Читать книгу His Love Lesson - Nicki Night - Страница 11

Chapter 1

“Is this the runaway bride?”

“Runaway fiancée! Get it right. We weren’t married yet,” Chey Rodgers said, snickering at her witty response to her sister’s greeting. Deanna was obviously amused. Chey cut into her fit of giggles. “How’s Mom and Dad, silly?” she said as she folded her legs under her bottom on the loveseat in her tiny living room.

“Dad is Dad. Mom is...Mom. Same snarky old woman!” Deanna laughed but stopped abruptly. “Don’t tell her I said that.” She laughed again. Chey shook her head and smiled. Her sister always managed to lighten her mood.

“I called her, but she didn’t answer.” Sometimes it was a relief when her mother didn’t answer. They were still at odds about Chey’s move.

“She’s probably out with the church ladies.”

Chey looked at the date on her laptop screen next to her on the loveseat. “You’re right. It’s Thursday. I’ll call her in the morning.”

“You know she’s still upset about everything that happened. She can’t seem to understand why you broke off the engagement and ran off to New York so quickly, or ‘that big ole city,’ as she puts it.”

“Deanna, I’ve tried to explain that to her so many times. You guys don’t know the Todd that I know. I couldn’t attach myself to him till death did us part.” Chey twisted her lips, mocking the twisted way people chose to see her big move. “I’ve been planning to go back to school for so long. I know this whole thing seems scary to Mom, but this was my chance and New York is where I need to be for what I want to do.”

“So...” Deanna paused. “How’s the big city treating you?” she said.

“New York has been great so far.”

“Have you heard from him yet?” Deanna asked cautiously.

“No.” Thank God.

“I’m surprised. You left months ago.” She seemed disappointed.

“Our relationship was over way before it was officially over. He’s so self-absorbed. He probably thinks he’s punishing me by staying away.” Chey rolled her eyes as she thought about her manipulative ex-fiancé. She hadn’t called to talk about Todd Coleman. He had finally been relocated to his rightful place in her life—the past. “I cut my hair.” She changed the subject and instinctively ran her fingers through her short crop.

“Really!” Deanna squealed. “I can’t believe it. How much did you cut?”

“All of it.”

“Uh! Excuse me?”

“I got one of those pixie cuts.”

“Oh my goodness, Chey! I have to see it. Send me a picture.”

“I will. Oh! And I can’t wait to start school.” Chey scrunched her shoulders in excitement.

“When do your classes begin?”

“End of January. I’m taking a little vacation to celebrate before I start.”

“Wow. I can’t imagine going back to writing papers and attending classes again. You’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

“I know, but what could I do? We simply ran out of money and since the shop wasn’t doing well, Mom and Dad couldn’t help. It was almost depressing, seeing my classmates graduate without me. Once the shop started doing better, I could finally afford to save enough to go back.

“We have you to thank for that! It will all work out. You deserve this. Good luck! Where are you going for vacation?”

“Near Salt Lake City, Utah.”

Chey pulled the phone away from her ear when her sister screamed, “What the hell is in Utah?”

“I booked an amazing villa. I plan to ski, snowboard, drink hot chocolate in front of a cozy fire and work on that book that I’ve wanted to write forever.”

“I’m going to have to report this identity theft because you’re clearly not my sister.”

“This is just the beginning,” Chey declared.

“I love it! I may need to take a page from your book. I could use some excitement. Maybe I’ll come for a visit. You know how much New York City intrigues me.”

“Great idea! Let’s put it on the calendar.”

“It’s a plan!” Deanna gasped. “But I’ll wait until your spring break. That cold weather is unbearable. Anyway, I gotta run, sis! I just realized I’m late for a conference call. You know how it is dealing with coworkers on the West Coast. The time difference is a killer. Give me a call tomorrow. Okay? Love ya.” Deanna ended the call before Chey could say goodbye.

Since Deanna was a data analyst who worked from home, she was always mindful of making sure her bosses knew that she was a diligent employee. Even though she often worked from their parents’ variety shop, she was sure to get her reports in and respond to emails or calls as quickly as possible so her bosses would never have to question her dedication or whereabouts. She needed this job, since the family business didn’t pay much at all.

Chey laid the phone on the side table closest to the loveseat and walked over to the mirror near the door. Twisting her head, she took in the sleek look of her new hairstyle and ran her fingers through it once again. She recalled how nervous she’d felt when she’d sat in the hairdresser’s chair with a picture of Halle Berry and told her she wanted to look like that.

When the stylist finished, she’d been shocked at how different she looked. At first she’d wondered if her sudden change had been too drastic. In the days following, Chey would absentmindedly attempt to run her fingers through her hair and be reminded that she had chopped all of it off. As the days passed, Chey had received loads of compliments at her part-time job and eventually became so pleased with the style that she wondered why she hadn’t cut it before. Her new look highlighted her high cheekbones and made her big brown eyes pop in a good way. Then she remembered. She’d kept it long because Todd preferred that length.

Feeling free and light was becoming addictive. Chey had taken other actions and made plans to do things she had wanted to do for years. Now that she was no longer tied to Todd, she did whatever she desired and it felt great!

Chey’s phone rang. She walked over to retrieve her cell from the side table. She didn’t recognize the number but did recognize the area code as being from her hometown in Virginia. It had to be someone she knew.

“Hello,” she said in the same courteous tone she used at work.

“Chey?” Todd’s greeting sounded more like a scolding.

Chey hadn’t heard from him since the day she left home three months before. She resisted the initial urge to hang up. There was no reason to hide from him.

“Hello, Todd.” She kept her tone professional.

“I’ve given you enough time to get over whatever little fit you’ve been having. It’s time for you to come home. I need you here.”

Chey found herself laughing at how ridiculous he sounded. “You can’t be serious.”

“You find this funny?” He was clearly annoyed.

“As a matter of fact, I do. It’s not that at all, is it? You don’t like the idea of me being independent. You can’t handle the fact that I walked away from you! This is a joke!”

“This has gone on long enough.”

Chey dropped her head into her free hand and shook it. “Todd. We’re done. I have a new life. I truly wish you the best with yours.”

“Tell me where you are.”

“Goodbye, Todd.” Chey ended the call, but not before hearing him declare that he would find her.

Chey walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the bottle of champagne she’d purchased to bring in the New Year. Suddenly she felt as if there was no need to wait the few days. She popped open the bottle and toasted to all the fresh starts of the past few months and the ones on the horizon.