It Started with a Bang by Piper James

Chapter Thirty-Five

Annabelle

“Hey, look who we ran into at the liquor store.”

Sage bustled by me with a few plastic grocery bags, followed by Ember who was lugging her infamous karaoke machine. In the doorway behind them was Dakota, shifting her weight from foot to foot as she held up a liquor bottle in each of her hands.

“Vodka and rum,” she said, shrugging.

“Come on in,” I said, trying for a polite smile.

“Ugh, this is worse than they described,” she said, stopping to give me a warm hug.

“Thanks?” I said, the word coming out like a question.

Dakota laughed. “I know it’s weird, me just showing up at your post-breakup pity party like this.”

“I wouldn’t call it a pity party,” I said, frowning.

“What would you call it, then?” Ember asked as we passed by her on our way to the kitchen.

“A good, old-fashioned man-bashing soiree,” Sage offered as she shoved two cartons of ice cream into my freezer.

“Whatever you want to call it,” Dakota said, setting the alcohol on the counter, “when Sage and Ember ran into me, I was buying booze for my own pity party. The guy I was dating has officially ghosted me, so…drinks!”

I nodded as I grabbed some glasses from the cabinet. We’d known Dakota since high school, and I’d always considered her a friend, but I wasn’t close to her like I was with Sage and Ember. But honestly, with my life imploding the way it had, I could use all the friends I could get.

And I did tell the girls we should invite her to hang out with us.

“I’m glad you came,” I said, giving her a real smile this time.

“Me, too,” she replied, returning my smile before wagging her eyebrows. “I’ll mix the drinks.”

She went to the fridge and started pulling out juices and sodas, so I left her and Sage to it and wandered back into the living room. Ember had her karaoke machine plugged in and hooked up to the television, and was scrolling through the song choices.

The machine had software that put the words on the screen as the music played, just like in a real karaoke bar, and Ember could update it with new songs as often as she wanted. Once she had it all set up to her satisfaction, she looked at me and grinned.

“You’re singing first.”

“I don’t know, Ember. I’m not really feeling up to it,” I said.

“Which is exactly why you’re going first,” she said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Ugh, fine,” I said. “At least let me get a few drinks in me, first.”

“Fine,” she repeated, then looked toward the kitchen and cupped her hands around her mouth to project her voice. “What’s taking so long in there?”

“We’re coming,” Sage called back. “Sheesh, keep your panties on.”

She and Dakota walked in, carrying two glasses each filled with something that looked fruity and refreshing. Taking the glass Sage offered me, I chugged half of it without taking a breath. Sage and Ember cheered, but Dakota shook her head.

“Might want to take it a little easy on those. They’re tasty, but strong as hell.”

“Okay, I hereby call this party to order,” Ember said, plopping down on the couch and giving me a pointed look. “First things first. Belle, tell us what happened.”

“I already told you guys—”

“Nope,” she said cutting me off. “A few vague text messages telling us he lied and that you kicked him out is not telling us what happened. If we’re going to grind him into bits tonight, we need to know the whole story.”

I looked to Sage for help, but she only shrugged in agreement with Ember. I sighed, slumped my shoulders, and took another long sip of my drink. Dakota hopped up and ran back to the kitchen. A few seconds later, she was back with two bags of potato chips and some cheesy popcorn.

My words were slow and measured at first, telling them about Jaxon’s request to meet Ryder and our plan to win him over so he’d approve of Ryder and give me the company. How Ryder slipped out without coming to see me. How he stayed away all afternoon, and when he finally came home, he was acting sketchy.

Then, without going too much into detail, I told them about our sex that night—how it was more like making love than any time before it. How Ryder made me feel cherished and special.

My words came out faster and sloppier as I went on to tell them about my meeting with Da—Jaxson. Hearing Ryder’s voice over the phone accepting my job. Taking my future.

Jaxson’s glee as he told me how Ryder had duped me.

