“Marci, you need to calm down,” Wendy pleaded. “This isn’t the time or the place for drama.”
“How could she bring that, that slut here?” Marci could feel the irrational words ringing back on her ears but couldn’t stop herself from saying them out loud.
Wendy stepped in front of her, trying to pull her focus away from the doorway through which Tessa and her piece of shit sister had just vanished. It was all she could do not to run after her, to scream, to fucking kick something and make an absolute ass of herself.
“That woman is her sister.” Wendy squeezed her arm. “Please calm down. I’m positive there’s a reasonable explanation.”
Marci could hear the logic in Wendy’s words, but she’d never been so enraged. Not even the day she opened the bedroom door to witness her life going up in flames. With that woman, Monty, Tessa’s beloved little sister, staring back at her.
Right now, she was too far gone to calm down, to even talk herself out of the ugly thoughts swarming in her mind.
“I fucking told you, Wendy.” Marci pulled out of Wendy’s grasp and squeezed her palm into a fist then loosened the pressure, wanting to follow Tessa, not wanting to follow either of them, knowing it would be a huge mistake to go through that door, but not sure she had a choice. “I told you she was up to no good!”
“Marci, listen to what you’re saying. Tessa looked genuinely confused. I don’t think she has a clue what is happening right now.”
“Bullshit,” Marci spat. “She knew.”
“Look, you need to calm down and think about what you’re saying. I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.” Wendy threw up her hand. “Just give everyone a minute to calm down and then you—”
“Minute’s up.” Marci dropped the beer bottle in the trash and charged across the room.
“Marci! Stop!” Wendy yelled.
But Marci couldn’t stop. Not this time.
She felt stupid, betrayed, backstabbed as she moved around people and shot out of the conference room.
* * *
Tessa spotted Monty far down the sidewalk, pacing in front of a line of parked cars. Her shoulders were slumped. Her hands shoved in her front pockets.
The tightening in Tessa’s stomach only gripped harder as she got closer. Her sister never showed defeat. Nor did she ever look defeated. Never. And right now, she looked like the whole world rested solely on her shoulders.
Monty looked up and Tessa could read complete shock in those eyes.
It was another expression she’d never seen.
Monty never felt bad. She never regretted anything. Said she never did anything to have to regret.
But right now, Tessa was seeing regret eating her sister alive, and it made her nauseous.
Under any other circumstances, she might be grateful to see life in those eyes. Something other than her uncaring demeanor.
But not here. Not with a celebration, her celebration, taking place inside that building. Not when she had a horrible, gut-wrenching suspicion that she knew exactly what had prodded Monty into this abnormal behavior.
No. This wasn’t a suspicion knotting her stomach. She knew better.
Monty was the one. She was the one Marci had caught in bed with her wife. Naked. Watching Marci as if waiting for her to charge. Marci had said that. That the woman didn’t even bother covering herself. Simply stared back at her and never attempted to move.
That was exactly what Monty would have done. She’d been caught, so why try to run? Why try to hide? Besides, it wasn’t Monty who had anything to run from. She wasn’t the married woman. She wasn’t the one who was supposed to be faithful.
Tessa came to a stop beside her and took a deep breath. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
Monty glanced over at her but immediately looked down at her feet. “You should go back inside, Tess. I’m ruining your party.”
“Say it, Monty.” Tessa circled around her, forcing Monty to look at her. “You will goddamn say it out loud!”
“Tess. I said I was sorry.” Monty’s shoulders rose. “I don’t know what else I can say. What do you want from me?”
“Of all the women in the whole town and you picked that one.” Tessa shook her head. “What the fuck, Monty?”
“How could I have known?”
Anger bubbled hard and fast as she heard the “oh, woe is me” in Monty’s words. “That’s the problem. You don’t care to know. You never care. With wedding bands or with photos of kids tucked in their cell phones, you just don’t give a shit. And now your karma will rain down on me.”
Monty turned around and grabbed Tessa’s hands. “Tell me what you want me to do, Tess, and I’ll do it. If you want me to leave, I’ll leave. If you want me to go beg her forgiveness, I’ll do that. Please just tell me. I’ve never felt more worthless in my life than I do right now.” Her eyes welled with tears, and it was all Tessa could manage not to hug her tight and tell her everything was going to be okay. “You know I would never do anything to hurt you. You know that.”
