Perfect Excuse (Mason Creek Book 11) Page 2

  Seems my impending divorce isn’t easy on either of us.

  Chapter 2

  Ryder

  A busy day in the jewelry store is more than what the doctor ordered to keep my sanity in check and stop the compulsive obsessing over the way my life is burning down around me. I can replace dead batteries and fix broken clasps with my eyes closed. After years of working in the shop with my parents, I’m able to perform most of the tasks with little effort. But the menial work keeps my hands busy and my mind from wandering. I need all the distractions I can get from the shitstorm that has become my life.

  My day was as normal and dull, as usual, until a young man I’ve known since the day he was born came strolling in. Funny how a single ordinary encounter changes the mood on a dime.

  “Hey, Josh. I haven’t seen you in a while. Are you here to pick up a class ring or something?” I quickly scan my recent memories, trying to recall if I’ve seen an invoice for him.

  “Hey, Ryder. No, I picked that up a long while back, when I was a junior in high school. Remember?” He walks over to the case with all the engagement and wedding rings, leaning over the glass with a permanent smile affixed to his face. “I’m starting college this fall, but I want to propose to Becky before I leave. We’re going camping in the woods by the lake in a couple of weeks, and I’m planning a romantic, moonlit proposal on the old bridge out there.”

  His proclamation is like a knife to my chest. “You mean at the old Davis bridge?”

  “Yeah. I know it’s cheesy and overrated, but Becky thinks Henry Davis made the most romantic gesture in the history of the world when he built that bridge for his wife. So, I thought since he paved the way, I’ll follow his lead.” Josh shrugs like it’s no big deal, but I know better.

  “Just don’t get caught camping on private property. They may not appreciate your squatting on their land.” I chuckle, but there’s no sincerity behind it. I’m simply doing my best to keep breathing at the moment. It’d be rude to keel over while my customer is picking out an engagement ring for his girlfriend. “Do you know what size ring she wears?”

  “Actually, I do. While she was out shopping with a couple of her friends, I went by her house and had a talk with her parents. Her dad gave his blessing, provided we have a long engagement and we both finish college. I promised him we would, so her mom is secretly helping me make all the arrangements. They want to throw us an engagement party in a few weeks, assuming she says yes. You’re invited, of course.” Josh stops talking when the one ring to rule his world jumps out at him.

  “That’s the one. Right there.” He pokes the glass with his finger. “Third row down, fifth one from the right.”

  “You have great taste, Josh.” His particular choice is a variation of the one I created specially for my wife. This conversation is hitting a little too close to home for my comfort.

  The bridge.

  The moonlit night.

  The romantic gesture.

  The unique ring.

  The end.

  After verifying the ring size he needs against the ring in the display case, I give him my word to have it resized and ready to pick up in a week. Putting his heart out on the line for Becky potentially to stomp on is nerve-wracking, even if he’s reasonably sure she’ll accept. If I can help alleviate some of his stress by getting his order to him earlier than usual, it’s worth the extra work.

  When Josh leaves the store, I settle back in my office chair, run my hands through my hair, and stare at the ceiling. Memories come rushing back, overflowing the dams I’ve built in my mind like a swollen river during a flood. This isn’t at all how I pictured my life would be when I was Josh’s age.

  That was the first sucker punch—the one I didn’t see coming. When he said he was going off to college in the fall, I realized how quickly my life is slipping away. Though I’ve watched him grow up his entire life, nearly two decades have passed, but I’m still stuck in this small town. Now I can’t leave until my divorce is final.

  Divorce. A word I never dreamed would apply to me.

  It’s been several days since our last mediation session and I’m not anxious to repeat last week’s disaster… or the week before that, or the week before that. Just as I sit up and lean forward, Liv walks past my shop on the other side of the road. I recognize the bag she’s carrying. It’s food from Wren’s Café. We’ve gotten takeout from there enough for me to know exactly where she’s been.

