Impacted (Conflicted Encounters #2) (8 page)

"I will be paying for your wedding. It will be my wedding gift to you. I got a huge, and I mean huge, signing bonus for landing a big account for the store." Kallie put her hand over Scarlett's mouth as soon as it opened. "I am doing this because I love you. You were there for me when no one else was. And mainly, I want to vacation in Hawaii."

Scarlett's eyes watered over and tears dripped down Kallie's hand, which was still tightly covering her mouth. She shook her head furiously. I knew she was too proud and didn't want to be a charity case, but she was touched nonetheless. My chest warmed at the scene, but for only a second. Two girls with the biggest hearts became best friends.
 

"We can't let you do that," I finally spoke up.
 

"First of all," she glared at me over Scarlett's head, "this is not your wedding, therefore, not your call. It's not your choice to make."

I winced, remembering when I tried to tell her I wasn't good enough for her. She told me then it wasn't my choice to make. She was determined then that it was her decision, and she didn't let me back down. No matter how much I warned her to stay away, she wouldn't listen.
 

"Secondly, I don't want the money. I have nothing I want to do with it. I worked my ass off for it. I gave up so much and all I have to show for it is in a bunch of zeros in my bank account. This is what I want to spend it on."

Scarlett finally freed herself and pulled back. "He's right, you should use that money."

"Oh, I will," she laughed. "I'll be there, too. I will get a week or so in paradise with the people I care about most." Her eyes locked on mine, and I swallowed the ball in my throat. "There will be plenty left over for me if I decide I need another beamer or some more Victoria's Secret."

The girls had an intense stare down, and I could tell Kallie wasn’t going to back down. She had the look in her eyes that she had when she told Ivan off and when I told her to stay away from me. I saw the tension releasing in Scarlett's body and knew the battle was over. Scarlett hopped up and threw her arms around Kallie, making her fall back a few steps.
 

I retreated to my room to hide from the emotional and girly moment going down in my kitchen. I laid back on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I should be excited; my sister is getting every girl's dream. She's happy, and deep down, I'm happy for her. On the surface, I feel guilt. I feel guilty that the girl that I am pushing out of my life and unwilling to give a second chance to will be the one to thank for all that.
 

I was also worried about spending time with her in Hawaii. I moaned and pulled a pillow over my face, trying to force the image of her in a bikini out of my mind. I bet her hair gets lighter from the water and sun. I bet her blue eyes put the clear blue ocean to shame. I could imagine her on the sand with the waves and wind whipping around her.
 

I heard the door close and realized Kallie must have left to meet her friend. Sometimes, I thought maybe she was right and that she wouldn't fall back into her old ways. Then I would see the serious and business side of her. It would make me wonder that maybe she was made to work for her father and grow up to be a rich, stuck-up snob.
 

A soft knock came at my door and I called for whoever it was to come in. Scarlett sat at the edge of my bed and looked down at me. I nodded, conveying to her without words that I was fine. She patted my knee as if to say 'you aren't, but you're trying'.

"We're still going to the bonfire, right?" she asked. "I think Kallie is gonna come and bring her friend."

"Of course." I never missed them. They didn't get lit without me there.

"You sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes," I huffed.
 

"It just looks like you're being tortured whenever she's around."

"I am."

"Why don't you just give in?" she asked, staring at me like she could see the real answer if she looked hard enough. She probably could.
 

"She's changed."

She laughed like I said something stupid. "Of course she did.” She threw her hands up in the air. "She needed to find out who she was and what she wanted. She didn't get that in her teens like we did, or anybody else for that matter. But she is still the same girl we fell in love with."

"How do you know that?" I asked bitterly. She was talking nonsense.

"Because she was always in there. She just let down her wall when she came here. You broke them down. That's the girl she truly is."

With that, she patted my knee and walked out of my room. I don't know when she started sounding so wise. It was pretty annoying, actually. I may be only a few minutes older, but I was the one supposed to be taking care of her, especially after Dad left us.
 

I rubbed my hands over my face. If she really was still the same, could I let myself love her like I did before? It hurt so bad when I realized what was happening between us, so I closed myself off. I wasn't sure if I could undo that with the pain so fresh and near the surface.
 

I didn't let any girl around me for more than a night for a reason. I never wanted to deal with the abandonment that followed. I never wanted to leave behind the pain that my dad left. I saw what this thing called “love” did to my mother. She changed and became hateful and depressed. I couldn't do that to someone else. And more importantly, I couldn't let that happen to me.
 

Kallie

I was shaking by the time I reached my car. Heading quickly toward to restaurant near my hotel to meet Chloe, I took deep breaths. I was excited, happy, and terrified all at once. I was going to pay for the wedding and give Scarlett something she deserved. I meant what I said; she was good to me and this was my way of paying her back. I was all alone when she met me, and she took me in and made me feel safe.
 

I actually earned that bonus without the help of my father. When I insisted we should be selling Pandora, he didn't seem convinced. Even after showing him trends and profit forecasts, he wasn't on board. He told me that if I wanted it, then I had to do so on my own. And I did. I worked the late nights, went to countless meetings, and kissed so many asses.
 

I really did want to go to Hawaii. It sounded perfect, and seeing the ocean and the sand on my screen made me ache for it. I’d never been away without my family, and I wanted to go have fun, relax, and be with my friends. What better place to do so then in Hawaii? I watched my classmates in Georgetown go away on spring break while I drove home to help in the shop. My stomach did flips when I thought of being with Ryder there.
 

