Kallie

“Thai on the Fly, can I take your order?”

“Uh, yes. Could I get—?”

The phone beeped in Kallie’s ear and she sighed. She pulled it out and saw Eris calling, but she ignored the call. She was hungry and tired, and it was the first time in days she’d had a craving for something to eat.

But not a second later, Eris called back.

“Hello?” the man asked.

“I’m sorry. Let me call you back,” Kallie said.

Then she swapped over to Eris as her stomach continued to growl.

“What is it? I’m trying to order food.”

“So testy nowadays. But at least you’re hungry. That’s a good thing.”

“Do you have a question to ask? Or am I stalling my dinner hour for nothing?” Kallie asked.

“Damn. You really do need some food,” Eris said. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“Napping. Sleeping. Maybe another nap. I changed my plans from living my life to sleeping with a full stomach of Thai. But I have to get this incessant voice out of my ear first.”

“Well, while that sounds absolutely wonderful, you already have plans,” Eris said.

“And what, pray tell, are those plans?”

“You’re going to the Hamptons this weekend.”

“Uh-huh. And who orchestrated this plan without telling me?” Kallie asked.

“I did when Jeremy called a few minutes ago.”

“Jeremy. The guy from the—damn, Eris. What’s it been? Like, two weeks?”

“A week and a half, I know. Crazy, right? Anyway, Jeremy has a house in the Hamptons and he’s invited me to come and stay with him for the weekend. I told him I’d only go if you came along with me, so he invited you.”

“Because he wants to get laid,” Kallie said. “And I don’t think a fun weekend consists of me lying in bed alone listening to your sexual circus next door.”

“One, your room would be on a completely different level from us. He has a house, Kallie. Not a hut. And second, you need to get out of the city. If you want to sleep and nap and gorge yourself on Thai food, at least do it in a quiet place that has, you know, legitimate food sources for you to eat.”

“The city has legitimate food sources.”

“Nothing that delivers is a legitimate food source, Kallie.”

“So my choices are staying in bed here and having people bring me food versus staying in the bed that’s not in my apartment and leaving to get my food.”

“Come on, Kallie. You’ve been through the wringer. And I admit, Ash is doing you a few favors in the media,” Eris said.

“Yeah, I’m aware,” Kallie said flatly.

“He’s partying and having fun and doing all this shit. It’s taking the heat off you. Get out of the city for the weekend, have a bit of fun yourself, and I bet by the time you get back the media won’t be focused on either of you.”

“Unless Ash goes streaking through the middle of the city.”

“In which case, they’ll think he needs to be committed and that will be the headline.”

“No, the headline would be ‘Gold Digger Drives Worthington Dingy.’”

“Hey. That’s not a bad one. You should pitch that somewhere,” Eris said.

“I hate you.”

“Come on, Kallie. I’m not going to beg you.”

“Good, because I’m not interested.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll beg you. Please, Kallie. Please, please, please, please, please...”

Kallie rolled her eyes and held her phone out from her ear. She knew her friend wouldn’t stop chanting that stupid phrase until she gave in. She could hang up the phone. But the last time she did that, Eris flooded both her voice mail inbox and her text messages with that one word.

But was a weekend in the Hamptons really so bad?

The idea of getting out of town sounded good to Kallie. Away from all of the things that reminded her of Ash. She was stifled by him. If she didn’t smell him walking into her office she saw his ghost looming in her apartment. And if she didn’t see him or smell him in those places, she was bombarded by him on her social media. She did have a clear schedule on Monday, so even if the weekend was a bust, she would have a day to recuperate. Going to the Hamptons gave her a chance to get away from everything and everyone in a city who had seemed to turn on her on a dime.

Maybe a trip was exactly what she needed to distract herself from her heartache.

“Please, please, please, please, please, please...”

But running away got her into this mess in the first place. To cope with what James had done, she ran to the island. Was it really wise to cope with what was happening with Ash by running away to somewhere else? What if she met someone again? What if the media followed her? The Hamptons were full of people just like Ash. Rich and snobbish and untrusting of anyone around them. She would be throwing herself to the pack of wolves James had struck up against her.

Was that good for her health?

“Please, please, please, please, please, please—”

“Okay!” Kallie exclaimed.

Eris fell silent as Kallie sighed.

“I want to make it known that me running away from my problems got me into this mess in the first place. And going to the Hamptons places me in the heart of the people that hate me the most right now. So I’m not leaving that house. I’ll get there and cook what I need. And if I need anything, you’re running out to get it.”

“Fine,” Eris said. “I can work with that. And to argue your points, one? You’re not running, you’re taking a little vacation.”

“Seriously? That’s the word you’re going to use?” Kallie asked.

“You’re getting away to clear your head. Not to get over someone. You weren’t in love with Ash like you were with James.”

Kallie kept her mouth shut on that comment.

“And two, rich bitches like those in the Hamptons don’t give a shit about the news. They control the news. They aren’t going to care that you’re there. They’ve got too much money to care about shit like that. I’m just glad you’re coming.”

“Thanks. I think,” Kallie said.

“Jeremy and I will pick you up around three, okay?”

“I’ll be ready.”

“You better be. Because if you aren’t packed, I’m hog-tying you and tossing you into the back of his car.”

“Sounds like one of your sex games.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.”

“I thought it was a good one,” Kallie said with a grin.

“See you in a couple of hours.”