And finally, the conversation I had with Ryder where he admitted he was a multi-millionaire, proving the money I offered him was not the real reason he accepted my proposal. He’d been after my company all along. No. Not mine. Jaxson’s company. I was done there.

After I kicked Ryder out, I’d searched through my unread emails, looking for the report Patty sent over. I’d never even opened it. Like an idiot, I’d trusted that Ryder was on the up-and-up, especially after she’d told me on the phone that there was nothing negative in her findings.

And sure as shit, there it was. Patty had outlined Perry Brothers Construction’s successful upward trend. There were details regarding their shareholdings in successful companies and a brief overview of Ryder’s personal wealth. I’d had the information all along, and had ignored it. I was a fucking idiot.

“Did you ask him why he agreed to all this if it wasn’t for the money?” Dakota asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“I think it’s pretty obvious,” I said.

“Is it?” she countered.

“He wanted to get his hooks in the company,” I said, hearing the defensiveness in my tone.

“But…that doesn’t really make any sense, does it?” she asked, pushing the issue. “You said he owns a construction company with his brothers based out of L.A.?”

“Yes.”

“And he’s only here temporarily, fixing up a property he inherited?”

“Yes,” I repeated.

Dakota tilted her head, studying me. “So, why would a multi-millionaire who doesn’t even live here intentionally trick you in the slim hopes that your father is the world’s biggest dick and would pass you over for a literal stranger he just met? It makes zero fucking sense.”

“Hey,” Ember said, snapping her fingers in Dakota’s direction. “New Girl. That’s not how this works.”

“No. She’s right,” Sage said, shooting me an apologetic look. “There’s no way he could have predicted any of this when you offered him this deal.”

“Well, even if it didn’t start out that way,” I said, “that’s how it ended. He took my company and fucked me—literally and figuratively.”

“So, we’re in agreement that other than his lie by omission, his money has no bearing on this situation,” Dakota threw out.

“Of course, it does,” I argued. “He doesn’t need the million dollars I offered him, so there must’ve been another reason he accepted the deal.”

“Maybe he saw a beautiful woman who needed help and decided he wanted to be a hero,” Sage offered.

“Maybe he was just bored. There’s a big difference between Los Angeles and butt-lick Red River,” Ember threw out.

“That’s what I mean,” Dakota said. “We could throw out guesses all night, but we’ll never know until someone asks him. But what we can agree on is that his initial acceptance was not in hopes of taking over Parker Industries.”

I stared at her, my mind spinning as I analyzed her statement. Fuck, she was right. In five minutes, she unraveled the heart of my anger—that betraying me had been Ryder’s plan all along. And while there were still plenty of reasons for me to be hurt and angry with him, taking that one thing off the top of the list relieved most of the pressure in my chest.

“How did you do that?” I asked, giving Dakota a wide-eyed stare.

She shrugged. “I’ve been bartending a long time. People open up about their problems over a couple of drinks, and I give them a new perspective. It’s part of the job.”

“You’re really good at it,” I said, giving her a soft smile.

“Thanks,” she said smiling back. “But not for too much longer. I passed the Texas real estate exam. You’re looking at Red River’s newest realtor.”

“Congrats, Dakota. That’s amazing,” Sage said, clinking her glass against Dakota’s.

Ember and I offered her a round of congratulations, and her face brightened.

“Thanks, guys. I’ve applied for a job with Red River Realty, so fingers-crossed they hire me.”

“They’d be crazy not to,” Sage said, taking a sip of her drink before refocusing on me. “You ready for ice cream and rom-coms?”

“I’m ready,” I said, my heart filling lighter as she hopped up and hurried into the kitchen.

Maybe everything wasn’t so bad. I had my friends, and if tonight was any indication, Dakota had firmly added herself to that list. I had my home, my dog, and I no longer needed to endure my father’s heavy, soul-sucking presence in my life anymore.

I had a trust fund account that could bankroll whatever I decided to do next. The choices were endless. The sky was the limit.

And for the first time since I heard Ryder’s voice accept Jaxson’s offer, I felt like I was really going to be okay.