Part of me hoped I could win him back with the romantic setting. But a bigger part of me, the scared and weak part of me, knew that if he didn't want me, then I wasn't going to beg. Every time I thought of backing down and forgetting about him, a part of me died inside. I would beg on my hands and knees if I thought it would make him love me again. I knew what I was missing and wasn't willing to let it go so easily.
 

Seeing Chloe's car pulled me out of my deep thoughts. We decided to meet at a bar and grill so we could eat dinner before heading back to my hotel. After spending all day trying to plan a wedding in an impossible amount of time and getting nothing done, I was in need of a drink. I was grateful to have the company as well.
 

"Hey," I called as I flung my arms around her in a hug.

"Hey," she said, squeezing back. "You look great."

"You too," I told her. She did. Her long black hair was in a high ponytail. Her skin was darker, and her long legs were emphasized in short shorts, red high heels, and a halter top. I was sure she would be turning heads in the small town. No way she would be keeping a low profile.
 

After we were seating and ordered some long island iced teas, we chatted about her drive up. It was obvious she was dying for more details about Ryder, but I kept her waiting. I didn't want to have to talk with my mouth full of burger about how in love I am with him. I already had a lump in my throat thinking about how he pushed me away; I didn't need to choke on my food too.
 

"So," she started when we were halfway through our meal. "What's new?"

I laughed and checked my phone. "You made it forty-six minutes before asking. I'm impressed."

She tossed a napkin at me. "Well, I'm dying for all the juicy details. You made me wait years for this, need I remind you?"

She was right. I was boring in school when we roomed together. My relationship was simple and stable, I didn't drink and party, and I was never very dramatic. While she went out to bars and had her heartbroken, I was there to hold her hair back and hand her the ice cream and chick flicks.

"True," I shrugged. "The wedding will be in Hawaii, so that should be fun."

"Or a disaster," she offered. "You think they will go through with it?"

"You don't know her," I told her. "She won't back down now. Unless I come up with some concrete evidence, something more than that I don't like him, she will marry him."

"Well, find something then."

"What, like hire a private investigator?" I asked, choking on my drink.
 

"Whatever you need to do," she shrugged.
 

"I can't just break up her relationship," I insisted. "She would be crushed."

"You would rather her get hurt after she has his last name?" she countered. "But hey, you'll still get a vacation in paradise either way."

She raised her drink in cheers, and I clanked my glass to hers. I shook my head at her bluntness, but maybe I should be thinking more like her. Would it hurt Scarlett that bad if she knew he was never really worth it? I doubted it. It still hurt immensely to lose Carter, even though I now knew he wasn't who I was supposed to be with forever.
 

I thought about Carter and our past quite often. He was my first love, and that would never change. Sometimes I wondered if I would’ve ever grown up and realized we wanted different things. I played with the idea that one day I would’ve woken up and told him I didn't want to move to D.C. But the truth was, I doubt I would have realized what I really wanted if I hadn’t ran away the morning of my graduation party.
 

The server brought us more glasses, and I realized we would most likely need to walk to my hotel. These things tasted like tea going down, giving me the impression that they were harmless, but they definitely snuck up on me when I wasn't looking and I was feeling a nice buzz. My cheeks were warm and my lips felt numb.
 

"So, when do I get to meet this sexy fool of yours?" Chloe asked with a giggle.
 

"How do you know he's sexy? And a fool?"
 

"Well, you got this soft and dreamy voice when you talked about him," she mocked, using said voice. "And if he doesn't want you, he's a fool."

"Wanna come to the bonfire tomorrow night? He'll be there."

"And what kind of wing-woman would I be if I wasn't at the bonfire?" she said, finishing up her drink.
 

We made the short walk to the hotel, giggling and barefoot. We made an older couple in the elevator uncomfortable with our giddiness and inability to walk a straight line. They stared at us with disapproving faces, but we didn't care at all. We finally flopped on my couch, holding our sides which hurt from laughing so hard. It felt so good to smile again. I was glad that someone from my past was still someone I loved in my present.
 

"Let's see this tub you talk so highly about," Chloe said, hopping up and skipping to the bedroom. "Oh! It's beautiful," she called out to me. I laughed and lugged my heavy body into the room. "Holy crap, that's a lot of lace," she gasped, staring at my open suitcase.
 

"I know," I sighed. "The store is right next door to the jewelry shop back home. I can't seem to stop."

"You have a problem," she confirmed.
 

"I'll be sure to get help."

Chloe and I watched cheesy movies for the rest of the night. It reminded me of just last year, having our girl's night. Although we were both so different, she was always like a sister to me. We were too exhausted to fix the hideaway bed, so we both slept in my king sized bed. In the morning, we called and ordered room service for breakfast. After the coffee washed away night before, we set about getting ready.
 

I was just heading to get in the shower after Chloe got out and heard a knock. I came back out into the main room and saw Chloe, wrapped in her towel, in front of the open door. Ryder stood in the doorway with his hair wet and his arms resting on the door frame. His eyes locked on mine, and my step faltered from the surprise. I resisted the instinct to run to him and let him wrap me up in his arms.
 

"Why is she opening the door to just anyone?" he asked, annoyed.
 

"Chloe, this is Ryder," I introduced. "Ryder, this is Chloe, who was just going to go get dressed." I gave her a pointed glare.