Tessa couldn’t hug Monty. She couldn’t tell her everything was going to be okay. Because right now, she wasn’t sure anything was going to be okay. Wasn’t sure it was ever going to be okay again. She didn’t have a magic solution, but one thing she did know, Monty was being genuine. She would never deliberately hurt Tessa. That fact she would go to her grave knowing.
“Can you do me a favor?” Tessa mumbled.
“Anything.” Monty’s shoulders lifted and her posture heightened.
“Next time you need attention, just fucking photobomb my ass.”
Monty stared for several seconds before she finally cracked a smile.
Tessa wasn’t sure why she felt the need to put that smile on Monty’s face, but it sure beat the alternative. That sad expression was one she never wanted to see again. Even if Monty had done something horribly wrong.
“How dare you bring that piece of shit here!” Marci bellowed.
Tessa spun around to find Marci marching down the sidewalk, Wendy running behind her.
This was embarrassing. Too dramatic. This was her minute. Dammit. Her time. Her future and possibly her new world.
And Monty’s inability to keep her hands to herself was going to make it all crumble down around her.
“Marci! Stop it right now!” Wendy yelled through clenched teeth as she grabbed for Marci, clearly shaken by the drama unfolding without her control.
Tessa hated that more than anything. That her boss was involved in any of this. But at least they had one thing in common. Both of the people they loved the most in the world couldn’t act right.
“I’m sorry, Tess. I truly am,” Monty mumbled beside her.
“I know. But you’re still on my shit list.”
Tessa focused on Marci, her angry posture as she pounded down the sidewalk, her heart knowing Marci wouldn’t do anything stupid. If she was going to stoop that low, she would have done it the day she caught Monty fucking her wife.
No. Tessa wasn’t afraid of that. But she needed Marci to know where her loyalty lay.
She did the only thing she knew how to do. The only thing she would ever know how to do. The only thing a good sister should ever do.
She stepped in front of Monty and lifted her chin. Right or wrong, Monty was her sister, and no matter how disgusted Tessa was with her actions, she’d never let anyone threaten or hurt her.
Not even Marci. Especially not Marci.
Marci came to a breathless stop a few feet from Tessa, her eyes drilling into Tessa’s. “What kind of sick game have you been playing?”
“Oh, God. That again?” Tessa controlled the need to roll her eyes.
Maric’s gaze darted to Monty then stabbed back on Tessa. “You knew all along, didn’t you? Admit it!”
The anger in Marci’s eyes made Tessa sad for some reason. Ashley had done a number on her confidence. She’d pushed Marci into this sheltered, non-trusting space, and it was ugly coming out of her.
“Knew what, Marci? Tell me.”
“That she fucked my wife! That’s what!” Marci took a step closer, looking enraged.
“Not until two minutes ago. It’s not like I keep up with the notches on my sister’s bedpost.” Tessa planted her hands on her hips, damned if Marci was going to point fingers all over again. “Do you even hear how incredibly ridiculous you sound right now?”
“I’m the one you have an issue with. Not her. Let Tess go enjoy her night then you can yell and scream at me all you want,” Monty quietly said.
Marci’s jaw clenched. “Shut up, you home wrecking twerp. No one is talking to you.”
“Marci. Please go back inside. This isn’t the time,” Wendy pleaded and tugged Marci’s arm.
Marci pulled her arm free. “When was the time, Tessa? Tell me? When were you going to tell me that it was your sister who fucked up my whole world?”
Tessa angled her head and studied that angry expression. Even with her eyes wide, her mouth set and grim, she was so handsome. But she was damaged. So damaged.
“It wasn’t my sister who fucked you over, Marci. That person was Ashley. Your wife. Your wife did this to you. Not Monty. And the sooner you get that through your thick skull, the faster you can move on with life.”
Marci felt the sting of her words. The calm way in which she’d said them. The identical words Wendy had been preaching for months now. But what she saw was Tessa standing in front of a lowlife, guarding her, protecting the very person who was the cause of her entire world shattering.
She was protecting her sister. Siding with her.