  When she sits down at the picnic table, I’m surprised when a man sits down across from her with a matching bag. They spread the contents out on the table and begin sharing a meal together.

  What is she doing? Is she... is she on a date?

  Is my wife actually cheating on me?

  I pretty much dismissed what Kiwi repeated because I thought I knew Liv better than that. She’s always been the truest and most loyal person I’ve ever known.

  But I can’t deny what I’m witnessing right now.

  She’s eating with another man out in the open where everyone else in town can see what she’s doing.

  Who the hell is he? Scratch that. I don’t care who he is. He’s about to find out who I am when my fist connects with his mouth.

  My hand is on the doorknob, ready to jerk the door open, before I realize I’ve crossed the entire length of my store. Then the truth smacks me across the face. She isn’t cheating on me because she isn’t mine anymore. Our divorce isn’t final, but that’s only because we’re still arguing over custody arrangements. If we’d agreed to the mediator’s suggestion six months ago, our divorce would’ve been finished already and we wouldn’t be in divorce purgatory.

  This is something I’ll have to get used to seeing until I move away from here. She’s still young and wants to have a big family. Her need to have several babies and my desire to experience the world, while I can, put us at odds. Children would tie us down and we’d never get out of this small town. Most of her friends have at least one baby, and that only increases her desire to have our own as soon as possible.

  I just can’t do it. I can’t tie myself down while I’m still young enough to enjoy life. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it… as far as everyone else knows.

  Since that family she’s set on having won’t be with me, someone else will be more than willing to give it to her. While staring holes through my wife and her male companion, I calm down enough to realize who he is. Canaan Collins. He’s a carpenter who moonlights as a Mason Creek volunteer firefighter. He’s only a year older than Liv and me, making him the perfect candidate for her. The ink isn’t even dry on our divorce yet. In fact, since neither of us has relented on our demands, there is no ink to dry.

  A knock on the glass in front of my face draws my attention.

  “Are you going to let me in or what?” Grayson, my best friend, smirks at me from outside.

  “Or what.” My deadpan response only makes him laugh as I turn the doorknob and let him in.

  “Were you just stalking your wife?” He’s teasing, but I’m busted nonetheless.

  “Ex-wife,” I shoot back.

  “Not yet, she isn’t. You still have time to fix this foolishness.” Grayson turns to face me with his fists planted on his hips. It’s the ultimate dad-stance. Not that he uses it on the two little girls who have him wrapped around their little fingers, but I can see him staring down any boy who shows up on his doorstep in a few years.

  “We’re at a stalemate and you know it. We can’t fix this when we want to take two completely different paths in life. It doesn’t matter how much I may or may not love her if we can’t agree on where our lives are going.”

  “May or may not, my ass. You looked like you wanted to kill Canaan just now. You’ve known him your whole life.” Grayson steps back to the window to get a better look at them. “Although, I can see why you’re jealous. He’s tall and fit. He has to be, though, to pass the physical tests as a volunteer firefighter. Working as a carpenter also helps keep him in shape. He’s re
mained single all these years, so he wouldn’t bring any baggage to the relationship. To top it all off, he’s a genuinely nice guy. Come to think of it, Liv and Canaan would make a good couple.”

  “The fuck they would. How can you even say that? She doesn’t belong with anyone but me. Never has. Never will.” My temper flares at the mere thought of any other man touching my wife. “Don’t you dare go back to the firehall and put that shit in his head.”

  Grayson turns his head to look at me over his shoulder, and a knowing grin crawls across his face. I walked right into his trap without even looking for a trip wire first. “That was your gut reaction, Ryder. The first thought that came to your mind was Liv is your soul mate. She’s sitting right there, living, breathing, flesh and blood, alive. You are making the biggest mistake of your life, but you don’t even see it.”

