Miles for Love Book 1
A ruthless ex. An abandoned medical degree. And a woman who will make Daniel forget all that.
When my divorce to Nick is final, the first thing my friends do is take me to get drunk. Sounds cliché, I know, but the tables turned tonight, and I don’t mean the one that I was practically dancing on.
Daniel hates me based on a false impression, and I don’t know whether I care enough to make things right…and then I don’t have a choice. Daniel doesn’t know that I’m about to break, and not because of my failed marriage, but because of that part of me that helped cause my marriage to fail. The part of me that I’ll lose forever soon.
The part of me that I love more than anything else in the world, that fades away a little more each day.
***
I thought Kayla was just like every other party girl, which is why my brother Christopher saw her first. Turns out, her problems trump mine, and she was just blowing off steam.
I’m glad I’m there when the chips fall, because I haven’t had the chance to be a friend like that in a long time. Kayla doesn’t ask for what comes next. Neither of us sees it. We thought after what we went through, that it would be smooth sailing. But we should have known better.
We should have read the signs when our so-called friend started whistling to the tune of a traitor, an instinct I picked up while serving overseas. Will our love be enough to get through it?
And more important, can I catch Kayla again, before she breathes her last breath…
Excerpt:
Kayla
It was a struggle. After ten years I finally did it. Not one day passed when I ever considered doing the unthinkable, even though Nick did it all the time without a second thought. As I stand in front of my dresser, clad in layers of clothes I haven’t worn since…well, never mind since when. Luckily, they still fit, and so does my wedding ring. Pulling it off my finger, I realize that in nearly ten years of marriage, not once did I take my wedding band off. Underneath it, the skin is flat and shiny, like I’ve been sitting on my finger for an hour. My whole hand looks odd and feels no better. Nick never wore his wedding ring, or at least, he did when he had to, during family events and pictures and things, but the moment he was home, off it came. He hated wearing it. I hated that he hated wearing it.
It’s stupid, I know. A lot of things about our marriage were stupid. Like the whole idea that I could go back to school when our mortgage was paid. Nick changed the rules the second that happened. And that, my friends, was stupid. Fine, he came into some money when his favorite uncle died, but hell, he wanted that house paid for just as badly as I did. How was I supposed to know that him paying it off with his inheritance didn’t count as part of our agreement. I’ve been stuck in this crappy office job for long enough. The job was a consolation prize for going back to work after taking time off to help Nick start a business. When that didn’t pan out, back to work I went…carrying a five-year gap in my resume. Not so hot looking when you don’t have a house full of kids that you spent said five years raising to show for it. Especially when you have to pretty up your real story…that your husband started a business…and ran it into the ground…with your help, of course. The only way out of that predicament is to go back to school and refresh your education, or in my case, start all over again, like I’d been promised. That was two years ago.
Listening to my cell phone ring in my purse, which is sitting on my bed, I know my girlfriends are waiting for me at the club. They tried to convince me to start drinking at my house, but that idea was kyboshed because I’m such a pathetic lightweight. One glass of wine and my friends will be peeling me off the ceiling. That’s why they don’t take me out drinking often. But tonight is an exception. Tonight, nobody cares if they have to hold my hair up while I puke with pride, or keep me from doing other unthinkable things that I tend to do when I’ve had too much to drink by my standards. Which means…a second glass of wine. Tonight is my first night being single again. After ten years of marriage, I get to start all over again. Lucky me. Most of my friends are thrilled, since most of them are single except one, my best friend, whose marriage rivalled my own in the good days.
Picking up my phone I see that it’s Heather, my best friend. I pick up the call. “Hey. I’m just about ready. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
“I’m coming in.” she says with a slight gasp. “The lineup at the bar is crazy and I can’t wait…I have to pee.”
I giggle. “That’s why I love you. You’re the only one with a bladder smaller than mine.”
“Shut up and open your door.”
Hanging up, I run downstairs and open the door. Heather is doing a cute little pee dance as I open it. I laugh but she playfully shoves me to the side and dashes for the guest bathroom at the entrance. Moments later, I can hear a healthy stream in the toilet.
“Jesus, did you start drinking already?”
“No.” she answers breathlessly behind the door. “Barry bought me one of those *****ng green tea things and I couldn’t say no. I drank the thing down before I left. How was I supposed to know that it would go through me like fire?”
I snort a laugh. “What would you have done if I met you at the bar?”
“There would be a trickle of pee running down my leg. Either that or the tidy bushes in front of the place would get a decent watering.”
Heather appears from the loo; relief washes over her face. Slightly overweight, but beautifully plump, my best girl rocks makeup like it’s been done professionally. Heather’s always had a knack for getting her face perfect. Me, my best feature is my hair. It’s long and brown, and as thick as it was when I was in my twenties. I’m not photogenic, even though my friends say I’m blind and self- deprecating. “Megan thinks you’re gonna chicken out.” Heather says, tipping her chin upward.
“Na, I thought about flaking.” I frown. “But it’s not in me.”
“Never was.” Heather rubs my arm. “How are you doing?” she asks honestly.
“Fine. Papers arrived today as expected.” I shrug. My nonchalance towards my divorce is almost frightening to some, including myself. I hold my left hand out to her and show her the void on my ring finger.
Her mouth opens wide, in surprise. “Holy shit! Good for you, girl!” glancing at my hand, she shakes her head. “I can’t believe how strong you are.”
“I’m not strong, I’m just looking forward to the next step.” I declare. “You know how badly I’ve wanted to go to school. Class starts in a couple of weeks, and I’m so excited I can’t even sleep.”
“I know how bad you wanted to go. You’ve always dreamed of this. I’m so proud of you.” Another arm rub. “It’s just too bad you couldn’t do it sooner.”
“Well, I had to wait until all this settled. Focus is important, not only in school, but in life. I didn’t want to set myself up to fail, you know?”