Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Mornings were not the time to be making wise decisions. I was groggy but feeling brave because things went more than okay with Jana, and I figured, if I could deal with her, it would be a piece of cake to deal with Ashton. When the phone rang and I saw it was a call from San Francisco, I didn’t ignore it like I usually did.

“What do you want, asshole? It’s been days of me pressing ignore and not returning your texts. Most people would take the hint.” Just because I answered it didn’t mean I had to be polite; he didn’t deserve it.

“I had hoped that you would’ve cooled off by now, Freya.” Ashton was trying to make me feel childish, but it would not work. I wouldn’t succumb to feeling like this was my fault.

“And I had hoped you would have stopped annoying me by now, but hey, we don’t always get what we want,” I snapped back, regretting my decision in answering his phone call.

“Freya, I think it’s time you came home, preferably by Thursday. But as long as you’re here before Friday, you’ll have time to get ready for the gala on Saturday. I’ll have my driver pick you up from the airport—”

Removing the phone from my ear, I looked at it with disbelief then pressed the end button. What world was that moron living in? Did my leaving, the little fit I threw in the garage, and the absence of all my things mean anything to him?

Ashton: Stop being childish, Freya, and come home.

Me: Fuck off.

Aston: I have been more than patient with you. All the things I’ve gotten you through the years. Let’s not forget, I could have pressed charges, but I haven’t.

I flung off my bedcovers, put on my slippers, and went outside. Grandpa wasn’t here; he told me last night he was going fishing with Rusty’s grandfather. This was a plus and a con for me. My grandpa could have talked me out of what I was about to do. I went back to my shed where all the boxes where perfectly stashed. It took me hours to go through all of them. Lucky for me the company Victor had hired did an excellent job of packing my stuff. As I opened each box, I knew what I would need from each. The only breaks I took where to send a message to Emma, letting her know I would not make it to work, restroom breaks, and to make myself a sandwich.

There wasn’t a need for coffee this morning because anger fueled me. I couldn’t believe Ashton threw in my face the stuff he bought me. Not only was it tacky, but it made him more of a dick. When I finally finished, I laughed hysterically. In front of me in a pile were five dresses, three pairs of shoes, and two little boxes containing earrings. I wasn’t trying to be a bitch, but we were together for a long time, and that’s all he ever gave me when I had a shed dedicated to clothes that I bought for myself, and the stupid bastard tried to make it seemed like he owned me. Grabbing the dresses and the shoes, I picked them up, surprised to see that the sun was setting. Great, my day wasted all because I was feeling brave and answered a phone call when I should have pressed ignore. I went to the far end of the yard and threw the dresses and the shoes on the ground before going back into the house to grab lighter fluid and matches. Then I set it on fire. Feeling like having a moment, I even went to the back of the trailer where Grandpa had wood and threw it in. It was childish of me to snap a picture and send it Ashton, but I didn’t care.

Me: There’s all the stuff you gave me. Now it’s gone, and so are you. Don’t bother me again .

As I watched the flames burn, I finally felt like I got rid of Ashton, the fire burning our time together away. Thatwas until I saw cop lights right in front of me. Squinting, I smiled when I saw it was Dex driving.He was probably being funny. I figured he read mine and Rusty’s file.

I should have known better.

“Hey, Dex, if I knew you were coming, I would have told you to bring stuff to make smores.”

Dex didn’t smile back at me. Instead, he stared at the pieces of fabric that had yet to burn and the shoes, which hadn’t entirely melted, and then again at me. “What are you doing, Freya?”

“I’m burning the clothes that my ex-boyfriend tried to throw in my face that he bought me,” I said it like it was an everyday thing for me.

Dex sighed, put his hand on his hip, and said, “I wished you would have found another way to purge.”

“Why?”

“Because it violates the rules set by your landlord.”

I swear I didn’t mean to laugh, but now I knew Dex was joking with me. “My grandfather owns this property. I doubt he called the cops on me. Besides, he isn’t even here.”

Dex shifted a little before looking over to where you could barely make out the other trailers. Grandpa liked his space, so when he bought his land, he picked somewhere more secluded. “Your grandfather sold a while ago. The person who bought the property also owns all the five acres surrounding you. I came up here not because of the fire, but because someone made a complaint about the shed you built on property that isn’t yours.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Dex gave me a tight-lipped smile.

“You’re taking me to the station?”

“I’m afraid so. The landlords feel better talking to you at the precinct since you have a past with violent behavior.”

Eye roll. Violent behavior my ass. I was so mad that I didn’t bother to change. I told Dex just to go. He was kind enough to let me ride shotgun.

“What happened to your parents, if you don’t mind me asking?” Dex asked, and for once I didn’t mind that question. It distracted me from the sight of the Dunnett factory.

“It’s just my gramps and me. My mother was a drunk who drove herself off the bridge and drowned. From what my grandfather told me, she fell in love with a bad guy. He was a local who wanted an out, leaving her pregnant. No idea who he is… No one has come out to claim me,” I said as a joke, because it was true. When I was younger, I wondered if someone from town was my dad but didn’t want to fess up. “I lost my grandma when I was five. It’s only been Grandpa and me ever since. How about you? How did you end up in this little town?”

