Chapter 51

Icouldn't hold back the tears any longer as I burst through the door of the big house that had been my refuge for the past few years. The weight of the day bore down on me like a heavy burden, threatening to crush me beneath its relentless pressure. I was not the kind of person that could handle one death blow, let alone two back to back.

I stumbled into the kitchen, trying to catch my breath and regain my composure. I made a beeline for the freezer and my trembling hands reached for the first thing they could grasp—a pint of Ben and Jerry's strawberry ice cream. It belonged to Karen, but I would replace it. This was an ice-cream emergency. I couldn't bring myself to care that she would be upset that I scooped her treat. All I needed was something—anything—to numb the pain that gnawed at my insides.

With reckless abandon, I tore off the lid and plunged the spoon into the creamy goodness. I didn't bother with a bowl. Again, we had reached the red-alert stage. There wasn't time for manners. I just needed the ice cream. I shoved in one bite after another, each mouthful a feeble attempt to drown out the assortment of emotions raging within me. I carried the carton into the living room and collapsed on the sofa. The tears flowed freely, sliding down my cheeks and threatening to salt the ice cream.

I couldn't even say for sure why I was crying. It felt like the rug had been pulled out from beneath me and I landed smack on my face. Losing my job shouldn't have been all that devastating. With the library being sold, I knew there was a chance I could lose it, but to be fired because I was trying to save the library made my head spin and my heart break.

The sobs started once again. I must have been lost in my despair for longer than I realized because it wasn't long before the sound of footsteps interrupted the silence. Rylee walked into the living room and took in the scene.

"Mary Ellen? What's wrong?" Her voice was filled with genuine concern and she kept a wide berth as if she was afraid I had something contagious. "Are you sick?"

"No," I choked out.

Rylee's eyes widened in understanding as she took in the scene before her. I was a mess of tears and melted ice cream, sprawled out on the couch like a broken doll. I knew I looked pitiful and I couldn't bring myself to care. It was exactly how I felt.

Rylee sank down beside me. "You're going to get a brain freeze," she warned when I resumed shoveling the ice cream into my mouth.

"Good," I muttered. "I don't want my brain to think right now."

"Does your brain want to tell me why you're trying to kill it with ice cream?"

I frowned, not sure I wanted to say it. If I spoke the words, they were going to be that much more real. "I got fired."

Rylee's eyes widened in shock. "Fired? But why? What happened?"

I shook my head, unable to form a coherent response through my tears and ice-cream-fueled haze. The betrayal and injustice of it all swirled around me, suffocating my thoughts like a thick fog.

Rylee reached over to gently take the half-empty carton from my hands and placed it on the coffee table. She then turned back to face me, her expression a mix of sympathy and concern. "Mary Ellen, tell me what's going on."

I took a shaky breath. "The owner of the library is mad that I tried to fight to keep it open. He said I was causing too much trouble, that I was costing him money." The words tumbled out in a rush, the dam of my emotions breaking as I recounted the humiliating dismissal.

Rylee listened intently, her brow furrowed in anger and sadness on my behalf. "I can't believe he would do that to you," she said. "What a dick."

"I thought the fundraiser was a good thing. He's acting like I committed a horrible sin. I don't understand what I did wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Mary Ellen. You were fighting for something you believed in, something worth fighting for. That man? He's the one in the wrong here."

I sniffled and wiped at my damp cheeks with the back of my hand, feeling a glimmer of strength returning to me. "But now what am I going to do? I have no job, no income."

Rylee's expression turned thoughtful as she considered my predicament. She reached out and squeezed my hand, offering me a reassuring smile. "We'll figure something out, Mary Ellen."

Her words were like a lifeline in the midst of my stormy sea of emotions. I nodded. A flicker of hope ignited within me. "Thank you, Rylee. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You don't have to worry about that," she replied firmly. "We're in this together."

"And that's bad but not even the worst part," I said on a hiccup. The combination of sobbing and downing ice cream had deprived me of oxygen, and now I had the hiccups.

Awesome.

"There's more?" Rylee asked.

I nodded. "Yes. Samantha Hunt. The evil woman bragging about her big tub and fancy penthouse. She's the one tearing down my library, but it's worse than that. She's Archer's ex!"

Rylee's eyes widened in shock at the mention of Samantha Hunt's name. "Archer's ex? But why would she be involved in tearing down the library?"

I shrugged helplessly. A fresh wave of frustration and confusion hit me. "I don't know, Rylee. Everything about this situation is a mess. I can't believe Archer would have anything to do with someone like her."

"I thought you said she was all fancy," Rylee said with confusion. "The penthouse rich bitch type."

