Alyssa stared into space, the house’s cordless phone still in her hand as she sat on the couch in the living room as if transfixed. The more she replayed the phone call in her mind, the more confused she felt over whether or not she had just gotten good news. The realtor had just struck a deal to sell her parents’ house. There had been a few open houses in the past few weeks, but the possibility of her childhood home really selling had never quite set in—until today, when it had sold. Now, all Alyssa had to do was to give her approval to the deal, and the paperwork would be processed. She wasn’t about to say no; it was a good deal. But she also couldn’t bring herself to be happy about it.
One would think that selling the house would be one thing off her plate, but it didn’t feel that way; it didn’t bring her any relief. If anything, it made her parents’ absence all the more real and all the more permanent. As long as she had the house, she still had some concrete, living memories of her parents. Now, she would have to box up their lives and put them away forever. It was almost more than she could bear just to think about it, and now that the new owners wanted to settle in next month, she had a little over four weeks to muster up the strength to actually do it.
Not having the house any longer also rose the thorny question of where she would stay as long as circumstances forced her to remain in Pinebrook. There was simply no way she would stay with Prince. Even though he wasn’t exactly an active member of the Devil’s Fighters and his contribution to the motorcycle gang was limited to being a “hired fist” (as he liked to call himself) to fight in their illegal underground rings, his apartment was still too much of an available territory to any gang member who would come knocking. Alyssa wanted no part of that.
She could probably find a small place in town to rent for however long she was going to stay. The thought of willingly seeking out accommodations in Pinebrook was depressing. So much for leaving that place behind forever.
There were moments when Alyssa felt stuck, a victim of circumstances that she had not created. This was one such moment. She wished nothing more than to be able to grab Prince, drive to New Orleans International Airport, and hop on the next plane out of Louisiana. But life didn’t work that way—at least, Prince’s life certainly didn’t, and therefore neither did Alyssa’s. Somehow, he had managed to make her presence in Pinebrook and his life accepted by the Devil’s Fighters, who notoriously required that their ring competitors had no distractions, nothing outside of the club and the fight.
It wasn’t enough, however. Alyssa knew they were still existing in Pinebrook on borrowed time and that the Devil’s Fighters were still watching their every move like the darkest hawks. They knew she was a risk factor and that Prince might bolt. What they didn’t know was that both Prince and Alyssa were very aware that running would in fact be a suicidal choice. And so they bid their time, and they waited to create the right circumstances to leave. Sometimes it felt like they would have to wait forever.
Selling her parents’ house and adjusting to that within the borders of Pinebrook only served to remind Alyssa that she wasn’t free to leave—at least, not if she wanted Prince to leave with her. And she desperately wanted that, more than anything.
She was still trying to get over the sense of loss that the conversation with the realtor had brought, when the phone rang again. It was her cell phone this time, ringing insistently from the kitchen where she had left it earlier.
Alyssa groaned and stood up. By the time she reached the kitchen’s island where her phone was, the ringing had stopped. She picked it up and checked the display for missed calls. She sighed heavily when she saw that it was the veterinary clinic she worked for in Canada that had been trying to reach her.
“Shit. What now?” she muttered to herself.
She took a deep breath and hit the “call back” button.
“North Van Vet Care, how may I help you?” the receptionist’s voice chirped in her ear.
“Hey Stacy, it’s Alyssa. Someone just tried to reach me on my cell phone.”
“Hold on a second, I’ll check.”
The few moments’ wait that followed felt like an eternity to Alyssa; she had a bad feeling about this.
Sure enough, when Stacy came back on the line, she didn’t have good news.
“Yep, Derek’s been wanting to talk to you. I’ll put you through.”
Crap. “Thanks, Stacy,” Alyssa forced out as kindly as she could.
Derek was one of the three associates who had founded the clinic. He was the one who came up with the project and who had invested the most capital in it. Derek was The boss. For him to reach out to Alyssa during her personal time was not a good thing.
“Hello Alyssa.”
Alyssa cringed. Derek sounded friendly enough, but also all-business. “Hi,” she said, trying not to let her apprehension transpire. “How are you?”
“Good. How are things in Louisiana?”
“Complicated,” she admitted truthfully.
There was a beat of silence from the other end of the line that instantly put her on guard. “I’m sorry,” Derek said. He sounded sincere.
“It’s okay,” Alyssa said, because really, what else could she say? Things were what they were, and no amount of self-pity would change that. She had long since learned that she was better off taking it all in stride. “So you wanted to talk to me?”
Speaking of taking things in stride, Alyssa decided to cut to the chase.
“Yes.” Derek paused again. He sounded uncomfortable, which was very much at odds with his usual confident character. “I’m afraid we need to discuss your situation.”
Alyssa frowned. “What about my situation?”
Derek hesitated. “I’m afraid it’s no longer ideal.”
“What do you mean?”
A heavy sigh traveled down the line. “We’re swamped here, Alyssa. There’s a lot of work to do. I understand your personal needs right now, I do, but I need to be able to count on all of my staff.”
A rock had dropped into Alyssa’s stomach. She swallowed hard. “What are you saying, Derek?”
“I’m saying you’ve had plenty of time off. I need you back here.”
“I can’t—”
“Two more weeks, Alyssa,” Derek cut her off firmly. “That’s all I can give you. If you’re not back in two weeks, I’ll be forced to replace you with someone who will be around.”
Alyssa’s jaw clenched in anger. “This isn’t fair, Derek. I’ve been working hard for four years, you know that.”
“I know. And you know I’ve done all I could to meet your needs during this difficult time. But this is not a huge clinic, I need all hands on deck.”
