Cindi Madsen - Cinderella Screwed Me Over

What am I going to say if he picks up?

Back in high school, this was the point I would’ve realized my mistake and hung up; nowadays, technology didn’t let you chicken out. Already, my number was going to be on his phone, showing the exact time I called.

What am I going to say if it goes to voice mail?

“Hey, gorgeous,” Jake said.

My heart went all fluttery on me. “Hey. Are you busy right now?”

I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand. Of course he’s busy, stupid. He’s at work.

“For you, I’m sure I can find a few minutes.”

The pressure to come up with something to say sent me into panic mode. Work was boring, I hadn’t done anything today worth mentioning, and my mind scrambled for something—anything—to say to him.

“Guess who came into Blue tonight for dinner,” Jake said.

“If I missed Christian Bale, I’m going to be so upset.”

He laughed. “Close. The Crabtrees. Mrs. Crabtree asked about you, so I told her you’d finally broken down and gone out with me. She hugged me, then lectured me on being a gentleman and treating you right. She’s surprisingly scary for an older lady.”

Picturing Mrs. Crabtree and Jake having that conversation made me smile. “It’s nice to know she’s got my back.”

“Yeah, with those bar fights you get into, you need all the extra help you can get.”

And just like that, we eased into an effortless conversation that surpassed my normal three-minute mark.

…

When my phone rang Saturday morning, I fumbled around for a few minutes before finding it. Drew.

I hit the accept button and put the phone up to my ear. “You better be dying.”

“Good morning to you, too,” Drew said, his voice way too chipper. “I’m coming down. Now, get out of bed. You’re sleeping the day away.”

I squinted at my alarm clock until the red digits sharpened enough I could read them. “Eight o’ clock is not sleeping the day away.”

“I’ve been up for two hours. I’ve checked on the horses, made sure the newborn calves have sucked, and doctored a few cows. What’ve you done?”

“I’ve been coming up with a plan to power the world using smiles and laughter,” I said. “Beat that.”

“One of the calves crapped on me when I picked him up and took him to the barn, and I thought that was a good bullshit story. But I think yours is even more full of crap.”

I laughed. “I’m too tired to come up with a response to that. I’m sure I’ll think of a good one by the time you get here.”

“Okay. It’ll probably be about ten.”

“See you in a while, then.” I hung up and put a pillow over my head, hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep before having to start my day.

By the time Drew made it down, I was not only ready, but also feeling ahead of the game thanks to all the work I’d done last night. As he and I settled onto the couch, I asked, “Isn’t this the second Saturday in a row you’ve spent with the redhead?”

“Her name is Lisa, and yes it is.” He kicked off his shoes and stuck his feet on my coffee table. I’d given up on asking him not to. “We actually met in Broomfield on Wednesday, too. And we’ve been talking on the phone.”

“You hate talking on the phone.”

Drew shrugged. “I usually do.” A slow smile spread across his face. “But I’ve been talking to Lisa for at least an hour every night.”

“Does Michelle know she’s already been replaced?”

“Michelle went a little crazy. She kept coming to the house and yelling at me. She told me I was a loser who still lived at home and went on and on about how stupid I was. So then I was like, ‘If I’m a loser, why do you want me?’ Then she cried and begged me to take her back.” Drew shook his head. “Finally I just had to tell her, making sure I jabbed hard enough for her to get the point, that we were over and there was no chance of ever getting back together. Then she went all Fatal Attraction on me.”

“She boiled your bunny?”

“She keyed my truck.”

I shook my head. “You sure know how to pick them.”

“Lisa’s different, though.”

“Until you dump her and you learn how crazy she really is.” If there was a mentally unstable girl, Drew was drawn to her. For about two to three months.

“She won’t. In fact, she’ll probably dump me, and I’ll be the one who calls her at all hours of the day, begging for a second chance.” Drew leaned forward, propping his forearms on his knees. “So what’s going on with you?”

“I’m kind of dating this guy. Keeping it light, that kind of thing. Oh, and I got one of Anthony’s friends punched in the face while we were at a bar.”

“And you say I’m trouble.” Drew nudged me with his elbow. “Tell me about the fight. You get any hits in?”

“I wish.” I told Drew the story, then grabbed my phone off the table and showed him the picture of Karl’s black eye. “His job is about peacefully resolving things, and he had to walk in looking like this.”

