Perfect Bastard (Mason Creek)

I closed my eyes as I realized everything Dad had put Mom and me through was because of his fragile ego. I waved him off. “Doesn’t matter. There’s still another woman and there’s just no explaining that.”

Disgusted with it all, I left. Half the guys watched me walk away as if I was fragile. It was time to make a change.

I called Mom after I got home. The last time we’d spoken, she’d said Tom had offered me the house to stay in while I figured things out. “I want to stay at your house.”

“Absolutely. When we come back, we’ll figure the rest out. I think we found a condo we like, so we won’t be in town long. Are you okay?” she asked. “You sound like you have a cold.”

“I’m under the weather,” I said.

Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to admit my shame for trusting a man I had no business trusting.

“Okay, take care of yourself. Drink plenty of liquids and chicken noodle soup is great for soothing a cold.”

“I will. Thanks. I love you.”

“Love you back, sweetie. I’ll talk to you soon.”

After our call ended, I was left to pick up the shards of my heart. Words were hard to find as I struggled to end the last article I needed to send to Linda.

It only got harder when, just one day later, I opened my phone and found a picture of a woman standing in front of a building. The tagline read, ‘Is this Nate Bowmen’s mystery woman?’ Seeing that I hadn’t been in Chicago, it wasn’t me. And I burst into tears, coming to grips with the fact that I was in love with Nate.

I glanced at the dozen or so roses he’d sent me that I hadn’t yet tossed for reasons I didn’t understand. Needing something to do, I gathered Nate’s t-shirts, the few I’d collected after our nights together. Part of me wanted to burn them, but the other part wanted to be the better man, as they said. Rather, the better woman. I folded them up and put them in a grocery bag from my last shopping trip.

Then I did the unthinkable. I went to his house, hoping that picture meant he was out of town. I circled the drive so the car would point in the right direction for a quick getaway.

I left my car running and rounded it to head to the porch. I dropped the bag at the front and almost considered knocking, but didn’t. I’d just made it down to the stairs when I heard the door open.

“Are you Avery?”

It wasn’t Nate, and I turned slowly. It was the gorgeous blonde with tanned skin, like she’d just stepped off the beach. I immediately hated her and wondered if she was the woman someone had photographed from behind.

“I just wanted to drop something off,” I said.

“Please wait. I didn’t introduce myself last time.”

I looked elsewhere and said, to the wind maybe, “I really have to go.”

“I’m Sunshine,” she said. “I take care of Nate’s dad.” That gave me pause. I faced her then. “I really should have told you that last time, but I wasn’t sure if it was proper for me to give anyone that information without Nate’s approval.”

“But you were in a robe.”

“Yes. I live here. Nate needed someone to be here, especially when he’s not.”

I stood there, not able to move, as I listened and so badly wanted to believe her. “He never mentioned you.”

“From what I overheard, you didn’t talk about much about family. Something about you wanting to keep things casual.”

“He told you that?” I asked. “And I never said that.”

“No,” she said. “He wasn’t speaking to me. And maybe the word was ‘uncomplicated.’” I closed my eyes to remember exactly when I’d said that. “And I probably shouldn’t be speaking about conversations I wasn’t privy to. But here we are. I feel as though I did you both an injustice. I see the pain I’ve caused for both of you, and I need to fix it. If I lose my job, so be it.”

“You’re not with him.” It was as much of a statement as it was a question.

She laughed. “No. He’s my boss, and that’s it. I swear. And he’s never brought another woman here that I’m aware of. The only car I’ve seen is that one.” She pointed at my Jeep, which continued to run.

“Is he here?” I still wasn’t sure if the press had taken a picture of her.

“He’s out of town.”

“Do you know when he’ll be back?”

She shook her head. “No. He doesn’t keep his schedule with me. But I think he’ll be back in a few days.”

“Something you overheard?” I asked, managing a small smile.

“The walls aren’t thick in this house.”

“Sunshine,” a man called from the back.

“I have to go. But I hope I’ve cleared up any miscommunication. I’d hate to see that light dimmed from his eyes for something that a simple conversation can fix.”