Brutally Beautiful(28)

“I know you’re right, but…God, I have felt numb for so long. My body just shut down when he died, and now with Dylan I feel alive again.” She sobbed quietly into the phone and sniffled. “But, I feel like I’m cheating on Michael,” she whispered.

“Honey, you’re not going to be able to have a future with anyone if you keep yourself in the past. What you and Michael had was beautiful, but he’s gone and you need to let yourself live. You never know what’s going to happen, just be happy and live for you, live for today. I’m not asking you to forget him, just let some other people in, that’s all.”

“Michael and Dylan would have been friends. Great friends,” she whispered.

“And, I bet he wouldn’t be able to pick a better guy for you to date,” I said.

“You always say just what I need to hear. I’m glad we stayed close because I wouldn’t have been able to deal with losing Michael without you. I would have been all f*cking alone.”

“You’re like my sister. No, you are my sister, look at what you did for me. You ran away with me! You wouldn’t let me do any of this alone,” I replied.

“I couldn’t, because you didn’t leave me. You’re the only family I have,” she sniffed softly.

“I love you, sweets. I really do, and you deserve to be happy. Dylan makes you smile again. He’s a nice guy. Go and enjoy yourself for a little while. I’m not telling you to marry the guy, just have fun. No excuses; continue with your love fest please.”

“Shut up,” she laughed. “I’ll be by later to get my bag for work. I forgot it last night. Love you and thanks, Sam…for everything.”

Hanging up, I smiled at the state of chaos in the trailer. “Prepare to be cleaned, O-C-f*cking-D style,” I laughed out loud, swallowing back the last remnants of coffee from the bottom of the pot.

So, dressed in only my sleepwear, which consisted of a tiny black tank top that ended above my navel and a tight pair of boy shorts, I armed myself with a pair of latex gloves, broke out the bleach, my iPod and speakers.

An hour later, the pungent smell of bleach and lemons filled the air and the place was literally sparkling. All of the dishes were washed, everything that was ever touched by human hands was disinfected and I felt brand new. I threw my gloves off and looked around. The only thing left to clean was the floors, one last time, so I raised the volume of the music and mopped to the beat of Raise Your Glass by Pink. Dancing around, I sang the words into the mop handle and tried to bust out some moves like I watched the girls do on stage at the bar. In front of the stove, I did one of those sexy stripper stomps in my white beat up chucks on my tippy toes, pretending they were stilettos. When I got to the couch, I flipped my hair around, squatted down into one of those spread eagle moves and slid myself back up, laughing, shaking my backside and spinning around the mop.

“Um…Lainey,” Bree’s voice stammered, pulling my eyes up to hers at the door. She’d caught me doing a hell of a lot worse, so I felt no shame. Hell, we usually giggled and practiced these moves together. However, when I saw who was standing next to her, my stomach dropped and I yelped out a squeal of mortification.

Kade f*cking Grayson.

Kade f*cking Grayson got to watch me dance after all. Well, universe, you seem to be desperately trying to rain all sorts of shit down my neck, what next?

Bree’s voice interrupted my arguments in the case of Universe vs. My Shitty Life. “I just came back to pick up my uniform and I came upon Kade here, looking at something very interesting to him through one of our windows,” she laughed. “I have to get to the bar, or should I stay here?” she asked, eyeing me and grabbing her workbag off the hanger on the door.