  “Gray, I don’t want kids. Your kids are great, and I love them with all my heart, but that’s not what I have envisioned for the rest of my life. I want to leave this town and experience life outside of what we have available here. The closest I came to having any kind of adventure was when I went off to college, and that wasn’t even out of state. I feel like I’m suffocating here—in this shop I never wanted to take over and in this town I never wanted to stay in.”

  “You think my kids keep me from living my best life? They are my life, Ryder. I had the same thoughts of leaving and becoming some big shot something-or-other at one time. But there’s nothing I’d take over the life I have now. Being with my family is enough adventure for me, and they’re all I need. I don’t know why I get the feeling something else is up with you.”

  “Did you come here for a reason, other than trying to convince me to embrace the domestic life?” I arch one eyebrow, knowing damn well Grayson wouldn’t stop in just to give me shit about my impending dissolution of marriage.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I’m here as a customer today. Since the customer is always right…” His voice trails off as he walks to the counter and starts browsing the keepsake necklaces. Grayson has four-year-old twin girls, Harlow and Hayden, who are the center of his universe. Everything he does is for those two since his wife died. “I’ll take two of these locket necklaces.”

  I don’t have to ask why he wants them because I already know. The more the girls look like their mother, the more he wants to capture the resemblance. He’ll put their pictures side by side in the lockets and save them for when the girls are a little older. After securing the necklaces in boxes I reserve for special clients, I hand him the bag.

  “Any big plans tonight?” I know the answer before I even ask, but I can’t let the moment pass.

  “Same as every other night.” He walks to the front door and stops with his hand on the knob.

  “We really need to get out more.” I shake my head, knowing there are only so many places we can go around here.

  “Ryder, you really need to get a new line. I’m heading home now. Have fun with Kiwi tonight.”

  “I don’t have her tonight. She’s with Livvy this week.”

  “Well, that makes more sense. You’re alone, and you hate that. Enjoy your brooding time while stalking your wife. Huh, would you look at that? Liv and Canaan are feeding each other cake at the picnic table across the street.” Grayson yanks the door open and makes a quick exit as I scurry to the window.

  Sure enough, I arrive just in time to see Canaan drop a small piece of cake into Liv’s open mouth. What in the actual fuck is going on?

  Now I definitely need a drink or ten.

  After a quick glance at my watch, I decide it’s near enough to closing time for me to lock up the store and take a stroll past the picnic area. Olivia glances toward me when movement catches her eye, then does a double take when she realizes it’s me. The same flash of pain crosses her face when our eyes meet. It happens every time, and every time it hurts me all over again.

  “Hey, Ryder. How’s it going?” Canaan asks casually.

  “Good. How are you, Canaan?”

  “Can’t complain, man. It’s a warm summer day. We have awesome scenery, and I’m helping a gorgeous lady taste-test different flavors of wedding cake. Doesn’t get much better than this.” He smiles, but there’s no hint of aggression or superiority in his demeanor. He’s the same Canaan I’ve always known him to be—laid back and easy-going.

  “Who’s getting married?” I turn my attention solely on Liv, watching for the usual telltale signs that show on her face when she tries to hide something from me.

  “My friend, Miranda, from college. You remember her, right? She wants to get married here in Mason Creek, so she asked me to help her plan it. I ran into Canaan in the bakery when I went to pick up the samples. He offered to help me carry everything, then he stayed so I wouldn’t have to eat alone.” The underlying message in her piercing gaze says so much more than her innocent words ever could.

  “Yeah, yeah, I remember her. Sure. Why would she want to get married here?” My eyebrows draw down instinctively.

  “Man, are you kidding? People love this little town. It’s perfect for a romantic wedding. It’s also the ultimate honeymoon spot because it’s insulated from the outside world. Someone could make a killing as a wedding planner around here.” Canaan pops another piece of cake in his mouth, then his eyes fly wide open. “This is the one, Liv. My sister outdid herself when she baked this one.”

  Without giving her a chance to respond, he pops the chunk into Liv’s mouth. Her reaction is equally enthusiastic as she quickly nods in agreement. “Oh my gosh, you’re right. This one is delicious. I’ll tell Miranda we’ve found the perfect cake for her reception.”

