That would be her secret to deal with. Her wounds to heal.
And the next man she trusted…if she ever trusted a man again…he wouldn’t be an ass! He wouldn’t think of a woman as “a piece of meat”!
Slipping into her Miata, she revved the engine and backed out. It shocked her to realize how much time she’d spent with Reid. They’d been driving to and from work together every day and, since his car was nicer and Reid preferred to drive, they always took one of his vehicles.
Now, driving away in her sporty car, she remembered how much she loved to drive. She’d really missed this over the past several weeks.
She drove down the driveway, ignoring Reid standing on the front sidewalk, his hands fisted on his lean hips frowning. Why in the world would he be angry?! The man had no right to be angry! Of course, he didn’t know that she’d overheard his demeaning conversation with his brother. Reid had no idea that the truth of his disgusting personality had finally reared its ugly head.
Well, no more! She’d extricate herself from his clutches and move on with her life. Step by step. The first thing she needed to do was get out of his house. She wouldn’t allow herself to live in his guest house. She was finding her own place to live, doing it on her terms.
Driving through the streets of Denver, another thought occurred to her. She’d lived here for several weeks now, but since Reid did most of the driving, she hadn’t learned how to get around town.
Didn’t matter, she told herself as she made another U turn before spotting the sign to get onto Highway Twenty-Five North. Speeding onto the ramp, she joined the mass of traffic heading out of the city. Heading north. Most of these people were probably heading towards the mountains and she gazed longingly at them in the distance. Beautiful, she thought. The snow-capped mountains were elegant and rugged, never letting a person down with their magnificence.
Unlike other people that she’d thought were so solid and trustworthy!
She spotted her turnoff, remembering it from the last time and turned left. Five minutes later, she pulled into the parking space right in front of the rental office. Getting out, she didn’t care that she looked a mess.
“Hi there. Remember me?” she asked of the salesperson.
Obviously, the woman did. The wary expression in her eyes spoke volumes.
“Don’t worry,” Selena soothed her. “My…friend isn’t here and I’m ready to rent. I don’t care about his issues.”
The woman’s mouth opened and closed. “I’m sorry, we don’t have any two bedroom apartments currently available. I rented the last one last weekend. We have studios and one bedrooms.”
Selena’s smile widened and she wondered if she looked a bit crazed since the saleswoman stepped back slightly, as if she were cringing in fear. “Perfect,” she replied, ignoring the woman’s reaction. “I want a one bedroom, with a washer and dryer in the unit.”
The salesperson typed in a few things on her keyboard, her eyes moving over the monitor before she nodded. “I have two available. One looks out to the mountains, but it’s a bit more expensive. The other looks down onto the courtyard. It might be a bit noisier on the weekends,” she warned.
Selena thought about those options for a long moment. She briefly considered taking the apartment by the courtyard, just to irritate Reid since he was so adamant about the pool parties and happy hours being a hookup event. But in the end, she knew that she’d be happier with a mountain view apartment. It would be glorious to wake up every morning and see the mountains off in the distance.
Another good thing about Colorado. One could actually see in the distance, even during the summer months. The humidity and pollution in Virginia diminished the view of the Shenandoah National Park, a part of the Appalachian Mountains. There was also a great deal of light pollution, so even at dusk, it was sometimes hard to see with the city lights making the distance fade away.
But she was here now. And she loved it! Colorado seemed to feed her soul in ways she hadn’t thought possible.
Although, she’d thought that about Reid just this morning.
More fool her.
Selena walked behind the now-bubbly salesperson who discussed a litany of the various stores and conveniences that were close by. Once in the apartment, Selena was surprised at how small the apartment felt, but perhaps that was to be expected after living in a twenty-five hundred square foot guest house, or Reid’s six thousand square foot house. Going from that grandeur to an eight hundred square foot apartment was…well, it would just be a change. Everything in life changes, she reminded herself. This was simply another change. Another challenge.