CHAPTER ONE
JESSICA
Bad things come in threes.
At least that’s what Meemaw used to tell me.
To say I was skeptical about it would be an understatement; however, today just might prove me wrong.
Called into work early?
Check.
Broken coffee machine?
Check.
A feeling of apprehension hangs over me, making the hair at my nape prickle as I wait for the other shoe to drop.
Regardless, it’s bound to be a shitty day; I can feel it in my bones.
My phone buzzes just as I park my car in front of the Reading Nook.
“Hello?” I prop my phone against my shoulder as I grab my bag and slide out of the car.
“What the hell, Jessica?” My boyfriend’s angry voice greets me from the other end of the line, stopping me in my tracks.
“Damien, wha?—”
“Where the hell are you?” he hisses into my ear, causing my stomach to tighten with unease. “You were supposed to come! But you’re late.”
Pressing my lips together, I glance left and right, spotting a few familiar faces standing in front of the flower shop. They notice me too, waving in greeting, so I plaster a smile on my face and nod in acknowledgment before I quickly cross the street.
“I texted you that I can’t make it bec?—”
“I saw that stupid excuse. Do you think I’m that dumb? I know you’re sneaking around behind my back. Who is it with this time?”
Seriously? This again?
“I don’t have time for this,” I mutter quietly as I walk into the café, noticing my friends watching me with worried eyes. A deep frown is etched between Rebecca Fernandez’s brows, and Rose Hathaway is nibbling at the inside of her cheek as my boyfriend continues his tirade on the other side of the phone, his voice growing progressively louder to the point I know there’s no way they can’t hear him.
“I don’t care. I’m your boyfriend; I should be your top priority. What’s the point of dating if we never see each other? Except if you’re fucking somebody else. Are you, Jessy? Now that you’re working in that hospital, I’m not good enough anymore. Stupid rancher isn’t worthy of little Miss Richards. Is that it? I know everyone’s been telling you to break up with me. Do you think I’m dumb and I don’t know how to read between the lines?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to hold back my irritation. “Well, this kind of behavior isn’t helping.”
This is starting to feel like too much. Damien’s jealousy is completely unprovoked on my end, but it’s grown epically over the course of the past few months as I was working overtime tofinish all my classes, and now that I’ve started working in the hospital. There’s no hiding my frustration with the whole thing.
And then there are the fights. Damien doesn’t care where we are or who’s around to witness it. More often than not, they turn nasty quickly.
I’d hoped things would get better with time, that he would understand my job’s demanding and unpredictable, but he never did. It seems like he gets increasingly more possessive and outraged the more time passes. “I need to go. I have to get?—”
“To work. I know.” He’s not even trying to hide his bitterness. “Now that you’re surrounded by cushy doctors, who cares about some good-for-nothing laborer, right? You sure as fuck don’t. I should have seen this coming. I’ve always known I’d never be good enough for you. I’m the problem here, right, Jessy? That’s what everybody thinks. Whatyouthink. Then again, why am I even surprised? Little Miss Goody Two-Shoes has always been looking down her nose at me, one foot out the door, just waiting for me to give you the reason to leave. I’m not sure why I’m even trying with you. God knows your frigid cunt isn’t worth it.”
Each hurtful word is like a punch to the gut, and I can feel the color drain from my face the longer the tirade goes on.
“Then why are you even with me?” I snap. “Why not just break up already?”
I hold my breath as the silence stretches, the tension between us growing palpable even though he’s not in the room.