“My dad, he’s from here. He moved back a few years ago. I came back to visit, liked the town, and transferred.”

“You liked the town, huh? Nothing to do with a certain coffee shop owner?” I teased.

“Did she say something?” he prodded. Whoever said guys weren’t into gossip lied .

“I haven’t asked but only because I don’t want to talk about Max.”

“I thought you had a thing with Rusty.”

“Ew, that’s so gross, dude. He’s like my brother. Can I give you some advice?”A slight nod was all he gave me as confirmation. “I can tell Emma likes you, but maybe don’t come on too strong. You’ll only scare her away more. She’s always been shy; just give it time.”

By the time we got to the station, I had time to process what was happening. Why didn’t Grandpa tell me he was having problems? He could have called me and asked for help or money to buy land somewhere else. I wouldn’t have minded. Getting out of the car, I followed Dex to his office and sat on his desk while he called the landlords.

So many surprises these days.

I was trying to think of who could have bought our land. Since I didn’t bring my phone, I figured Dex wouldn’t mind if I borrowed the one in his office. I didn’t know many numbers by memory, but it was hard not to memorize the coffee shop’s number since it was on a decal on the window.

“Emma’s Coffee shop. How may I help you?” Emma’s voice was hesitant. I couldn’t blame her; I would be skeeved if the caller ID said police.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Freya, what are you doing at the police station? Is this why you couldn’t come to work? Do you need me to bail you out?”

“What? No! I’m just waiting for my grandpa’s landlord to show, I forgot my cell. I probably don’t have a lot of time, so can you tell me who it is? I don’t want to besurprised, because I’m tired of all these surprises; none of them are good. Like, why can’t someone come up and be like ‘Freya Pratt, you’ve won a new car?’ Or ‘hey, Freya, you’re back, so we baked you a cake.’” Emma didn’t have time to answer me because I heard Dex coming back.

“Too late. I got to go—wait— might call you about that bail. I forgot my wallet, bye.” I hung up the phone just as Dex walked in with Max.

You had to be shitting me.

“Did you justuse my phone to make a call?” Dex asked me, but I ignored him.

“Seriously, Max!” I went off on him. “What happened to the whole ‘ let’s be friends, Freya?’ and you go andcall the cops on me? That isn’t veryfriendly. Back when we were children , I took the blame for spray painting the water tower so thatyou wouldn’t get in trouble, and you go andpull this shit.” I jumped off the desk, and that’s when I noticed I was still in the pajamas that said, “I freaking love sleep.”

“That’s some serious dick move, Max.” I went to hit him, or maybe I was just going to touch him, but Max caught my arm midstride. His hand wrapped around my wrist, and when I looked at Max, I took a step back. There was something in his gaze that gave me chills, and no not like Freddy Krueger chills, more like I kinda want to hump you chills.

This was bad.

But then his face morphed again to the same kind expression he had whenever he talkedto me. Seriously, would it kill him to be a D-bag ?

“I’m sorry, Freya. I didn’t call you here. It was Mrs. Newton who made the report.” He sounded almost sorry.

“Why would she care?” I sounded stupid. Right, Mrs. Newton, she was Abigail’s mother.

“I bought the land a while back. Abigail wants to build our home there.”

His soft-spoken words shook me to my core.

“Oh.” The words were physically painful to get out.

Max was reallyover me, wasn’t he? He would marry Abigail and build their home atop the remains of my own. That’s why he was so nice to me,why it wasn’t an effort for him to be a gentleman with me because I didn’t matter. He wasn’t angry about what I did because he was over me. He was over me and I… I wasn’t over him. How many years did I spend running from what I felt, telling myself the exactsame thing he saidto me? We were children who didn’t know better. But I wasn’t a child anymore, and I knew deep in my bones I had never stopped loving him. I might have left this town seven years ago, but my heart stayed with him.

“I’ll pay for whatever damages. Just tell me how much, and I’ll write you a check,” I whispered. I couldn’t look at him because I still cared, and I didn’t want him to see how much he was hurting me. When I pulled my hand from his grasp, he let me go without hesitation.

“That’s unnecessary. I don’t need your money.”

It was the wrong thing to say to meat the moment. I was too raw, too exposed. I was feeling too much.

“Don’t worry, I’m more than good for it. I don’t want your fiancée and in-laws saying you had to take pity on trailer trash girl.” I couldn’t look up at him. I didn’t want to see what was behind those green eyes I used to love so much. Instead, I ran out. I ran because I was good at it. I was so good at trying to outrun my past; it was comfortable living in limbo.

Good things fall apart, so better things could come together. Well, what happened when the best thing you ever had fell apart? What came after that? Because I wanted to believe that I had something waiting for me; there had to be more for me than being the girl who got abandoned.

“Freya,” I heard Max call out, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t want him to see me, not when all those broken pieces of me were out in the open. Not when a wound I thought had healed was bleeding, and his name wanted to leave my lips like a prayer. Some things were better off unsaid, and I had learned that lesson the hard way.

Maximilian Dunnett was the love of my life, but I was not the love of his life. Coming home was the biggest mistake I had ever made, because at least in San Francisco I was okay. Ashton cheated on me, but he never got close enough to break me because I never gave him all of me because all my pieces were broken, and I had never bothered toput them back together.