Love to Hate Her (2 page)

“Great, as usual!”

“You expected something
different?”  Sam had friends who joked around like that.  The problem
was, when Nikki said that stuff, she meant it.  Sam always let it roll
off, because Nikki was her cousin, and when she didn’t get cocky she was really
fun to be around.  Deep down, Samantha knew Nicole was a nice
person.  If she wanted to be.

Nikki glanced again in the mirror
on her way to answer the door.  She and Samantha were double-dating with
Sam’s boyfriend Ryan and his friend, Craig.  All thoughts of Andrew aside,
she had no problem with that.   Before she opened the door, she slid
the three carat princess cut off her finger and hid it deep in her
pocket. 

Craig and Ryan were standing
outside. 
Oh my God, she’s gorgeous
, thought Nikki’s date.  He
fell in love with her, first sight.   That happened frequently. 
They said their introductions and hellos, and Craig could not take his eyes off
her. 

They ended up playing pool in a
little dive around the corner where Nikki and Sam used to hang out.  And,
of course, everyone who remembered Nikki bought her a shot.  At last call
they went for a walk on the beach.  Nikki’s head was spinning, and she
loved it. 

Craig took her hand as they walked,
and after a few stumbles they landed on the sand.  It might have been
romantic, except Craig was a little sloppy and passed out on top of her. 
She wasn’t far behind.  They woke up naked to the sun rising and people
walking their dogs along the shore.  Both got dressed quickly, and ran off
the beach laughing.  Both thought the sex was great.  Then again,
neither one fully remembered it.

She and Craig spent the following
four nights much the same way, along with Sam and Ryan.  Each night was a
different bar, with free food at Happy Hour, drink specials, shots.  Lots
of shots.  They went back to the beach, but after that first night they
got smart and brought a blanket.   Sometimes they went back to
Craig’s place and slept there.

She never asked what he did or
where he was from.  She didn’t care.  When she left it would be over,
and she would go home and marry into millions. 

Craig?  He was falling. 
Hard.  He hadn’t cared about anyone but himself for so long, he almost
forgot what it was like.  The last girl he felt like this about ripped his
heart out through his throat, and he vowed to himself never to go there
again.  But when he looked at this one, it was different.  His heart
skipped a beat.  He felt like a chick.  Usually, that’s how they fell
for him.  With this one, the tables were turned.  Even after just a
few days, she was all he thought about.

And so it went until Friday of the
first week of Nicole’s vacation.  On Friday morning, she woke up with a
dry-mouth and a banging headache, and rolled over to face Craig.  He was
on his side, naked, still passed out, and drooling onto his pillow.  
She sat on the edge of the bed, and shook her head.  
What the hell am I
doing here?
, she thought.  Disgusted, she snuck out of Craig’s
apartment and drove back to Sam’s.  It had been a long week, and after
none of this partying for four years, she was feeling the effects.

Nicole didn’t go to the beach that
day.  She didn’t do anything.  Nor did she answer her phone. 
She just lay around Sam’s house, nursing her week-long hangover, and watching
TV.  She had this nagging feeling… something was bothering her… but she
just couldn’t put her finger on it.

By the time Friday afternoon rolled
around and Sam came home from work, the last thing she wanted was Happy
Hour. 

Chapter Three

“What’re we doing tonight?” she
asked as Sam walked through the door. 

“We have to meet Craig and Ryan at
the Banana Boat in Boynton.  Two for one Happy Hour with free eats.”

“We’ve been out every night this
week—can’t we go to a movie or something?  Can we get some REAL food?”

“Um, Helloooo… Come in Nick! 
Earth to Nick!  This is what you’re here for, remember?” 

Nicole rolled her eyes as she
walked into her room to get ready.  Curling her hair, she talked to
herself in the mirror.  “I would kill for a nice filet with some grilled
asparagus right now, maybe a baked potato, and crème brulee for dessert”-- she
stopped abruptly when she realized what she’d said. Rather than dwell on her
statement, she shrugged it off and went to a more familiar place in her head:
The place where she was the star.  “You’re gorgeous,” and she blew herself
a kiss.  

