I reached down and put the car in gear. "I love you too, Cy - and Ash. I just didn't expect Luke to dump me. We were supposed to be saving him, not chasing him away."
"And not everyone wants to be saved," he reminded me. "Just come home, baby."
"I'm on my way," I promised, but hearing their voices meant that I could see again.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Violet whipped her car around Mr. Simmons' golf cart like it wasn't her first time to go off-road, then she just left. Watching her tail lights vanish up the drive, I knew that would be the last time I'd ever see her. It hurt, and more than I wanted to admit. I'd let that woman get in my heart, and the whole time she'd been playing me.
"That fucking bitch!" Mr. Simmons snarled after her, then he turned right around to me. "What was she doing here?"
"I had no idea she was coming over," I told him.
"I warned you about them," he said. "I made it real clear that I didn't want their kind of perversion on my property. You've been spending too much time over there, and I tried to ignore it. I know you're hard up, but clearly you're in deeper than I thought, and I'm not gonna have my family around that."
"What?" I asked, aware that sounded like a threat.
"You're gone, Luke," Mr. Simmons told me. "I told you not to bring them here, but you didn't listen. Well, maybe this will sink in. You're fired."
"What?!"
So he stormed toward me. "I have ignored a lot from you, boy, but that? Have you been talking to her? Is that why she's not selling me the land?"
"I don't know anything about that!" I assured him. "I've just been taking care of your cows. That's it. I don't get involved in your business, Mr. Simmons."
But the man was pissed, and now I was the only one in front of him. "She should've sold by now. She hasn't even listed the property, and the only thing I can think of is that you've been telling her not to. There's no way that woman would've thought of cutting hay! I can't get the zoning changed, and that's going to make this take longer."
"What 'this?’" I asked.
"Shit, like you haven't seen the developer out here? You're not that stupid, boy."
But I had been. I'd been so wrapped up in Violet that I'd done so many things I regretted. Including the one with dark eyes and a darker beard. No, I wouldn't think about that. She'd messed with my head. Everyone said it. They'd warned me, and they'd been right. That meant I was still screwed up by her, but I'd figure it out. Now that she was out of my life, I'd figure it all out.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Simmons," I said. "I've been kinda busy lately, sir."
"The only way this town is gonna grow is right there." He stabbed his hand toward the back side of Violet's property. "I've got the developer all lined up. All I need is that land, and I'll make millions!"
"I don't know what that has to do with me," I said, hoping I could talk him down. "I just take care of the cows, sir."
"You did," he snapped. "Until you crawled in bed with that bitch. Next, those men will be fucking you too. That's what they do up there, and I'm not having it here. I warned you, Luke. When I hired you, I told you to keep your shit clean and we'd be just fine, but you crossed the line. Bringing her here? Well, I hope it was a damned good fuck, because it just cost you your job."
"I didn't fuck her," I said. "I didn't even know she was coming. She just showed up, and I kicked her out."
"Right." He huffed at me. "And I still got the cops comin', so you got two choices. Either you get the fuck out of here and leave without any problems, or I'll have them arrest you instead." Then he gave me the cruelest smile I'd ever seen. "And we both know I can do it."
"Fine!" I snarled, pushing past him on my way to my truck. "You want me gone? Then have fun finding someone to feed the cows in the morning."
"And don't fucking come back," he yelled as I slammed the door of my truck and twisted the key I'd left in the ignition.
My truck fired up and I backed around his stupid golf cart, debating running it over for only a split second. I wasn't sure what had just happened, but my life had just gone from bad to worse. Then I turned for the gate, deciding to go the way Violet hadn't. I wasn't gonna follow her. I couldn't. This was all her fault.Hers!
Why did she have to come here tonight? Why couldn't she just have let me go? Was this her best attempt to force me to come back? Well, fuck her. Fuck Paul Simmons. Fuck all of this shit! I hadn't asked for any of it!
I took the long way around to the crossroad, not realizing where I was until I saw the lights at the gas station. Defeated, I pulled in and parked against the curb. That was when it all finally hit.
I'd just been fired. I was out of a job. I didn't have a place to live. I hadn't even thought to pack my shit. I'd just left, and I had a feeling that if I tried to go back, I'd be met with a shotgun. I had no home, no bed, and no money. The month was almost over, and my bank account was fucking empty.
She'd ruined me.
