Lena helped me bring my stuff back to my flat. Afterward, she called Chuck to ask if he could come over and back us up. Chuck was over six feet tall and shaped like a football player. He was a big teddy bear on the inside and would never hurt anyone, but Richard didn’t need to know that. My stepfather wouldn’t dare try anything if I had him with me. The next thing on my list was finding out where Richard was staying. We would have the upper hand if I could find him before he saw me. At least, that’s what I thought. After that, I simply needed to find my old phone to get important things from it. “Alright,” called Lena from the hallway. “Chuck is on his way as soon as he gets off work tonight. It’s an hour-long flight, so he’ll get here around eight-ish. Did you call McHottie to tell him we’re back in town?” I winced and started chewing the inside of my cheeks. When Lena walked inside my bedroom and saw me wriggling with anxiety, she huffed and crossed her arms disapprovingly. “You
I arrived earlier than agreed upon at the restaurant and asked the server to sit in the bar section while I waited for the person I was meeting to show up. I had chosen this place purposefully so my guest wouldn’t cause a scene. The restaurant was a chic place downtown, and I had dressed for the occasion, flaunting a beautiful smoky-grey cocktail dress with tulle sticking out from the bottom—one of Nadia’s designs—and flat black shoes to go with the look. The dress was shoulderless, so I brought a shawl to keep my back warm and my hands because whenever I was nervous, my hands would become blocks of ice. I had my appointment with the hospital earlier that week, and they changed my plaster casts for plastic moulded, removable ones. They were less bulky and visible. The bartender slid a napkin before me and placed my Old fashion drink on it. I tipped my head as a “thank you” and took a sip before turning my head and scanning the crowd for the person I was waiting for. When I saw her,
One year later It was my last shift at Crowns, and the place buzzed with clients. Tourist season ended, which meant more of our regular clients than drunken visitors, but that also meant fewer tips since summer was the peak of our year. From the comforts of the back of the bar, I laughed with Luke and Martin, who threw dishcloths at each other for something funny the other said. I stayed in my corner, laughing at their silly banter and poured a Rum and Coke to a man before he disappeared back into the crowd. After tonight, I was taking a leap of faith with writing full-time. I had finished my book and sent it to multiple publishers. I knew my novel wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It was basically my story. My story with Dominic and the struggles I had lived through these last few years. I had debated longly about penning it as a romance. As I went through the third and fourth drafts of re-writing and making it better, I thought it looked more like a tragedy with a happy ending. I h
“STOP!” The word came out like a strangled cry. It didn’t even seem to belong to me. My baby sister was in my arms, and Mom was nowhere to be seen. She must still be in the garage. Didn’t she hear me scream? “I said leave her alone! You can’t grab her like that!” I tried as best as possible to make my voice firm, but its wavering gave me no power over Richard, who was potato bagging my other sister—Kristine, on his shoulder. I saw his gigantic hands on Kris’s thighs. They dug into her skin, and I knew those would leave bruise marks later. I was sure about it. My new little sister, Gabby, was a crying mess in my arms. Nothing seemed to soothe her. I snuggled her close to my body, trying to shelter her from the screaming, thrashing, and banging. My stepfather kept climbing the stairs, and I never left his heels. Richard looked like a demon. His face was contorted as if in pain and fury. His eyes almost bulged, and a slight vein near his temple looked like a worm wriggling underneath
Present day—Fifteen years later I looked at my watch and hurried along the crosswalk. The main street was busy today, so I was careful not to get hit by a passing car as I crossed. Once on the other side, I picked up speed so I wouldn’t be late for my appointment. My cell phone rang, and I had to fight through everything I had in my purse to grab it. I smiled when I saw the caller ID and quickly swiped the screen to answer. “Hey, you! Are you at the airport already?” My best friend Lena was travelling across the country to meet her boyfriend. Chuck had nabbed a job as a graphic designer, but if he wanted it, he had to uproot and move to the other coast. Lena had been on the fence about moving. She had never left this town, and I knew it was hard for her to drop everything she knew behind. Her life was here. “The fucking plane was delayed! I’m stuck here for another four hours. Come pick me up and never let me do something stupid like this again.” Lena pleaded on the other side of
“The rent is how much for you?” Shouted Lena on the phone. “That’s three months’ worth of rent at our old place! Are you out of your mind?” I had placed the phone on my new bed in the house on Queen Street and was opening boxes while talking to Lena, who had finally joined her boyfriend on the other side of the country. “No. I’m not.” “Yes, you are. The Olivia I know would never have gone on the upper side and lived like a snobby-rich girl. You’re down to earth and go with the flow. And you’re not frivolous. I bought you fucking new underwear because I was sick of seeing holes in yours every time I did the goddamn laundry. Where did that money come from?” Stop trying to test me, Lena…. “I’ve always had it. And for the record, I never asked you to buy me those, and they are still in the package. I refuse to wear granny panties. You just bought them to have a good laugh and to make a point.” “I still want to know why you made us live in a crappy apartment when we could have had som
Thursday arrived, and I got ready for my shift at the pub. I had seen little of Kat, and I certainly didn’t have time to tell her all about my encounter with her brother. I had to hand it to Dominic; I thought it was sweet to have his sister’s back the way he did, but it also insulted me he didn’t trust her more—or me, for that matter. It made me wonder if something had happened in the past to warrant such protectiveness toward Kat. I took a quick shower, then put on my Crowns uniform, which consisted of a green, low-cut T-shirt, an embroidered crown on my left breast, and tight black pants. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and put some mascara on. As much as I hated it, the more makeup I wore, the better my tips were. The same went for the amount of cleavage I showed, which meant I needed to buy good bras that showed the girls off—not that I needed any because I was naturally busty. But when in Rome, right? I went into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat and came face to face with a
I hadn’t seen Dominic since my shift at the pub, and I was thankful for it. Instead, I got to know his sister a little more. I had lived with Kat for over a week and spent only a few hours with her daily. She had a busy lifestyle, which suited me because it gave me time to think about what I wanted to write during the day. But we had a great time talking about nothing and everything when we were together in the evenings. It was late afternoon Monday, and I had prepared a surf and turf dish that I hoped Kat would like. She returned from work, and I called her from the kitchen to tell her I was there. Kat almost hovered off the ground, following the smell of our dinner, and I laughed when I saw how cheery she was. “Well, you look like you had a good day.” Kat sat on a bar stool and leaned over the kitchen island, grinning from ear to ear. “More like I had good news.” She said as she drummed her fingers over the marble countertop. “Is that so?” “Yes, but first… Wine!” Kat shouted w