A Day in a Life

Chapter Thirty-Two

Sydni

W E’RE SITTING IN Elijah’s car, a Jeep to match his rugged masculinity. Elijah hooked me up with a wire. I’m glad I wore my laciest bra. Not that he saw much. Just a peek of lace.

“Ry, you in place?” Elijah says to Ryan through his earpiece.

“In place and ready to rock and roll.”

“I’m glad he’s here for backup in case things don’t go as planned,” I say. Ryan is Elijah’s former partner. He knows what he’s doing.

“Couldn’t do it without him.” Elijah is still against this idea. He’s made me fully aware of how he feels about it. “I don’t like this. I have a bad feeling in my gut. It’s not too late to reconsider.”

“This is something I need to do. I never stood up to Cole. I mean, not really. This is my chance to put him in his place.” I reach out to hold Elijah’s hand. “I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate you letting me make this choice myself. It’s important to me. Even if it turns out to be the wrong choice, at least I know I made an educated decision.” No one is forcing me to do this. It’s all me. “Do you understand how important that is to me? I need to make my own choices.”

“I get it. I know Cole treated you like a child, and you’ve got something to prove.”

“Sure do,” I say under my breath.

“I’m not looking to control you. That’s not the type of relationship I want. I still think you’re putting yourself in danger. I can’t keep quiet about it. I’ll always voice my opinion. In the end, I’ll respect your decisions no matter what, but I won’t be silent about it. Not going to happen. Okay?”

“Okay. I’ll do the same.” He has no idea how refreshing it will be for me to experience a relationship where both parties can express their opinions with respect. “By the way, Ryan thinks it’s a good plan,” I point out.

“He’s a traitor.”

“And your best friend.” I met Ryan today. I see why Elijah likes him so much. He says what he means and has a smile that lights up a room.

“He’s not madly in love with you. He doesn’t understand what I’m risking tonight.” Elijah squeezes my hand.

“Will you say that one more time?” I’ll never tire of hearing it.

“I’m madly in love with you.” He brings my hand up to his lips and kisses it several times.

“I feel the same. Even though I’ve never kissed you. There’s something very wrong with this scenario.” I long to kiss him. I’m sure it will be even better than I imagine.

“It’ll be remedied soon. I can’t have my girl being married to Ashcole.”

I release a loud laugh. “Oh, you have spoken with my father. I can’t think of a single time I ever heard him call Cole anything but Ashcole.”

“If it fits, it fits. By the way, be prepared, because once I can kiss you, I won’t stop kissing you for a week.”

I shiver at the thought. “Only a week?”

“A lifetime.”

“Much better.” I can’t stop smiling when he says stuff like that. He’s been so open with his emotions. It was easy to forgive him. Especially when I realized he had my best interests at heart. I’m glad he’s on my side.

We’re quiet for a moment, then Elijah scoffs. “Ryan just told us to quit with the lovebird stuff and get this show on the road.”

“I forgot he’s listening to everything we say.” A little embarrassing.

“He says he’s madly in love with us too,” Elijah laughs, low and throaty. “We’re going. Give us a minute.”

“Are you ready for this?” he says to me.

“No. My hands are shaking. Visibly. Cole will take one look at me and start laughing.” I shake my hands in an attempt to relax.

“I can guarantee the furthest thing from his mind will be laughter. He’s going to be pissed.”

“I plan to bask in his pissededness. The tables will be turned tonight.”

“All right, beautiful lady. Let’s get this over with before I get an ulcer.”

“Okay, I’m going in. I can’t wait to see the mortified expression on his face when he sees I’m home. Then I’ll laugh in his face when he realizes he’s not getting a cent from my death. I’ll get him to say he knew I was alive all along. Then I’m out of there. Sound good?”

“Don’t gloat too much, Syd. He might retaliate.”

“Cole can’t kill a spider. Seriously, it was my job. He’s a wimp.”

“Wait. You killed spiders?” Elijah asks.

“They were regular spiders. They weren’t monsters.”

“Good point.”

“Hey, I’m not scared of him. Maybe he should be scared of me. Did you think about that?” I’m a woman scorned. Look out.

“Stop. I might just start feeling sorry for him.”

“Really?” I ask.

“Are you kidding? No way. But I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes tonight. Major karma’s about to hit him hard. At any rate, I’m not here to protect Ashcole. No how, no way.” Elijah shakes his head.

“So you’ll turn a blind eye if I, you know, rough him up a bit?” I bite my lip, trying to control my emotions.

“Get over here, you hoodlum. Give me a hug before you start your life of crime.”

It’s a sideways hug in the confines of the front seat, but it’s a tight embrace, one that signifies Elijah’s anxiety.

“Be safe. One scream, and Ry and I will be breaking down the door.”

“I’ll make it a good one. Your ears will be ringing for days.” I kiss him on the cheek. If I move just a little to the right, our lips will meet. It takes all my willpower to keep things chaste between us.

