Page 76 of The Perfect Deal
46
LIBERTY
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I stared at the television screen in my hotel room, my eyes temporarily torn from my laptop screen as I became fully invested in the scene I’d watched unfold a thousand times.
“I’m so sorry, Melinda, but I can’t be with you anymore. You’re a cat person, and I’m a dog person, and our kinds just aren’t meant to be together,” the handsome movie star said.
Melinda’s bottom lip quivered in such a pretty way, something I wasn’t capable of. I’d be blubbering like a child. She was a hell of an actress. “But what about what you told me under the moonlight, on my grandpa’s back porch? You said you’d find a way to love cats if it meant we could always be together.”
He shook his head. “I was wrong.” Bending down, he kissed the top of her head and then walked away, and my heart broke into a million pieces, just like poor, tragic Melinda.
Sobbing, I grabbed a tissue from the nearly empty box on my nightstand and wiped at my swollen eyes. For the last two days, I’d been watching tragic love stories likeCats and Dogs Don’t MixandLove Isn’t Always Forever, crying like a baby, and eating way too much room service.
Knowing I should just turn off the sappy movies, I took some deep, calming breaths and looked around the room, trying to focus on something outside of the movie. Through the window, I could see the beach. The ocean itself looked cool and inviting, the sky above a brilliant shade of blue with hardly a cloud in sight. Seagulls circled above the heads of beachgoers in bright bathing suits. I wondered if any of those people were my friends.
I hoped they were still having fun, even though I’d decided to sequester myself in my room after the run-in Joshua and I had had with Landon the other morning. Since then, all I could think about was how my brother seemed hellbent on making sure my life turned into a tragic love story too.
Being with my friends probably would’ve made me feel better, but embarrassment kept me locked away, that and thoughts of Joshua. I couldn’t believe he’d been subjected to my brother’s anger like that, especially in front of everyone from our block. Landon could be such a prick. I wished the entire situation would’ve unfolded differently, but there was nothing I could do about it now.
In here, alone with my thoughts, the movies, and my laptop where I worked on editing photos from camp, I felt like I could cry in peace. I could come undone and be a total mess without anyone knowing how blotchy my face was or how swollen my eyes were. I definitely looked like something a cat would leave under their owner’s pillow, an unwelcome treat.
I’d been working on the last photograph from session two of camp for almost an hour. It was finished—I knew it was. I just couldn’t bring myself to put a period on it and send the batch over to Joshua.
Going to camp had been the highlight of my summer. Not only had I made so many legitimate friendships with the kids and most of the staff, except for Karrie, but I’d gotten to see Joshua in a new light. It was no secret that the man loved kids and was great with them, especially when teaching them about the sports he also loved, but seeing him with them on a daily basis, watching how he led the team of coaches, even seeing him bake muffins for the kids in a pinch had taught me that he was the perfect man for me.
Of course, I’d known that for years. Still, I’d been even more convinced of it after camp. Sending the last picture in would close that part of my life, and I had no reason to think that I’d ever have that experience again, especially since Landon was being such an asshole.
Reluctantly, I dropped the last picture into a file and sent it over to Joshua. The only message I typed out was, “This is the last of them. Thank you.” Then, I hit send, and the file did something I couldn’t do myself—rushed over to Joshua.
I wanted to do that. I wanted to fly through the air like the tiny data particles headed there now—or however that worked. The urge to go across the hall and knock on his door had been overwhelming, but I’d kept myself from doing it a thousand times because I didn’t want him to see me like this.
And I didn’t know what to say to him. Did he even want to see me anymore? Maybe Landon and Joshua had reached an agreement while I was locked in here, deciding Joshua would no longer go out with me. Hell, maybe Landon would also disown me as his sister.
It was absurd, I knew, but my dark thoughts ran rampant. The urge to pull the blanket over my head and go to sleep for a week or two was hard to deny.
A knock on my door had my heart surging into my throat. I recognized the knock almost immediately, though my first thought was maybe it was Joshua. I knew who it was, though. Poppy, Hannah, and Sophia had each been by a few times in the last couple of days, knocking, pleading with me through the door, and texting to the point my phone buzzed itself off the nightstand. They were such good friends, and they truly wanted me to be happy. I just didn’t know how to face any of them.
“Liberty, I know you can hear me.” Poppy’s sweet voice sounded slightly more demanding than usual. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going away this time until you open the door. I need to see that you’re alive.”
“I’m alive,” I said, my voice weak from the lack of talking aloud over the last few days, that and all the crying.
“Liberty!” she scolded.
With a deep breath, I pulled myself off the bed, trudged to the door, and yanked it open. I’d only let room service in since all this started, so it was weird to see one of my friends. I blinked back tears, knowing I was a huge mess.
Poppy didn’t care. She flung herself at me, and I let go of the door to embrace her, hearing it close with a loud thud. As soon as my head hit her shoulder, the waterworks started. My entire body began to vibrate with each heart-wrenching shudder.
Rubbing my back, Poppy said, “It’s okay, Liberty.”
“No, it’s not.” I hiccupped. “It’s not, and it never will be again.”
“It is, and it will be,” she insisted.
I shook my head, even though she had a tight grip on me. “Everything is ruined because my brother thinks he owns me. It’s not fair. I didn’t say a damn word when he fell in love with my best friend.”
“I know.” Of course, Poppy knew. She had been there for the entire unfolding drama.
That didn’t stop me from telling her anew, as if she’d just walked into this nightmare. “Why does he have to be so fucking selfish? Why can’t he just step back and let me love whoever the hell I want to? It’s not healthy for my brother to be so involved in my relationship, to try to tell me how things are supposed to be.”