Kallie called the Thai place back and ordered her lunch. Then she flipped between eating and packing. She wouldn't need much for the weekend because she didn’t plan on going out. Some pajamas. A bikini if she dared to go out. A pair of flip-flops. A sundress in case Eris forcefully drugged her and dragged her out into public. And her toiletries. That was it. Kallie ate a few bites of her food before her stomach rebelled, then she put the rest in the refrigerator for when she got back.

If she was eating at that point.

“Okay, so the weekend will be pretty chill,” Jeremy said as he put Kallie’s stuff in the back. “We’ll need to grocery shop once we get there and get some toilet paper, but that’s it. You can sit in the car if you want to during that time, Kallie. I’ll give you a key to the house in case you want to come and go, but the upstairs bedroom with the jetted tub is yours.”

“Thanks,” Kallie said.

“There are all sorts of summer parties that go on at the Hamptons, but don’t feel required to attend any of them. Eris and I will bounce between them, but my house sits on the beach. You can lie out in the warm sand and take a nap or do whatever you want. I’ve got a golf cart you can also ride around town if you want to use it.”

“Thanks,” Kallie said.

“Oh! And another thing. Just because all this shit is going on doesn’t mean I judge you in any way, Kallie. Eris gave me the rundown of what really happened at that wedding and what your ex is doing is fucked up.”

“Wait, so you believe me?” Kallie asked.

“Hell yeah, I do. James just looks like a creep. And Ash had his head up his ass. I can’t do anything about that, but I’m on your side in all this.”

“Wow. I ... I really appreciate that, thanks.”

“It helps that I’m screwing him too,” Eris said.

Kallie rolled her eyes and shook her head as she got into the car. The three of them headed up Long Island, and the closer they got to Jeremy’s house, the nicer she thought the weekend might be. Lying out on the sand. Taking in the sun. Dipping into the ocean when her body got too warm. And a bathroom with a jetted tub? Kallie could see herself taking long baths before piling into bed and sleeping the days away. That was the real attraction. Sleeping away the blessed nightmare Kallie had found herself in.

In her dreams, she could have a wonderful relationship with Ash. She could have him anyway she wanted here, even if she couldn't have him in real life.

She was ready to close her eyes and live out her fantasy life with the man she’d fallen in love with.

“Ready to shop?” Jeremy asked.

“Come on, Kallie. This is the only time I’ll make you socialize. Promise,” Eris said.

“Yeah, don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Kallie said.

She pushed out of the car as the three of them headed into the grocery store to pick up a few supplies. Jeremy went straight for the cleaning and hardware section while she and Eris walked up and down the food aisles. They tossed some things into the cart, loading it up with food. But Kallie didn’t have much of an appetite. Nothing looked appealing. Not the salad mixes or the cuts of steak. Not the chips or the desserts or the pudding. Eventually, Kallie broke off from Eris and began walking down the aisle that contained all the shitty paperback books that were discounted.

Her fingers started running over the covers. Trying to find something that could pass as beach-reading material. Not that she expected to read. But if she pretended, maybe Eris would leave her the fuck alone for the weekend.

She found a book that looked promising. Broken Hearts Abound. Appropriate for the state she was in. She plucked the book from the stand and flipped it over, reading the back cover. It seemed interesting enough, but it didn’t intrigue her. And Kallie never bought a book that didn’t give her goose bumps. She put it back and picked up another one, reading all of the back-cover synopses of the books to find one that Eris could believe she was reading.

But before she could find a suitable book, the bell above the front door rang out.

Kallie whipped her head over to see who was coming in. Was it a reporter? Someone snapping pictures? One of Ash’s friends? Her heart slammed against her chest as she tucked the book she was holding against her bosom. It would have to do as a misdirect for Eris. She was preparing herself to run. To duck and cover at the slightest hint of a microphone or a camera.

But it was worse.

It was so much worse.

Those hazel eyes panned over to her and she stopped breathing. That beautiful smattering of freckles that once gave her so much joy filled with a dread she couldn’t explain. It was like watching a train wreck. She couldn’t look away from him. Every single sound from the store faded into the background and there was nothing but the two of them.

Kallie, Ash, and the deep frown on his face.

Holy shit. Ash was in the Hamptons too.

Her eyes fell to the frown on his face and she felt her heart break. He used to smile in her presence. At the very thought of her. She felt her knees growing weak as she took a step back. She clung to the book against her chest for dear life as Ash’s eyes stayed connected with hers. And with every passing second, the disgust on his face grew. Like a mold. Or a nightmare. Or a terrible, horrible dream.

She couldn’t believe it.

Ash was in the Hamptons.

So much for escaping him for the weekend.

THE END

Secure Love Blurb

HUMILIATION. DEGRADATION. And a weekend away in the Hamptons.

It’s what I need to shake the doldrum of my heartache away.

My world is crashing down around me, but the only thing I can think about is her.

Her body. Her voice. The way she looked at me before that interview. My mind knows I need to stay away, but my heart is still calling the shots.

Is it possible all of it was a lie? The bottom of my bottle seems more enticing than life. But when I close my eyes, she calls to me. My Pretty Kallie. I’m pulled between my reality and hers. Stuck between the life I want to lead, and the life people expect me to lead.

Was the interview a lie? Was Kallie telling the truth? Would she take me back? Will I ever feel her skin beneath my fingertips again? Will I ever get the chance to tell her how I feel?

Only one thing is for certain. Someone is lying.