  Seeing their interaction up close and personal, I realize this is all completely harmless. They’re friends, always have been, and that’s all there is to it. Canaan helped her because I wasn’t there to do it.

  “Tell Miranda I said congratulations. I should get going now.”

  “Later, man,” Canaan replies.

  Livvy watches me for an extra second or two as I step back from the table, then I turn and keep walking toward my condo. The one I moved into when my marriage fell apart. The one I’ve grown to hate more with each passing day. Kiwi is my only companion, but she’s not there all the time. Even when she is with me, she asks where Liv is.

  I fish my ringing phone out of my pocket and see Malcom’s name on the screen. He’s the mayor of our small town and a good friend to everyone.

  “Hey, Malcom. What’s up?”

  “We’re all going to Pony Up tonight, including you. Grayson is intentionally avoiding my calls. Grab him on your way and make him join us. We can all use some time to unwind.”

  “Shit, you got that right. I’ll do my best, but you know he’s Mr. Mom now. It’s hard to get him to leave the nest.”

  “Hog-tie him and drag him out tonight if you have to. We’ll vouch for you.” Malcolm laughs good-naturedly, but I promptly agree to do just that if I have to.

  We disconnect as I turn the corner, and the sight in front of me immediately brings a huge smile to my face. Twin four-year-old girls have me in their sights before I can utter a single word.

  “Uncle Ryder!” They bolt toward me as fast as their little legs can carry them.

  I squat down and gather them both up in my arms at once, stealing kisses from each little beauty. “How are my girls? I’ve missed you.”

  “Fine. We’re spending the night with Nana and Pop.” Hayden leans in closer to whisper. “They let us have ice cream in the bed.”

  “What? That’s not fair. I don’t even get to eat ice cream in the bed.” I feign a mad look and they both laugh at me, knowing all too well I’m only playing.

  “Uncle Ryder, you can come have ice cream with us tonight.” Harlow puts her little hands on my cheeks and turns my face to look at her.

  “Baby girl, I would love to, but I already have plans tonight. Can we make a date to do that next week? I’ll bring the ice cream and we’ll eat it in front of your dad.”r />
  “Yes!” They both squeal at the same time.

  I chat with their nana and pop for a minute before turning my little sweethearts back over to their care. When I reach my place, I call Grayson.

  “Hey, best friend o’mine. I know all about my girls staying with their grandparents tonight. That means you’re home alone, wearing your prettiest apron and getting your Mr. Clean on. Change clothes. You’re coming out to Pony Up with all the guys tonight. Both of us need this, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  He hesitates for a moment, then relents with a heavy sigh. “Fine. Pony Up it is. I’ll meet you there.”

  Chapter 3

  Olivia

  “A bunch of us girls are going to Pony Up tonight to listen to music and throw back enough shots to make us all puke at the same time. You’re going with me. The foot is down. I’ll call Jasmine and ask her to come over and babysit Hope while we’re out.” I don’t give Faith a chance to make up any excuses to stay home.

  “You’re so pushy and demanding. Fine. I’ll go with you. But don’t worry about asking Jasmine to keep Hope. I know she would in a heartbeat, but my mom is on kid duty tonight.”

  Faith and I talk a little while longer about our choice of outfits for the night and what time to meet at the bar. “Charlotte and Grady are acting as our official taxi service to and from the bar. I’m taking full advantage of our designated driver tonight.”

  “Tell me again how it’s a girls’ night out when the guys are always there.” Her quick wit always makes me laugh.

  “The men sit at a different table and watch from afar in case their women need anything. It’s harmless, and in this case, it’s also convenient. Grady will sip on water all night so Charlee can let loose. Tucker will watch Justine from the sidelines. All the while, they’ll deliver shot glasses to our table so we can have fun. A couple of their friends will probably join them too.”