“You do that.” As I back away, he holds my shoulders. “I’m serious. Be careful. Don’t turn your back to him. Not once.”

I nod my head up and down. “You’ve saved me. You know that, right?”

“I do.”

“I love you, Elijah Garrett.”

“Hey, this isn’t goodbye. Knock it off. But right back atcha, girl. Go get him.”

I close the door to Elijah’s Jeep, wondering if he’s right and I’m making a huge mistake.

I wish he could understand why I need to do this. I need to stand up to Cole, once and for all.

As I linger in front of the home I used to share with Cole, I feel nothing. No regret, no sorrow, and no grief. Only relief. It’s so strong, I feel it coursing through my body like a drug.

My legs wobble as I approach the door. My hands tremble as I ring the doorbell.

It doesn’t matter. I’m doing this.

No one answers. I think about the hidden key in the fake rock under the front tree. I wouldn’t mind surprising him when he arrives home. Seems like poetic justice. One surprise arrival home deserves another surprise arrival home.

I ring the doorbell one more time for good measure. Disappointment hovers over me, ready to pounce and take over my mood.

Then I hear the rattling sounds of the door being unlocked, before it swings wide open.

Cole stands before me wearing jeans and an untucked button-up shirt that’s not buttoned up, revealing his fake tanned chest. Did I wake him up? He looks rumpled. Cole never looks rumpled. If his shirt has a wrinkle, he has a panic attack.

He’s so still, it’s as if someone told him to freeze. I don’t even think he’s breathing. If I said “Boo” he’d probably faint.

“Syyydniii?” he finally says. “What are you doing here?” His nasty tone implies he’s not happy to see me.

Huh. Go figure. “I’ve moved back. I thought I should let you know in person. We have unfinished business. You know, the big D. Time to make it official, don’t you think?”

He lets out a huge breath. I was right. He was barely breathing. “Of course. It’s about time. Come in.”

Cole glances outside to ensure no one has seen me before closing the door and locking it. Now that I’m on to him, he seems so obvious. A flash of fear attacks me, making me feel tingly and numb.

The thing is, I’m not a blubbering broken mess this time around. Tonight, I’m prepared for him. And I have backup.

Cole leads me into the living room, as if I don’t know the way. Everything is still the same. Like, exactly the same. As though I’ve never left. The white-and-marble living room he was so proud of is still pristine. It’s just as cold and uninviting as ever.

“I just drove into town. You’re my first stop. If I’m going to start fresh, I need to be free of the ball and chain.” I’ve been dying to say that line.

His face remains blank. “So no one else knows you’re here yet?”

Now that’s an interesting first question. Oh, how easily he falls into my trap. “Nope. Haven’t told a soul. You’re the first lucky person to know I’m back. My family will be shocked, I’m sure. Especially after you told them they wouldn’t be hearing from me again.”

“Oh yeah. Of course, I told them. They were relieved to know you were safe.”

Bam. Proof is now in my hot little hands. That was far too easy. “I heard they were looking for my body. Thought I was dead. Crazy stuff. Good thing you set everyone straight.” Too thick. I’m laying it on far too thick.

“Yeah, good thing. Case solved.”

Cole’s looking at me the way he’d look at a specimen under a microscope, his mind working through a thousand thoughts at once. I don’t care for the deep frown etched on his features. A slice of alarm runs down my spine.

“So you haven’t told anyone you were coming home?”

I believe I already answered that question, yet I know exactly why he’s asking. The alarm I’m feeling turns to dread, making my body feel like a ragdoll. Cole wouldn’t hurt me. There’s just no way it’s possible.

Right?

“My dad’s house is my next stop. But I want to start fresh here. New life. New love. New everything. That means getting the divorce proceedings started immediately, which makes you my first pit stop. We need to talk. This should’ve been done long ago. Don’t you think it’s time? It’s what we both want. There’s no reason for it not to be amicable. Right?”

“Right. Yes, that’s the best thing. Absolutely. And amicable, for sure.” His right hand reaches up to wipe beads of sweat from his upper lip.

Cole’s the cool-as-a-cucumber type. He doesn’t sweat unless he’s working out. Which means he’s nervous. Or tense. On edge. All of the above.

Maybe I should’ve listened to Elijah.

“Are you saying you didn’t even tell your father you were coming home? I can’t believe you wouldn’t tell him. You two were always so close.”

“I’d like to surprise him. I know he’ll be happy I decided to come back.” I pause. “No one came to visit me. I assume you didn’t bother to tell them I was in the Keys?”

“You said we’d never see you again. I figured you didn’t want anyone to know.”

Then something odd happens. Cole’s pupils dilate into two huge round balls as he stares at me, his eyes never darting from my face.

His lips curl as he says, “Do it. Hard. As hard as you can.”

I’m confused. “What?” Then a searing pain explodes in my head, and everything turns black.