Page 30

Chapter Thirty

FALLON

“This is so not funny! What were you thinking, Mackenzie?” I knew she wasn’t the only one at fault, but I was so embarrassed, all I could do was place the blame anywhere else.

She scoffed. “Are you joking? You know I’m not to blame here, right?”

I huffed. Of course I knew that. “You’re the one who started it!”

She laughed. “Yeah, and I’ll start it again... and again... and again.” I looked up at her with a scowl.

“Do you think I’m lying when I tell you you’re beautiful? Because I’m not, Fallon. I say it because it’s true, and I can’t stay away from you. I’m sorry we got caught, and I’m sorry you’re upset about it, but I’m not sorry it happened. I will never be sorry it happens.”

Tears threatened to spill, but I blinked, refusing to let them fall. I knew she was being honest, but this was still just an itch to scratch for her, and I had to remind myself of that. “Thank you, Wildcat. I’m sorry—I’m just mortified.” I groaned.

Mackenzie crouched down and grabbed my face. “Fallon, it’s okay. Look, I’ll clean up, and you can take the boxes out to Drea and talk to her.”

That didn’t even seem like a possibility. Drea made it perfectly clear she had no intentions of talking about this.

I shook my head. “You heard her. She doesn’t want me here. I highly doubt she will want to talk to me—probably ever.”

“Fallon, go talk to her,” she said firmly. “She’s your best friend. She’ll calm down eventually.”

I nodded in defeat. “I know, you’re right. She’s going to kill me!” I couldn’t blame her. I crossed a line.

We stood up, and she grabbed my shoulders, lightly caressing them. “No, she’s not, okay? Just take a deep breath.” I inhaled and exhaled deeply, and she rewarded me with one of her magical forehead kisses. “Good girl,” she said softly.

And just like that…

“Fuck,” I moaned. “You can’t say things like that right now! Are you trying to get us into more trouble?”

Her words, her voice, her scent were making me dangerously feral. I needed to get out of there, and fast.

Luckily, just thinking about having the conversation with Drea dried me up pretty quickly.

She smirked and lightly kissed my cheek. “Go talk to her.”

I left to find Drea at the register with a customer. When I approached, she didn’t even look at me. At least I knew she wouldn’t kill me with witnesses… probably. This was going to suck! I’d rather get a root canal than have this conversation.

“Here you go, Dre.” I waited a few seconds for a response that never came.

I set the boxes on the counter... still nothing. So far, things were not going well.

“Here you are, thanks for coming in.” She handed the receipt to the customer, who thanked her and left.

“Have a great day!” I said with a smile. Drea, however, didn’t smile.

“Drea, can we?—”

“Leave.” Her tone was harsh and unforgiving, and she didn’t even glance my way.

“Come on,” I pleaded. “Can we at least talk about this?”

She still didn’t look at me as she answered. “Goodbye, Fallon.”

“Seriously?” I frowned. “We always talk our shit out, and now you won’t even look at me?”

Fully turning in my direction, the look in her eyes was dark and terrifying. “Get.” The word was sharp, leaving no room for argument. “Out.”

That was probably a good idea. Drea was usually always calm and easy-going, but when she got angry, it wasn’t a good idea to push her.

I sighed, but didn’t say anything as I turned and walked away. Mackenzie came out of the back room, and I paused before walking over to her.

I’d been so swept up in the rush of being with her—and then the horror of getting caught—that I’d forgotten about her date. Being reminded of it made me feel sick again.

“You better get to your date. Drea doesn’t want our help anymore,” I said as I approached her.

“Are you okay?” She tried to place a comforting hand on my arm, but all it did was make me more anxious.

I shook my head. “Not really. She doesn’t want to talk right now, but I’m going to stick around and try again. I’ll see you later. Enjoy your date.”

“Fallon, are you sure?” she asked, and I knew she wasn’t talking about leaving me alone with Drea.

I rubbed my face and forced a smile. “Yes, Kenzie. I’m fine, really. Go.”

“Okay…” She hesitated briefly before adding, “Good luck.”

She leaned in for a kiss, but I turned just enough that she only brushed my cheek. My stomach twisted, and I couldn’t bring myself to let her kiss me.

She pulled back, her brow furrowing in confusion. I could see the question in her eyes, but it never came out. Instead, she gave me one last small smile and turned to leave. I groaned and went into the back room to grab my jacket, finally letting the tears fall.

Drea needed space, and I needed fresh air, so I decided to take a walk for a few hours. I'd go back before closing, when the store would be cleared out, and it would be just the two of us.

Although that might not be the smartest idea, hopefully she’d have calmed down by then. I knew I’d fucked up, and I was expecting a lot of silence on her part and begging on mine.