Marci stepped forward again, knowing she shouldn’t. She was too angry. Too hurt. “Go to hell, Tessa.”
Wendy lightly tugged her arm again as Monty pulled Tessa back and stepped in front her.
She leveled daring eyes on Marci. “I’ll say it one more time. Your problem lies with me. Not her. If you want to talk, we’ll talk. If you want to take it out in the parking lot, we can do that too. But if you take one more step toward my sister, this night is going to end in disaster, and from all the great things Tess had told me about you, it doesn’t sound like you want that ending.” She lifted her chin. “But I need you to know that choice is completely yours.”
Marci tightened her hands into fists, not liking the challenge in those eyes. Not sure she could walk away from the dare. From the choice.
Wendy tightened her grip in warning. “Marci. Right now. Get your ass walking right this second.”
Marci moved her focus to Tessa. To those sad eyes. To those beautiful, sad eyes. She hated herself for letting Tessa into her world. Hated that she’d let her guard down.
She looked back to Monty, the very sister Tessa had told her so much about, the very one she admired for her accomplishments, for her maturity, she’d said, but who hated one little thing about her. That very little thing had ripped her marriage apart. That very thing was why Marci was far away from the place she’d made home. Why she was still hurt and angry at the whole damn world.
And Tessa was standing only feet away from her, protecting and siding with that very piece of shit.
“Stay the fuck away from me.” Marci narrowed her gaze on Monty. “Both of you.” She pulled away from Wendy and charged down the sidewalk.
Tessa watched her retreating steps, wanting to go after her, to beg her to see how wrong she was, that Monty wasn’t the bad guy here, but she knew it would be a useless attempt tonight.
Marci was too angry. Too hurt. And Tessa couldn’t truly blame her. Deep down, she was blaming Monty as well. Of course, she knew it wasn’t Monty’s fault that Ashley had cheated on her, but it sure felt that way at this moment when a party was waiting for her inside, where her crew was probably wondering what in the world was going on.
Wendy turned a frown on Tessa. “I’m sorry, Tessa. I tried to stop her.”
“No. I’m the one who is sorry. This is all too much.” Tessa shook her head. “Talk about dumb luck.”
Monty entwined their fingers and gave a squeeze. “Tell me what I can do?”
“You can stop asking me what you can do. You might not want the answer.” Tessa tried to add a notch of teasing to her words although she wasn’t completely against rolling Monty off this mountain.
That would sure solve one problem.
Dammit. Of all the women, it had to be Ashley. What kind of shit luck was that?
“I know it’s all crazy right now, but tomorrow is a new day. Give Marci some alone time with her thoughts and I’m positive she’ll see how ridiculous she is.” Wendy extended her hand to Monty. “I’m Wendy, by the way. Best friend to that hothead. And under normal circumstances, I’d hug the living shit out of you. I hated Ashley with every ounce of my body.”
Monty lightly took her hand and looked down the length of Wendy. “You can still hug me. I won’t mind a bit.” She gave that sweet smile.
“I will drop-kick you off a cliff,” Tessa growled.
Monty laughed and let go of Wendy’s hand. “I’m kidding, big sister. Just trying to bring some light to the dark moment.”
“It will be good and dark at the bottom of this mountain.” Tessa cocked a brow. “Don’t try me right now.”
Wendy snickered. “You guys are cute, and as much as I’d like to stay and help make the dark moment bright, I need to go check on Marci.” She reached out and patted Tessa’s hand. “And I know everything looks bleak right now, but Marci is a great person and this isn’t her normal behavior. Seeing your sister was just too much. Everything will be okay. I promise.”
Tessa gave a tight nod, still considering going inside to make an attempt to talk to Marci. Her inner voice objected too loud, and right now she had to listen to anything that sounded sane.
“Thanks, Wendy. And I’m so sorry about this,” Tessa added.
“I wish I could say the same. But I can’t.” Wendy gave Monty a flirtatious wink. “It was great meeting you, Monty. I hope to see you around during the week.”
Monty nodded. “That’s a must.”
Tessa watched Wendy make her way down the sidewalk, her words ringing back on her ears, and she knew what she had to do.
“Take me home, Monty.”
“You mean the cabin?”
“No. Home. Home.” Tessa turned and started for the Jeep. “I quit.”