On the way to Boynton, the car was
silent.  It seemed all week she and Sam were running out of things to say,
and now the well had run dry.  She turned on the radio.  As she
fiddled with the dial she landed on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D
Minor.   She hesitated for a moment.  
Hmmm… I kind of like
this…
  For the first time since she arrived in Florida, her thoughts went back to Andrew,
and she felt a little twinge.

“What are you doing?  I don’t
want to listen to that crap.”  Sam shot her a scolding glance and they
pulled into the parking lot.  They locked the car and went in.  There
was Craig.  Already. 
Yay
, thought Nicole.  He had a
Michelob Light — no, two — waiting for her with a shot of Cuervo Gold and a
slice of lime.  He liked to lick the salt off her neck before he did his
shots.  Started the night right, he said.  She slid past him and
ordered a glass of Chablis. 

“What’s that, babe?” He whispered
in her ear and then slobbered in it.  She winced.  “I missed you
today.  Can’t wait to get you back to my place.”  And then he winked
and slid his hand slowly up her thigh.  At that moment, something in
Nicole snapped.  She felt like the person she was before she had left this
place, her old home.  It wasn’t a good feeling.  There had been too
many nights like these before:  Too many nights that ended at the beach,
or waking up in a random apartment.  She had left for Philadelphia with her mother to change. 
To get away from it all.  To grow up.  At this moment, with the music
blaring and the smell of smoke and alcohol engulfing her, she realized she had.
Little by little, she’d changed.  She just hadn’t known it yet.

In the middle of the crowded bar, a
feeling Nicole could not explain washed over her so suddenly she took a step
back to catch a breath.  The room shrunk around her, making her feel alone
and vulnerable, and very, very small. Nikki suddenly missed eating broccoli,
and she missed the symphony and the museums. She missed good food and fine
parties, and quiet nights sipping dry white wine by the fire.  And,
surprisingly enough, she missed Drew.  How could she have not seen this
before?  How?

“I’ve gotta go,” she said abruptly
to Craig, who’s back was turned, doing a shot with Sam and Ryan.  None of
them saw her slip out.  None of them noticed she left until her full shot
glasses accumulated on the bar.  When Craig finally looked for her, she
was long gone.  At first, he was heartbroken.  After a few days, he was
livid.

After leaving the Banana Boat,
Nicole drove up to Sam’s place and packed her things.  She left her a
note, telling her someday she’d explain, and stayed the night in a Hilton a
little further up the Coast.  There was no way she could face those three
when they came home stinking drunk, and she knew they’d be furious at her for
leaving without saying goodbye.  Sam she could deal with later.  At
the moment, she needed some sleep for the long drive home. 

**********

Two hours later, Nicole settled
into her room.  She ordered a Pellegrino with a slice of lemon from the
bar, and drew a hot bubble bath.  It had been a long week, with an outcome
she’d never expected.  She took a sip of her sparkling water and sunk down
into the bubbles, only Andrew on her mind. 

How could she have been so
stupid?  How do you love someone and not even know it?  Andrew would
be so disappointed in her.  That thought in itself made her want to
cry.  It was amazing to her how the coin just flipped:  How she was
one person one moment, and the next, this new one that had been forming for
months, bubbling just under the surface, waiting to pop.    Not
the best time for these realizations, but at least she got there.  That
was the only thing that made her feel remotely better. 

Nicole’s chain of thoughts
continued.  Why couldn’t the new her reveal herself before she did all
those foolish things?  Or, did she have to go through all that to bring
the real her about?  All this deep thinking was exhausting.  What she
knew was, if Andrew ever found out, he would never forgive her.  Right
then and there, she vowed to herself she would never let him know.  She
could never take that chance, never hurt him like that. 

Nicole shook her head and sunk
further into the bubbles, feeling like a completely different person than she
was just 24 hours ago.  She fell asleep that night thinking of the many
blessings she had at home waiting for her.  Again, to her own surprise,
Drew was at the top of the list, and she couldn’t wait to get back to him. 
When she finally closed her eyes, the only thing she could see was Andrew and
his beautiful smile. 

