The One That I Want (Scorned Women Society Book 3) by Piper Sheldon (e book reader android txt) 📕

ran with a different MC. It was hard not to think about his choices and feel like I wasn’t meant for much more.

“He does? Did he say that?” Mama asked.

“Yeah, he did.” I closed my eyes.

I knew they wouldn’t remember anything from our conversation. I don’t know why I tried or cared … and yet.

“I’m getting another promotion. At work.” The words slipped out. My heart hammered in anticipation.

“A promotion! Good for you, honey,” my mom said louder, probably leaning toward my father so he could hear.

Despite myself I sat up straighter.

“A promotion?” I heard my dad’s deep, Southern drawl ask through the line. “What, now she’s a dancer too? Not just a bartender?”

His laugh crackled through, wet and too long. He kept laughing even though there was no joke. His words shut down the small sliver of excitement I’d been feeling about sharing my news.

I slumped. “I don’t work at the Dragon Bar anymore,” I mumbled knowing she couldn’t hear me over his raucous laugh. It wasn’t even a strip club. It didn’t matter. None of this mattered. I was doing fine on my own. I was going to be more than this.

“You shush. Be happy for your baby,” my mom whispered but still loud enough to hear.

He belched.

I dug my nails into the palms of my hand. I could have been the president and they wouldn’t remember. I told myself it didn’t matter. I had people who cared. Though, currently I wasn’t talking to some of them. My good mood officially evaporated.

“I gotta go,” I said. “Have a good night.”

“Oh already? Okay, sugar, you have a good night. We love you. Tell your man we said hi. Love you, baby girl.”

“Love you.” I could hardly get the words out for the tightness in my throat.

I hung up the phone and stared into space past my desk. No matter how I told myself it didn’t matter, these conversations always hurt.

I felt so alone. I could call Gretchen. I missed her. She’d give me the reminder I needed. Friends are family you chose. But I couldn’t bring myself to call. I felt too much … shame? Maybe kissing Sanders meant she was right all along. But that didn’t excuse how she went about it.

I still needed more time. With a shake of my head, I grabbed my purse and phone and locked up my office. I stood outside the Lodge, doubting myself for the longest time. Debating what to do and where to go.

Then a man strode past me. So determined on his mission that he didn’t even see me standing there. He was walking toward the forest.

Sometimes, people did need each other. Sometimes a person comes into your life for a reason. And then I knew what I had to do. Maybe I wanted to be done just existing. Maybe I wanted more. Even if it was temporary.

Chapter 21

Sanders

I was just heading into the forest when my phone rang. If it wasn’t for my residual guilt from earlier, I would have ignored it. When I saw who it was, I answered immediately.

“Roxy?”

“Hey.” Her voice sounded shaky. “Remember when you said I could call if I ever needed to talk?”

“Where are you?” I stopped and turned on a heel to head back to the Lodge.

“Right here.”

As she spoke, I heard her voice outside and on the phone. A shape stepped out of the shadow. We both hung up and walked toward each other, meeting halfway. I fought to reach out and scoop her into my arms.

“It’s going to rain,” she said with a frown. The heavy storm clouds blocked the setting sun, giving the impression it was much later. The wind kicked up and she rubbed her arms up and down. I shrugged out of my coat and gave it to her. “Thanks.” It was too big for her but the sight of her in my coat warmed me up.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She squinted into the horizon. “I don’t think so. Are you?”

Fuck it. I stepped closer and pulled her into me for a hug. I wrapped my arms tight around her as she rested her head on my chest. Fuck the rules. If Skip was crying, I’d hug him too. When you see someone in pain, you help them. The soothing went both ways. The second she was in my arms, some of the pain in my chest released.

“No,” I whispered.

Maybe I didn’t need to throw myself into another pointless risk tonight. What would that solve anyway? At least with Roxy in my arms, I could try to fix some of the hurt I’d put there. I could make a little difference. And in return I would be honest. I knew Roxy, better than I should at this point, and whatever it had taken for her to call me had not been small.

“I was feeling all alone,” she admitted.

“I was about to go rock climbing in the dark.”

She didn’t respond, just made this soft, sad little noise and wrapped her arms tighter around my middle and squeezed.

“I guess when I say it out loud, it sounds pretty silly,” I said.

“How about tonight we keep each other from doing something we know is stupid?”

“Deal,” I whispered.

I would try so hard to keep that promise. But talk about jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. I couldn’t be around her and not want to do something stupid. Being around Roxy defaulted my brain to factory settings. Protect. Love. Hold.

“I have an idea,” she said against my chest.

Ten minutes later, we pulled up to an elementary school.

“I’m pretty open-minded, but if I listed ten places I’d expected to go tonight, I wouldn’t have even come close,” I said.

“Trust me.”

We walked through a large parking lot where a couple of buses were parked. It had grown dark but a few surrounding streetlights shone on the playground where we headed.

“If you wanted a playground, all you have to do is visit Outside the Box … it’s basically this