"She is!" I wailed, throwing my hand in the air. Unfortunately, it was the hand holding my spoon and a chunk of ice cream went airborne. "I'll clean that later," I muttered.

"But why would Archer be connected to her?" Rylee pressed. Her brow furrowed in deep contemplation. "Do you think it's a coincidence?"

"What else would it be?" I asked. "Wait, you think Archer was sent in to get inside information?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "But it's weird."

I shook my head after thinking about it for a few seconds. "I don't know. I didn't get the impression they liked each other. And she was his girlfriend a long time ago. Archer is from a wealthy family, so it makes sense he was with a rich bitch."

"And the getting fired thing? Did that have something to do with the rich bitch or Archer?" she questioned. "I'm trying to fit all the pieces together."

"No. I don't know. Yes. I think Archer is innocent in the library firing situation. Samantha is the person pushing to buy the property to put up the building. My boss—ex-boss—was the one who fired me so he can get Samantha's money without me getting in the way and making him feel bad."

Rylee rubbed her temples. I understood her confusion. The afternoon had been a shit show. It left me confused and I was smack in the middle of it. "I can't believe he fired you," she murmured, her voice laced with disbelief. "Did he even have just cause?"

Reluctantly, I relinquished my grip on the pint of ice cream as Rylee gently took it away. Then I shook my head in response to her question. "I sabotaged the sale of his business," I confessed, the weight of my actions heavy on my conscience. "I think that's cause enough. I never even considered how the fundraiser could impact him. I just thought I was helping. If he would have told me he didn't want help, then I would have understood and walked away."

"And Archer is planning the fundraiser." She nodded slowly.

"Yes."

She stared at me, raising one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows. "And you said Archer doesn't like Samantha?"

"Wait, do you think he's using me to get to her?"

"No, but maybe he wants to stop the library from being torn down because it will piss her off." She shrugged.

"I should have known there would be ulterior motives," I muttered. "I look at her and then I look at me and we couldn't be more different. Maybe he was just using me to make her angry."

"I don't know. It does seem pretty far-fetched."

"You suggested it!" I protested.

"But I've changed my mind."

"You can't just change your mind."

"Sure, I can." She smiled. "I think he likes you. A lot."

"But why?" I snorted. "Seriously, this chick could be a model. She's all fancy and refined. She does her nails and probably goes to the salon once a week. I'm so not like that. I'm also not the kind of woman I imagine he would want. He's edgy and cool and I'm just me."

"Don't make assumptions," she admonished gently. "People change and grow, especially someone like Archer who's had a lot of life experience. You need to talk to him. I don't think there's anything wrong with you. You can't pigeonhole a guy into liking who he likes based on what he looks like or where he came from. The heart wants what it wants."

I wiped away the tears that had pooled in my eyes, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "He should have told me about her," I protested, the ache of betrayal searing through me like a hot iron.

"Why?" Rylee countered. "He dated the girl years ago. A lot can change in that time. You were a different woman back then. He doesn't owe you his entire backstory. He's allowed to leave things in the past. Did you tell him about every man you've dated?"

"That would be a very short list."

"Still," she said. "So what? He had a life before he met you. You knew he had a past. You didn't think that past involved women?"

Her words struck a nerve and irritated me. Why wasn't she making this easier for me? All I needed was comfort, not someone giving me a hard time.

I took a deep breath and let out a frustrated sigh as I tried to sort through everything that had happened in just a few short hours.

"Rylee, you're not making this any easier," I muttered. "I just want to understand why Archer didn't tell me about Samantha, why I feel like he lied to me. It's not about a list of exes or anything like that. It's about trust."

She sighed, a look of sympathy in her eyes. "I know, but you have to understand that people keep things from each other all the time. I don't think it was intentional. You guys haven't been seeing each other all that long. He probably would have got to it eventually."

"Whatever," I said. "Give me back my ice cream. I'm going to pout in my room."

I snatched the pint from her outstretched hand and headed upstairs. I knew she was trying to help, but it didn't feel helpful. It felt like I was wrong about everything. Every choice I had made led me here. Now, I didn't know what to do.

Upstairs, I flopped onto my bed and curled up with the tub of ice cream. No matter how much I scooped into my mouth, the hurt and confusion lingered. Lying there, I couldn't help but think about everything Rylee had said. Was I overreacting? Was I trying to control Archer by wanting to know everything about his past?

I didn't want to believe that, but there was a part of me that couldn't deny the possibility. I was insecure. He was this hot dude that could have any woman. I just wasn't sure I was enough to hold his interest. What happened when he got bored with the whole thing and dumped me?

How would I ever survive?