Mackenzie had stormed into my life and turned everything upside down like a damn tornado. On any other day, it might’ve been the best thing, but today? It just might’ve been the worst.

I walked down three blocks until I stopped at this little flower shop. They had pink and purple dahlias out on display, and I had to stop and smell them. They were my favorite flowers, especially the pink ones.

Eventually, I found a bench and sat down, watching people pass by. I breathed in the fresh air, taking in the commotion of conversations, the sight of people holding hands, and everything going on around me.

I thought about my life and how grateful I was for my family and friends. In a weird way, I was grateful for Mackenzie, too. She had come into my life and completely turned everything around.

A few months ago, I was in a terrible place, still trying to recover from a breakup. Then, I finally found the courage to move to Seattle, and look at what I found—a great job, an incredible group of friends, and Mackenzie.

Honestly, I wouldn’t turn back the clock for anything. I never thought I’d sleep with someone I hardly knew, let alone have it turn into something more. I knew that things with Mackenzie were just casual, but I’d never met someone so thoughtful and passionate at the same time.

As I sat on the bench, reflecting on the past several months, I realized my feelings for Mackenzie might’ve been more than just casual, and that made me feel certain that accepting the date with Cara had been a good idea. I needed to remember our original set of rules and not blur the lines any more than they already were.

I knew I should’ve stopped what happened in the back room, but selfishly, I didn’t want to. I couldn’t accept that Mackenzie was going out with someone else, and I wanted her to appreciate me in any way she chose. I wanted to feel wanted by her, even as she was about to be with someone else. But in doing so, I’d messed things up with Drea.

I never meant for any of this to happen—especially not catching feelings for Mackenzie, and strong ones at that. But I needed to fix things with Drea. She had been my family for too long, and I couldn’t lose her.

It was getting darker, so I knew it was time to head back when I checked my phone. I didn’t have any notifications, nor was I expecting any. Drea would probably never speak to me again, and Mackenzie…

My heart twisted at the thought of her going on a date, and even more so at the memory of what had happened between us. I didn’t regret it—not for a second. I never regretted sex with Mackenzie. Being with her was like taking your first breath. Every single time.

However, I couldn’t deny that I felt a little gross. I knew it was a normal thing between two people who were casually dating, but that didn’t stop the feelings from being there.

The walk back to the bookstore felt like the longest of my life, but I didn’t rush. I wasn’t eager to get back and deal with what I had done.

When I made it back, it was nearly empty except for Kaia, who was still cleaning up.

I walked up to Drea, who was filing away receipts at the counter. She still had the same stressed expression she always did after the signings, but with an added hint of rage.

She barely turned her head to look at me before turning away. “I told you to leave.”

“I did leave, but I came back.” I smirked.

She glared at me. “Go home, Fallon. I can’t even look at you right now.”

“No! You think I want to sit here and have this conversation? Fuck, I really don’t, Dre! You can hit me if you need to, but I’m not leaving until we talk about this.” I crossed my arms and waited.

It only took about three seconds for her to say something. She slammed the drawer where she had filed the receipts and shot me the darkest glare I had ever gotten from her.

“What in the actual fuck were you thinking, Fallon Rose Bennett?! Are you fucking serious? You are so lucky this wasn’t Blair’s signing! Do you have any idea what would happen if she found out about this? You know how she is, she would make sure I never saw another author in here as long as I lived!” she yelled. Drea rarely yelled. And she had never used my full name.

I looked over to Kaia, who was just staring at us wide-eyed. I nodded my head toward the back room, and she didn’t give it a second thought as she took off to leave us alone.

I turned back toward Drea, whose cheeks turned bright red—I could have sworn I saw actual steam coming out of her ears. I was pretty sure the bookstore wasn’t excluded from the list of places she and Skylar had hooked up, so I didn’t understand why she was so upset with me. I didn’t think anyone had heard us.

“I wasn’t thinking, obviously!” I yelled.

“Yeah, no shit! I cannot believe you! Not only did you have sex in my fucking store—while I was here, you pervert—but you had sex with Mackenzie again? ‘Just friends,’ my ass! What the fuck is going on with you two?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen—especially that.” I nodded toward the back room. “I just… I can’t control myself when I’m around her. But I really am sorry, Dre.”

“I sit in that chair, you know! Now I have to burn it!” she said, scrunching up her nose.

“Don’t be so dramatic! You told me to sleep with her, remember? I’m pretty sure you squealed like a little girl when I did.” I laughed.

“This is not funny, Fallon! And yeah, I did—but not in my store, and not when I’m literally feet away! You’re like a sister to me. Do you have any idea what that was like? It felt like I was walking in on my parents!”