“But this isn’t the guy you’re dating?”

I shook my head. “No, this guy’s just a… I guess he’s a friend now.”

“So when do I get to meet your boyfriend? I’ve got to see if he’s good enough. That’s a brother’s job, you know.”

I set my phone down. “One, he’s not my boyfriend. And two, you and Devin seem to think it’s your job to torture my boyfriends.”

“That’s ’cause you always date city boys who can’t take a joke. I don’t think you’ve had a decent boyfriend yet. Except Gil, and that was forever ago.”

“Thanks for rubbing it in, jerkface.” I scooted to the edge of the couch. “Let’s go get something to eat, I’m starving.”

Drew took his feet off my coffee table and slipped on his shoes. “After, let’s go to the mall and you can help me pick out a shirt. Just nothing too prissy. I want to impress Lisa, not have her question my sexuality.”

I stared at Drew, thinking I must have misheard him. “You’re going to let me pick out a shirt for you? Hmm. Maybe there really is something different about this girl.”

“Damn straight.”

My phone rang. “I bet that’s the devil, calling to tell me he’s freezing his ass off.”

It wasn’t actually Lucifer. Just a charming guy with devilish good looks, calling to ask me what I was doing tomorrow night.

When I heard knocking, I glanced at the clock.

He must be excited to get going, because he’s a few minutes early. Jake wanted me to help him pick out furniture for his place. First order of business was going to be finding a coffee table. He’d been eating at the restaurant or off his lap since he’d moved in.

I stuck in my hoop earrings and hurried to my door. Swinging it open, I said, “Hey, I—”

Instead of Jake, Stephanie stood there, tears streaming down her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Anthony and I got into this huge fight,” Stephanie said. “I should’ve warned you I was coming. But I’m so mad and sad and argh! I just punched in the code and hurried up, hoping you were home. I decided that even if you weren’t, I’d hide out here for a while.”

“Come on in. You know you can always stay here, even if I’m gone.”

We walked across the room and sat down on the couch.

Stephanie rubbed her temples. “We never used to fight. But lately…everything’s just such a struggle. It’s like we don’t even speak the same language. He was such a jackhole tonight, then he tells me I’m overreacting.”

I put my hand on her back. “What happened?”

She shook her head and took a deep breath. “I didn’t know he was a chauvinistic pig. He expects me to be sitting at home like a fifties housewife, with the house all cleaned and dinner cooked and ready the instant he steps in the door. I work, too!”

“You do. I don’t know how you get so much done.”

“I know I’m not working as many hours right now, but that’s because I’m doing all the planning for the wedding. Any time I ask his opinion, he says he doesn’t care, but his mom cares about everything. And then there’s this typo I’m dealing with, and all he can say when he gets home is, ‘What’s for dinner?’ Like I’m his maid or cook.” Stephanie’s voice got higher and higher with each sentence. “Is this how it’s going to be the rest of my life? I should’ve never moved in with him. I wish I was still living with you.”

A loud knock sounded on my door.

“I’ll be right back.” I crossed the room and answered the door.

Jake leaned in and gave me a peck on the lips, his hand going to that spot on my hip that drove me crazy. “Ready, gorgeous?”

“Um…” I glanced back at Stephanie. “I’ve got a situation.”

“I’m sorry,” Stephanie said, wiping tears off her face. “I didn’t realize you were busy. You two go out. I’ll just hang here if that’s okay.”

“I’m not going to leave you like this,” I said.

Jake stepped into the room, looking from Steph to me, then back to Steph. “Is everything okay?”

Stephanie sniffed. “I’m sorry. I’m a big fan of you and the changes I’ve seen in Darby since you two have been dating—or whatever she’s allowing it to be called. Now here I am, ruining it all by coming and telling her how horrible men are. Even the ones you think are good.” A couple more tears escaped and ran down her cheeks. “It turns out she was right all along,” she said, her voice so high I could barely make out the words. She jerked her thumb toward the bathroom. “I’m going to go get a tissue.”

I turned to Jake and kept my voice low. “She and Anthony got into a fight. I’m not sure exactly what happened yet. You see, something happens to a girl when she gets engaged that makes everything seem like a bigger deal. I’ve learned that brides-to-be tend to get a little…dramatic.”