lance?”
“You don’t want to hear about Lance,” she says.
“That good?”
“Better.”
“I’m happy you’re happy, Clem.”
“I know you are. And that’s why I love you. Even when you’re down in the dumps, you’re still cheering me on. And vice versa. Did you find me a flight yet?”
“I did.” I book it on the spot and give her the details.
“I’ll be there in a few hours, and then we can get wasted and numb this bullshit, okay?” she says.
“Deal,” I say, and we hang up.
I spend the next few hours crying, lamenting, and wondering if my ex and my best friend are crossing paths in the sky as he heads to Chicago and she heads to Los Angeles.
It’s late, and I’m dozing on my couch by the time there’s a knock at my door. I feel a surge of relief that my best friend is here. It feels like I’m not alone, and while the pain from losing Madden is still incredibly fresh and deeply dark, Clem manages to bring brightness wherever she goes.
“I missed you so much,” I say, hugging her tightly.
“Back at you, babe,” she says. “So what happened?”
And then I spill everything.
Well... almost everything.
I leave out the bit about the casinos, which really is the underlying cause of why he broke it off. I realize it’s pretty hard to explain why he ended things out of the blue without that piece of the puzzle, so I blame a lot of it on the events from today.
“He must’ve realized how hard it is to compete with each other in a business setting, and that’s why he did it.” That’s what I tell her, anyway.
Because I wasn’t lying to him when I said I wouldn’t tell anyone his family’s secrets. Even though he just broke my heart, he can still trust me—whether or not he deserves that privilege .
“I’m so sorry, Kenny. What can I do?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Nothing. You’re here, and that’s all I need.”
It’s a lie. All I need is Madden, but I can’t have him.
She reaches over and grabs my hand. “Do you think this is permanent? Or do you think it’s a blip and he’ll realize what he lost and come crawling back?”
“The better question is whether I’ll take him back when he does.” I press my lips together, and they’re big words from someone who’s fairly certain she would take him back in less than the space of a single heartbeat.
We spend the next day getting massages and pedicures and watching our favorite movies while vegging out on the couch with popcorn and Twizzlers, and then she has to fly back home since she can’t miss too many days of work.
Girl time with Clem was exactly what I needed, though.
And now, I guess it’s time to start focusing forward.
I dive into edits on the bid for Newman. I throw myself into other projects, too.
None of it really helps. Before I know it, a week has dragged its way by, and I haven’t heard a word from Madden.
The Fourth of July comes and goes, and the new bids for Newman are due on Monday morning.
I slip into my favorite dress and spend a little extra time on my hair and makeup since I know I’ll be seeing Madden at today’s meeting.
I’m not trying to impress him. Instead, I just want to feel overly prepared and confident as I walk in to face the man who just broke my heart.
I pull into the parking lot first—just like last time.
I get out of the car and head toward the tasting room.
And when I walk inside, I’m hit with a surprise I never saw coming.