MARY
Iwake up pleasantly sore and well-rested. My whole body, floaty and warm. Causing me to smile up at the ceiling before I even open my eyes.
Everett being gone isn't a surprise. He's got plenty to do on the ranch. Even on the days I've been up at the crack of dawn to get photos of the sunrise, he's beaten me out of the house. I roll over into the spot he slept in last night, curling around his pillow and luxuriating in the comfort of the blankets. It’s silly to lay here basking in the mid-morning sunlight at my age, but I can't deny my own giddiness.
I've never felt like this with anyone. The one guy I dated in college was fine, but I think we were both just kind of going through the motions. He didn't make my heart pound in my chest, didn't make my mind go blank, didn't make me burn with want.
This is the first time in my life that I've everneededsomeone.
I’m both uncomfortable and exhilarated. It seems right, like Everett and I have just been waiting for each other. Like fate finally decided to throw the two of us together, and now it's up to us to figure it out.
I'm usually such a planner, always needing to know what's happening 10 steps ahead, but for once, I don't mind the uncertainty. What does the future hold? I don’t know. I kind oflovethat I don’t know.
I'll deal with the consequences—whatever they may be—when the time comes. For once, I don't want to worry about all the variables. I don't want to think about the million ways that this could go wrong. I just want to relax and enjoy the moment.
With that decision made, I sit up, yawn, and stretch my arms over my head. My hips and thighs ache pleasantly as I make my way to the dresser, and I blush a bit at the sight of my pajamas from last night tossed haphazardly on the floor.
I throw on a tanktop and a pair of jeans from the drawer before heading out toward the bathroom to take a shower.
The house is quiet as I make my way across the hall to the bathroom, and it's kind of soothing to hear nothing but my own footsteps. I like knowing that I’m in Everett’s home like this—that I'm welcome here. I brush my teeth and hop in the shower, rinsing off the remnants of last night. There’s a slight bruise from Everett’s mouth on the swelling of my breast, and I press my fingers into it just to see it pale and bloom again. It feels good to have his mark on me, to see proof that he wants me just as much as I want him.
I hope he’ll leave more marks next time.
My hands are soft as I rinse the soap from my body, so different from the rough scratch of calluses on Everett's palms. It's a nice contrast, but I force my mind away from those thoughts.
I do actually have work to do today, and as nice as it would be to spend all day in the shower reliving memories of last night, I don't have time for that.
Turning the tap off, I step out of the shower and grab a towel to wipe myself dry with. I'm feeling kind of lazy today, so Ithink maybe I'll just work on the website a bit and organize the portfolio I have. I should probably reach out to that Duffy guy we missed our meeting with and see if he has time in the next week or so to reschedule. He hasn't gotten back to me since my last email to him, but I’m not so worried about that, now that I realize how bad people in this business are at answering their phones.
Speaking of, I doubt Everett will answer if I text him, so I'll have to find him later and ask how Al is doing. Hopefully it's nothing too serious and he'll be back safe and sound.
As soon as I'm dressed, I head to the kitchen. I can still smell coffee, which means Everett either left me some or brewed a second pot for me.
When I turn the corner to the kitchen, the first thing I notice is a steaming mug of coffee on the table, right next to a pile of envelopes. The second thing I notice is the young woman piling dishes in the sink. Her back is to me, her auburn hair cut into a blunt bob just above her shoulders.
“Hi,” I greet her hesitantly.
I don't really know what the etiquette is for finding someone you don't know in the kitchen of a house that's not yours. Everett hadn't mentioned that anyone would be stopping by, but he may have just forgotten.
The woman jumps a little, turning to face me as the dishes clatter in the sink.
“The fuck?” she asks, obviously as confused as I am. She recovers quicker than I do, though, because a second later she's laughing off her surprise. “God, sorry, you scared me. I forgot Dad said the marketing person got here early. I'm Jenny, it's nice to meet you.”
It takes me a second to work my way through all that, but I take her hand when she rounds the counter and offers it to me. Her grip is firm, and I meet her smile with one of my own. BeforeI have a chance to introduce myself in turn, though, her brows furrow and she tilts her head to the side.
I have a split-second to wonder why that movement looks so familiar before she speaks again.
“Wait, are you—Mary?” she asks.
The note in her voice is friendly, not professional. I blink at her in confusion before the puzzle all clicks together in my head. Surprise and horror mix unpleasantly in my gut, and I laugh nervously as I glance back toward the dusty photos on the mantle.
Oh, I fucked uproyally.
“Jennifer Riggs!” I say, hoping she can’t see the panic in my eyes. “You were in my finance seminar, weren’t you?”
I don’t know how I didn’t piece it all together before now, but I feel like the world’s biggest idiot. She gave a presentation for her final on how she wanted to work on her dad’s ranch, she even mentioned the place by name, and I totally forgot about it. I’ve been closer to this project than I realized the whole time, and now I have to deal with the fact that Iwent to fucking schoolwith the daughter of the man I’m sleeping with.
“You were the best TA I had that whole year,” Jenny says with a playful grin. “I haven’t seen you since you graduated; how’ve you been?”