The next morning, she called to
tell him she’d be home on Sunday to spend the rest of her vacation with
him.  Beach or not, she missed him too much to stay away.

“Oh, and Drew?  I love
you.”  Nicole hung up and smiled that beautiful smile of hers.  It
wasn’t her usual.  She was smiling because she felt as good on the inside,
as she looked on the out.

Chapter
Four

It was Sunday when Nicole arrived
back home.  She stepped into the elevator and turned her key to access the
top floor.  Andrew had excellent taste, and the penthouse had an amazing
view.  When she stepped out into the middle of it she was overwhelmed with
the beauty of it all.  It was almost as if she was seeing everything for
the first time. 

She stared out past the baby grand
to the Philadelphia
skyscape and took it all in.  It was sunset, and the reflection of the sun
in the glass building across the way cast an orange glow. 
Beautiful.  Nicole closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  For the
first time, ever, she was glad to be here.

She knew Andrew was at work,
working all weekend trying to close his deal, and although she was exhausted
from the trip home, she had a lot of work to do before he returned.  She
ordered a feast for two from their favorite restaurant down the street, and
then ran back out to the stores before they all closed.  Then, she came
back to the penthouse to set up her surprise, took a shower, and waited.

When Andrew came home from work,
his apartment was lit by candlelight.  Hundreds of ivory candles, of all
widths and heights, sat on the tables, over the hearth, the mantle, the floor,
creating a warm, welcoming glow.  In front of the floor length window sat
a candelabra, atop the baby grand, and next to it a small table for two. 
On it, dinner for both.  A symphony played softly in the background, every
now and then the fire in the fireplace crackling a warm hello.  Next to
the hearth sat an ice bucket, holding a newly opened bottle of champagne. 
Two champagne flutes stood nearby.

Nicole came up and wrapped her arms
around him from behind.  He turned to find her in a creamy white silk
robe.  From the way it fell over her body, hugging the curve of her hips,
he could tell there was nothing underneath.   In the light of the
candles and the fireplace, she was stunning.  He slipped his arms into her
robe and pulled her close.  Nicole did not resist. 

They spent the night drinking
champagne and making love by firelight.  In a little Heaven all their
own.  When Nicole woke up the next morning at Andrew’s side, she knew
there was no where on Earth she’d rather be.  It could never get any
better than this.

*****************

Seven and a half months later,
Nicole was on Andrew’s arm, greeting the hundreds of guests at their
wedding.  She wore her perfect smile on her perfect face.  All was
right with the world, with her world, and being Drew’s wife was all she would
ever need.  Finally, she knew it. 

She turned her back for one moment
to fix the slip of the flower girl’s dress and heard Andrew warmly greeting
someone behind her. 

“Nicole, I want you to meet someone
I grew up with.  At least
I
grew up,” he added with a laugh. 
Andrew continued...  “It’s been a long time, my friend.  It was so
good of you to come all this way.” 

“Just a minute, honey.” 
There.  The flower girl looked flawless once again.  All was right
with the world.  With a smile, Nicole turned around to greet her new
husband’s dear old friend, and her jaw dropped as she pulled back her hand.

“Nicole, darling, I’d like you to
meet Craig.”

Craig took a startled step
back.  Then, his eyes burned into hers as he said-- 

“We’ve met.”

About the
Author

If you liked this book,
go to my website and see my others

www.laurenduvall.com

********

I live in New England with my four kids (perfect ones, I may add ;)
, our dog, Otis, 

and Chloe, the
maniacal cat.  I am a writer and a full-time mom, and love spending time
with my children.  They don’t stay young forever, you know, and we have a
boatload of fun.    When we’re not off to a soccer game,
baseball practice, or camp. I write short novellas and romance stories.  I
love to write, and I hope you enjoy my work. 

If you enjoyed this
book, like it, leave a review and share it with your friends!  Thanks!