Alyssa knew he was right, but still she couldn’t help feeling like she was being treated unfairly. She had not taken a single personal day before. So what if she needed a couple of months now? She took a deep, calming breath. Deep down, she knew what it must look like to Derek and her coworkers in Vancouver. They didn’t know what was really going on in her life. They probably thought she was taking advantage. And maybe, in a way, she was.
“All right,” she finally said, relenting. “I’ll be back in two weeks.”
“I mean it, Alyssa.”
“Yes,” Alyssa said, trying to keep her already flaring temper in check. “So do I.”
“Good.” Derek sounded somewhat mollified. “I’ll see you then.”
As she hung up, Alyssa had to fight the sudden urge to hurl the phone at the wall. With just two phone calls, her pretense of tranquility had been shattered. She was very conscious that she was now racing against time, and the pressure of it was already building up inside of her. Two weeks. She had two weeks to somehow convince the Devil’s Fighters to let Prince go. It would require nothing short of a miracle.
Alyssa felt tears of frustration starting to well up in her eyes, and she wiped them away angrily before they could fall. This was not the time to let panic and discomfort set in; in fact, there was no time for that. Without realizing it, she began pacing around the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets at random as if having something, anything to do could give her purpose and peace of mind. She needed a plan, an actual plan, and she needed it fast.
Half an hour later, she was still fidgeting and her mind was still a blank. She jumped when there was a knock at the back door, and then she cursed softly but vehemently to herself when she realized she had forgotten about Prince coming over to have dinner together.
She took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together. She opened the back door, and Prince gave her a bright, oblivious smile. He had an armful of takeout paper bags and a large pizza box.
“I thought we could have a feast,” he said as he walked in, kissing her swiftly as he passed her by. “I’ve got Chinese and pizza.”
Alyssa arched an eyebrow. “I’m on my period; I’m not eating for two.”
Prince shuddered. “God, don’t even.”
Alyssa closed the door and watched as Prince set everything down on the kitchen’s island.
“I also rented a movie,” he said, holding up a DVD box. “Romancing the Stone. Remember? We used to love it back when we were kids.”
Alyssa remembered, and it gave her a sharp, painful pang of loss. Everything felt so much easier when they were kids.
“Is this you trying to stop me from getting cranky?” she joked, trying to sound normal.
She had warned him about her hormone-induced mood swings from her period earlier that day, and he had vowed that he would make her forget all about her cramps. He would be doing a great job if it weren’t for the expiration date that was hanging over her head.
Alyssa took a few beers out of the fridge and helped him set up in the living room. Prince was chatting on mindlessly about something. Alyssa thought she’d heard the name Rick somewhere in there, but no matter how hard she tried to pay attention, she just couldn’t stay focused. It made her desperately angry; if it weren’t for things getting even more complicated so fast and so suddenly, they could be having the perfect evening. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had a night of takeout food and movie watching with Prince, or the last time she had seen him so relaxed and carefree.
It was something precious, she realized, seeing Prince like that. It was in that moment, when he sat down on the couch and looked expectantly up at her with a smile on his face that belonged to the kid he had been, that Alyssa decided the bad news could wait. Right then and there, she decided she would fake it for a little while longer—at the very least, for the hour and forty-five minute duration of the movie.
*****
Prince didn’t call her out on it until later—when the movie was done, the food and beers were gone, and they were busy tidying up, throwing all empty bottles and containers in the trash.
“So do you want to tell me what’s bothering you?”
Alyssa looked up from where she was rinsing the used chopsticks in the sink. “Huh?” she said, casually.
Prince’s green eyes bore into her. “Aly,” he said, gently but firmly. “Come on. You’ve been distracted since I walked in.” He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, nuzzling at her neck. “What’s going on?”
Alyssa leaned back into his touch for just a moment before snapping out of it and wriggling gently out of his hold. She turned the water off and forgot all about the chopsticks, and then she turned around to face him. She briefly considered lying to him, but what would be the point? He could clearly tell that something was up, and he would have to know sooner rather than later.
“I got a phone call from my boss in Vancouver earlier today,” she began, doing her best not to look away and avoid his penetrating green eyes. “He gave me an ultimatum.”
Prince frowned worriedly and stepped back to better look at her. “What kind of ultimatum?”
“He wants me back two weeks from now. If I don’t, he’ll replace me.”
Prince’s handsome face darkened. “Why would he replace you? I thought you were one of his best doctors.”
“I am,” Alyssa said, and there was no bragging in her voice. She was simply stating a fact. “That’s why he wants me back. He says they’re overworked and he needs everyone.”
Prince was silent for what felt like a very long time. Finally, he nodded. “I guess it makes sense,” he said. “After all, you’ve been away for almost two months now.”
Alyssa cringed. Derek was right; she needed to go back to work. “Yeah,” she said quietly.
Prince sighed heavily. “So I guess we’ll have to say goodbye soon?”
Alyssa’s head snapped up. She looked at him in alarm. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, you’re leaving, aren’t you? I’m not accusing you of anything,” he added quickly. “I know you have to go.”
“Yes, I do,” Alyssa said. “And you’re coming with me.”
Prince blinked. “You still want me to come?”
Alyssa’s heart broke for him. In that moment, she saw a glimpse of the insecure teenager he had been, and that was so different from the confident, toughened man he had become. “Yes,” she said firmly. “I still want you to come. Nothing has changed, Prince.” She stepped closer to him and took his hands in hers. “Things have just gotten a little more complicated, that’s all. We’re running out of time, but we’ll find a way.”
Prince cocked his head to one side and watched her skeptically. “You seem pretty confident.”
“I am,” Alyssa said. “There is no way I’m going anywhere without you, not this time.”
He embraced her then, and Alyssa went willingly. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close and tight. She had left him behind once; there was no way she was doing it again. She had promised both him and herself that, and she intended to keep her promise. No matter what.