Fisher's Light (Fisher's Light 1)

“When are you going to tell Fisher?” Ellie asks.

I shrug and look out at the ocean. “I don’t know. When is it ever a good time to tell the man you love that the guy you were dating is the one who is going to make your dreams come true?”

“Never,” Ellie informs me.

“Awww, keeping secrets already? Tsk, tsk, that’s never a good thing.”

Whipping my head around, I stare up at the one person on this island I hate more than Fisher’s father.

“I think you made a wrong turn. The skank beach is a mile that away, Melanie,” Ellie says, pointing to the left with a sweet smile.

“You’re one to talk, getting knocked up before you’re married,” Melanie sneers.

Ellie continues to smile as she lifts both of her hands in the air and gives Melanie two middle fingers.

I push myself up from the ground, feeling much more comfortable being eye-level with Melanie than having to look up at her, but I quickly realize how bad I look standing next to her and immediately want to wrap a towel around me. The red bikini I’m wearing made me feel sexy until I stood next to Melanie with her long legs, fake boobs and flat, toned stomach. The white string bikini she’s wearing consists only of three triangles precariously concealing her goods and doesn’t help my confidence much, either.

Every time I see this woman around town, all I can think about are Fisher’s hands on her ass and his mouth pressed against hers that night at Barney’s. He swore to me that nothing happened between them, but I still have to swallow a few times to keep my lunch down where it belongs just thinking about that night.

“I have no idea how you do it, Lucy,” Melanie says with a shake of her head.

I sigh and take the bait, even though I know better. “How I do what?”

Melanie laughs and brushes her long, perfect, shiny blonde hair off of one shoulder. “How you managed to get the richest, most eligible bachelor on the island to propose to you, kicked him to the curb and then got that hot piece of ass ex-husband following you around like a puppy. I’d say you must be good in bed, but that’s obviously not the case since Fisher practically begged me to fuck him and give him a taste of what he was missing.”

White-hot rage flows through me and I don’t even think about my actions. I raise my arm and smack that smug look right off of her face. She yelps loudly, causing a few vacation stragglers enjoying one of the last nice days at the beach to sit up and take notice.

“Daaaaaamn,” I hear Ellie mutter softly, but I don’t pay any attention to her.

“You are a skanky piece of trash and the only reason Fisher went anywhere near you a year ago is because he was drunk,” I shout, not caring that people can hear me.

“You are a BITCH!” Melanie screams.

“At least I’m not a scheming whore who tried to steal someone else’s husband!” I fire back.

“I didn’t steal anything! He CHOSE me, and you just can’t stand that, can you? You weren’t good enough for him and you couldn’t satisfy him, so he chose someone who could,” she argues.

“Nice try. I happen to know nothing happened between the two of you, so give it a fucking rest already,” I tell her with a roll of my eyes.

She laughs right in my face and leans in closer. “You keep telling yourself that, sweetheart, and maybe one day you’ll believe it. He was so angry and full of rage that night, and you just walked away from him. Don’t worry, sugar. I took care of your man after you left, right in the bathroom at Barney’s. When he fucked me against the wall, he shouted MY name when he came, not yours.”

My heart starts beating frantically in my chest and I bite down on the inside of my cheek, trying my damnedest not to cry. I will not cry in front of this heartless bitch or give her any indication that her words are killing me and making me doubt Fisher in any way.

“Jesus, LOOK at you! Do you honestly think he’d want you when he could have me?”

I start to lunge for her when I feel a pair of arms wrap around me from behind, dragging me away while Ellie jumps up from her chair and starts screaming at Melanie.

“Lucy, calm down, baby,” Fisher tells me.

I jerk out of his arms when he gets me far enough away from Melanie that I won’t be tempted to punch her in the nose with my fist this time.

My pride and my heart have both cracked in half and my head is filled with memories of things I’d rather forget. I hate Fisher for making me look like a fool with Melanie and I hate Melanie for throwing it in my face and for making me doubt everything I thought to be true. I hate myself for being so fucking weak where both of them are concerned, but at least I didn’t keep my mouth shut with Melanie. She can wear my handprint on her face for the rest of the day as a reminder to stop fucking with me.

I let the tears fall while my back is to Melanie and Ellie is still ripping into her.

“Hey, what happened?” Fisher asks softly as he reaches for me.

I step away from him and swipe angrily at my tears.

“Don’t. Please, just don’t right now,” I beg him.

I feel inferior and I feel worthless and I hate that I’m questioning my own worth. I hate that I feel like I’m back in high school all over again, wondering why the king of the jocks and the hottest guy in school wants anything to do with me. I’m a grown fucking woman and I feel pathetic for letting Melanie get to me.

I start walking away from Fisher and he tries to grab onto my arm, but I jerk it out of his grasp. “No! Just please, leave me alone right now!”