STEP 1: Buy A House by Alli Elliott

Author:Alli Elliott [Elliott, Alli]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

10. Jules

We left everything there, all of our materials for Guilden Goose just sitting on that table, but I would rather pay double to print more than go back into that building. Kiyana, being the amazing friend that she was, was right behind me when I got to the van. She unlocked the doors and took off without saying a word, driving me back to the hotel. When we pulled up to the front doors she handed me her room key and then looked me in the eye.

“Get your things, leave your key in the room, and go to mine. I’ll send Holly back,” she said firmly so I didn’t have to make any decisions for myself. My brain was moving too slow to keep up with my emotions and she took control to save me. I’d have to thank her for the rescue later but I just nodded and went inside.

Nothing seemed real, not the people staring at my blotchy, swollen, tear-streaked face, not the upward movement of the elevator, not the kiss I’d just shared with the man I loved. And certainly not the way he clearly regretted it the second it was over. It was a hazy numbness over a swirl of disjointed emotions.

I packed my things quickly and dropped the key card onto the tv stand before looking back at the two beds. His was pristine because he’d slept in mine and now I would forever remember that as the last night we spent together. The one where he asked me if I still loved him and I didn’t answer.

“I have a car,” Holly said when she showed up forty five minutes later to the joined rooms my four sisters shared. “Give me five minutes to pack and we’re out of here.”

All I could do was nod, but when she was done she had me follow her out while she checked around corners and made sure the lobby was clear before we crossed it. Booker was nowhere to be seen.

We were on the highway for a good half an hour before I could even speak.

“He kissed me,” I told her quietly, toying with my fingernails. “In front of everyone. And not a little kiss. Like a deep, possessive kiss.”

“I know,” she replied gently, reaching over to still my hands. “I’m sorry.”

I nodded, even though she was watching the road. “It was beautiful, everything I ever wanted, until it wasn’t.”

“Yeah,” she said and I knew Kiyana had told her the whole story.

“He apologized for kissing me.”

“Oh, Jules,” she said, her voice tinted with my grief. “I’m so sorry.”

“He doesn’t love me,” I whispered, the tears coming fresh. “He hurt me.” Holly let me be quiet for a moment and in her silence I realized something. “I settled for someone who didn’t love me, didn’t even pretend to love me, because at least he treated me well.”

Talking about my drunken dad beating my mom at the conference had helped me connect a few dots.

“You deserve both, Sis.”

“I think I’d rather have neither.

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