We gagged at the same time. What a gross image. “I’m sorry, Dre, it obviously wasn’t my intention. It just sort of happened.”

She lowered her voice slightly and let out a long sigh. “I know, love, I know. But, drunken sex, and public sex? Honestly, who have you become?” she teased.

I laughed. “I really don’t know. She brings out a different side of me.”

“You don’t have to remind me. I saw a side of you I have no intention of seeing again, thank you very much. So, how many times has this ‘just sort of happened,’ exactly?”

Not knowing how to be honest, I bit my bottom lip. “Here? This was the only time.”

“And let me tell you how thankful I am for that! And, not here?”

“Well…” My voice raised about three octaves.

“Fallon.” Her tone was stern, like she was scolding a child.

I sighed. She was not going to let me get out of this conversation without the truth. “We’ve been kind of doing a casual thing, you know? A lot.”

“Interesting. From the woman who doesn’t do casual, nor would she ever do her bitchy neighbor. Also, the way she looks at you—it doesn’t look ‘casual’ to me.” She had a slight smirk etched across her face. I wasn’t sure what part of this she found funny—I was so embarrassed.

“I know, it just sort of happened. And she looks at me like any other person, Dre.” I scowled.

She scoffed. “Honey, please. She looks at you like every star in the sky was handpicked straight from your eyes. That woman has it so bad for you, babe. And if that kiss from weeks ago is anything to go by, I’d say she’s not the only smitten one here.”

“You said you wouldn’t bring that up anymore! You know how embarrassed I am every time I think about it! I basically groped her in the middle of the store. I still apologize to Kaia every time I see her. She is too pure to witness things like that!”

Her expression softened, and she leaned over to rub my arm. “It’s not necessary, but I’m sorry. The point is, there’s something there between the two of you, whether you choose to see it or not.”

I pushed back the heaviness forming behind my eyes. Surely, she didn’t feel that deeply for me. It was just physical, wasn’t it? I mean, of course it was—she was on a date with someone else while I was here, feeling mortified about what we had done.

“I’m done with this conversation, okay?” I said, forcing the lump back down my throat.

She glared at me, but smiled. “Okay, fine. But are you happy, love? You know that’s all I care about.”

“Yeah, Dre, for the first time in a long time, I really am. We’re just friends who really enjoy each other’s company.” I could feel the tint of red creeping up my neck at the thought of enjoying Mackenzie’s company.

“Okay,” she said with a wince.

I laughed. “Sorry.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, we really are good here. You better get back to your friend before she starts thinking you ditched her.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Wouldn’t want to keep your totally platonic companion waiting.”

“She is a friend, Drea, and I can’t. She has a date,” I said dryly, raising my eyebrows at the word.

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry.”

I furrowed my brows. “Why? We agreed to do our own things. I’m fine.”

She glared at me. “Honey, do you think if you say it enough times you’ll believe it?”

I sighed, really thinking of my answer. “I don’t know, maybe. It’s complicated.”

Drea crossed her arms, leaning back against the counter. “Complicated, huh? Just promise me you’ll be careful? I hate to see you hurt, and I would hate even more to have to get rid of a dead body.”

I laughed, despite myself. “I’ll be careful, Drea. I know what I’m doing.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Do you? You’re not exactly known for making the best choices when it comes to… feelings.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I muttered, but there was no heat behind my words. I knew she was right—my ex was a prime example of my bad decisions. I tended to lead with my heart instead of my head, like I should’ve. But that was the old me.

Drea’s expression softened as she pushed off the counter. “I just want you to be happy. And if Mackenzie is going to be a part of that, in whatever way that looks for you two, I want you to make sure you’re not getting hurt in the process.”

“I promise. Are we okay, Dre?”

She smiled, pulling me into a hug. “Yeah, babe, we’re okay.”

“Good, but you might want to go check on Kaia, she looked like a scared baby deer,” I laughed.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I adore that sweet girl.”

“Me too. I’m glad you keep her around. She’s good for this store, and for you. She brings a little sunshine to your dark cloud.”

“Hey. Rude.” She nudged my arm and I smiled.

“I’m teasing. You know I love you, babe.”

We said our goodbyes, and I headed home, eternally grateful to have Drea as my best friend.

I didn’t hear from Mackenzie for the rest of the night, and even though I wasn’t expecting to, I was still upset about it.

I grabbed my phone and stared at the screen for a few minutes, hesitating. It felt wrong to text her, but at the same time, I felt like I needed to reach out—like I needed to hear how her date went. Which was ridiculous, because I didn’t care who she was on a date with, or if she was kissing her, or…

My thumb hovered over the messaging app before I decided to pull up Cara’s contact information. It was time to start following my own rules about our casual arrangement.

When I made it home and got comfortable, I pressed the call button.