Forever Mine (Providence Series Book 1) (7 page)

“Sure, they have matching earrings, ya know?”

“Shit!” I muttered more harshly than I intended and Scarlett looked at me in surprise. “Sorry sorry, I’m just a glutton when it comes to jewelry….and underwear….and bikinis.” I swept my hand towards my purchases in a quick ‘look at the evidence’ type swipe.

“You don’t need to buy them right now if you don’t want to, honey, they can wait for another day.
 
If there’s anything that you want to be held back just say and I’ll put it away until you come back for it,” she said placing the belly bars and the matching earrings in front of me.
 

The flower one had one flower at the top that would sit at the top of the piercing, and at the bottom, there were three that were melded together in a U shape. They were small and delicate, and if you looked really closely, there was a tiny sparkly diamond in the middle of each one.
 
The earrings were the same, three small flowers attached to each other that would lie across your earlobe with a tiny central sparkle; I loved them.

The Hand of Fatima sat at the bottom of the belly piercing, so it would be in the belly button, and there were a lot of squiggles and delicate designs in it, including a small lotus flower from which came more delicate squiggles. It was also divine, and the earrings were the perfect match.

“I’ll take them all,” I decided after looking at the jewelry and putting them on top of my new underwear, nightwear and bikini and looking back up at Scarlett with a big grin on my face.

“You sure? I can put them on hold if ya want. Honestly, it's not a problem!” She asked looking a bit concerned.

“Scarlett, I’ll be in here again within a couple of days — this is my paradise.
 
The only reason I swore was because I knew I wouldn’t be walking out of here without the jewelry once you said that. Now ring me up buttercup!”
 
Winking at her I leaned back and put my hands either side of my eyes so that nothing else in the store would get my attention and scream out for me to buy it. “Even better, my female family and friends are now set up for life present wise.”

Scarlett laughed at this and started wrapping everything individually. I was impressed that for a small town store she put so much extra time and effort into finishing off her brand.
 
The tissue paper was a match to the panels in the windows, and she had small satin looking stickers with an S wrapped around a T.
 
In the bag went a scarlet colored organza bag filled with little beads and wrapped with a thin white ribbon. I’m sure my eyes were huge when I whispered, “What’s that?” Like a little kid looking at jars of candy.

“My own scented beads.
 
I had them made by a friend who creates perfumes for people. Normally I sell them, but since you loved the smell so much when you came through the door, I’m gonna add a couple in your bags if that’s okay?”
 

“Oh my God, are you serious? I would love that.” In my mind, I was thinking of my towels and my bedding, both of which I had a lot of, but then I thought about my tops and shorts and wraps… “Uh, do you have a lot of the beads?” I asked knowing that she was going to need to stock up on them.

“Yeah, she just sent me five huge boxes of them, why?” She gestured towards some cardboard boxes that were just visible through the door behind her, and an idea popped into my head — this could be a signature for my designs, and it would be fantastic publicity for Scarlett; I needed to look into this and speak to my uncle because this could be huge.

“I’m an interior designer and I’m working on some contracts that I think your beads would work perfectly with, and that would also be great publicity for you.
 
Have you got a card with your contact details on it so that I can give you a shout once I sort through all of the finer details and discuss it with my uncle?” I’d already fished one of my own cards out of my purse and was holding it out towards her.
 
She leaned over and picked up a kick ass glossy burgundy business card and took mine as she passed it to me. “In the meantime, though, could I buy twenty of those smelly bag, please?” That should cover it, for now.

*
 
*
 
*

After paying and asking her more questions about her designs and the jewelry in her store, I left with a smile on my face and the subtle smell of jasmine and sandalwood surrounding me. Just as I rounded the corner to walk towards my car, I walked into someone and was enveloped in a cloud that stank of cheap sickly sweet perfume that clogged in my throat so much that I could practically taste it.
 
Quickly looking up, I came face to face with what I’m pretty certain were a pair of fake breasts that stuck out of a transparent v-necked t-shirt that was, at least, a couple sizes too small for the wearer.
 
When I got past the plastic bunnies, I recognized the owner as the girl from the Diner who had been watching Ren and I.
 
I’d clocked her as we walked in, and then when his face changed and I turned around and saw his expression pointing in her direction - I had a sinking feeling that they had a past or a present.
 
She was attractive, but it seemed to be that fake sort of beauty that comes from hours of pampering, makeup application, hair obsession and if my previous guess was correct, involved a surgeon's help.
 
Her lips were also slightly over inflated for her face; guess it was a two for one deal to match the boobs —
be nice, Maya
. Her nose looked like it had also had some work done.
 
A friend of mine worked for a plastic surgeon in Florida and he had pointed out to me the telltale signs of someone having had some ‘plastic interaction’ as he called it.
 

Coming out of my plastic surgery musings, it registered that she wasn’t moving like she would have been if it had been an accidental bump; then I saw the sneer on her face aimed at me.

“I saw you with Ren in the Diner and like you need to know that we’ve been together for ages,” she added in a hair flick here which resulted in her fake extensions - I could spot them a mile away too — swiping across my face before she continued. “And anyway, you’re not his type. He doesn’t go for fat plain Janes."
 

Although she’d effectively driven a knife through my heart, I couldn’t help chuckling at the way she spoke.
 
It was nasal, and she emphasized words like “I saw yoouuuuu… in the dineerrrrr… with Ren? And like you need to knowwwww…” Basically, the type of bimbo chatter that you and your friends laughed your asses off over whenever you heard it because they were phrasing parts of it as questions and drawing out words, and really — they just sounded dumb.
 

Obviously, she mistook my chuckle as not believing what she said as her eyes narrowed and a look of pure evil crossed her face as it scrunched up and she pointed her in need of a fill in talon in my face. “Look bitch, Ren and I have been together since school.
 
Yeah, I let him have his fun, but he always comes back.
 
You ain't anything special, most of the girls here have been banged by him, but it’s,” stab in my chest, “always” stab “me” stab “that he comes back to, right Tiff and Bianca?” or ‘Biancaaaaa’ as it came out sounding from her.

I was done with this conversation. Yeah, I’d been scared after the kiss, but even knowing his past, I’d thought he was a good guy.
 
To hear that he was not only taken, but that his type was obviously this plastic vapid bitch in front of me? It pissed me off.
 

Not wanting her to see that she’d scored, I pulled myself up to my full height, rolled my eyes and said in the most bored tone I could muster, “Look, I don’t know what the hell you’re on about.
 
It was business; that’s it.
 
He’s friends with my cousins, so he took me out to see the town and then for lunch while we discussed business. Trust me — you’re safe!”
 

Not waiting for a response, I pushed past her and walked towards Hulk.

8

____

May
a

How I drove back without crashing
or hitting someone I don’t know. I parked and carried in my packages, slamming the door shut with my foot harder than I should have, but it fit my mood perfectly.
 
I know I shouldn’t let her get to me, but dammit she had.
 

What she said had hit right on one of my insecurities after finding out the extent of Andy’s infidelity and finding out who he’d cheated with. They were all Playboy bunny look-a-likes who were tall and thin and must have spent hours every day doing their makeup and hair. I only put the bare minimum on unless I had to use a heavier make up for something, and I usually left my hair to fall where it wanted to as it was naturally easy to manage.
 
I could never compete with that, and after the time, I’d spent with Ren and the Kiss - God, I wished that I could.

I threw my packages on my bed and stomped back down the stairs to continue working on ideas for the asshole’s house. Right now I wanted to fill it with junked furniture with rats and fleas in it.
 
My future here rested on getting this done perfectly though so I couldn’t.
 
Didn’t mean I couldn’t discreetly use his toothbrush to clean his toilet to perfection or let the neighborhood cats rub against his textiles, though.
 
He probably has crabs and fleas anyway so maybe I’d be doing him a favor?
 

After another five hours of searching, planning and making up mood boards, I slowly stood from my seat.
 
Time had got away from me, and I’d been hunched over or sitting cross-legged for most of it while I planned, printed, cut and stuck and it hadn’t done me any favors after yesterday.
 
My neck hurt to move, my shoulders weighed a ton, and my back pinched fiercely. Thankfully I had the bathtub from heaven above me so I trudged up the stairs stiffly and started running the taps.
 
I could smell the jasmine and sandalwood coming from the bags from Scarlett’s and decided to use my sandalwood bath salts that my friend Tony had sent me last week.
 

Tony was great — he worked for a well known plastic surgeon in Miami and was so camp he made the guys in Priscilla Queen of the Desert look like alpha heroes, and I loved him.
 
With Amy working almost five hours away, and my sister Lucy studying seven hours away, he was my closest friend in Miami and had held my hand through everything.
 
You know those moments when you didn’t think anything would ever make you smile again? He could cure you without any effort. He was outrageous, over the top, loyal, loving and one of the most amazing people I’d ever met and I loved him dearly.
 
I hadn’t spoken to him since Monday though, so I made a mental note to call him tomorrow.

Just as I settled into my bath, my phone started ringing.
 
I knew it was Luke from the ringtone, so I let it be and lay back.
 
Thirty seconds later it started up again. I knew it wouldn’t be Adam because I had no doubts that Uncle George had spoken with him about what I’d said earlier, so he’d still be sulking so I left the phone to ring out again.
 
It continued for the next twenty minutes - Luke’s ringtone, my standard ringtone, then Adam’s joined it, so I picked it up because it was ruining my relaxation and begrudgingly I’ll admit I was starting to worry that there’d been an emergency.

“Hey, Adam,” I answered, but I made myself sound cheery since I’d pulled a rat bastard move on him as he would call it.

“What the fuck, Mymy? Where the hell are you?” He barked down the phone.
 
I guess he was still in a snit with me.

“Um, I’m at home?” I replied and phrased it as a question because really where the hell did he think I was? “Why?”

“You’re meant to be here, that’s why! And then we all call you, and you don’t answer? What's going on with you just now Maya?” He sounded royally pissed off at me.

“Adam,” I sighed because I was exhausted and a night in a bar did not merit this level of drama to me. “I’m tired. I’ve had a really busy week, and I’ve been working my ass off.
 
I’m in the bath just now trying…”
 

I got as far as that before he interrupted sounding panicked “You’re in the bath? Ew!” And then he hung up.
 
Well, that was charming.
 
Dropping the phone back on the ground I lay back again, but my bath had lost its tranquillity so with a huff I pulled the plug and got out.

After toweling off, I padded downstairs to make a sandwich because it was too late to eat a real meal when I heard hammering at my door.
 
Ah and there was one of my cousins over reacting and coming to check my pulse, just what I needed.
 
Why couldn't they just leave it be for the night?
 
I was finally nice and moderately relaxed after my bath, and happy in my towel, about to take a sandwich to bed with me...holy shit I'm sad; what 24-year-old lives their life like that?
 

More pounding on the door interrupted my sudden pity party, and I stomped over to the door shouting, "Wait a Goddamn minute you asshole,” while I unlocked the bolts and threw the door open.
 
"What the hell, I told Adam..." I stopped when I saw who had been hammering on my door — the one and only Ren.
 
"What are you doing here?" I asked totally at a loss as to why he would be pounding my door at 10.15pm instead of balls deep in the same girl as my cousins...don't go there, Maya.