Pitifully Ugly

Chapter 21

Homecoming of uncertainty.

I awoke the next morning alone with the gnawing feeling that

I’d forgotten something. My mouth tasted like I had been licking

a car tire. After brushing my teeth twice, I wandered into the

sitting area. Marvin was asleep on the sofa with an empty gin

bottle clutched in both hands.

“Hey.” I gave him a nudge, and he opened one eye and looked

at me.

“What day is it?” he rasped.

“I have no idea.”

He looked at his watch and cursed. “We’ve missed our flight.”

“It’s Monday then.” I took a seat on one of the chairs.

“Do me a favor, please.” Marvin sat up and rubbed his head.

“Call for room service and I’ll call the airline.”

I did as he asked and ordered lots of coffee to go along with

breakfast. I was about to take a quick shower when I heard a

knock on the door. Through the peep hole, I could see Angela

standing in the hall. Her hair was down and slightly damp. She

looked comfortable in a pair of jeans and an untucked button-

down shirt. She was also wearing a huge smile. I wrapped my

robe tighter around my body and let her in.

“Good morning,” she said as she planted a kiss on my cheek

and walked past me. “I was afraid I would miss you.”

“We missed our flight or you probably would’ve.” I gestured

for her to take a seat.

“You feeling okay?” Angela asked.

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“I’m a little unclear on last night…parts of it fade in and out.”

“You put on one hell of a show. Everybody is talking about

your speech.” Angela smiled up at Marvin as he walked back into

the room. “Mr. Mays says he enjoyed your speech above everyone

else’s. He was very pleased to hear how highly you touted our

products and service. I think my job is pretty secure.”

“I hope mine still is.” Marvin elbowed me in the ribs.

“I called Kalen first thing this morning.” Angela wrinkled

her nose. “She’s thrilled. I left out a few parts, though.”

“Thank you,” Marvin and I said in unison.

“I must really thank you both. I know the past few days have

been hell.” Angela focused on me for a moment. “It wasn’t fair of

me to put so much pressure on you. I was so nervous after the last

set of meetings when a few of my fellow reps were laid off that I

got a bit self-centered.”

“You’ve been good to us, Angela. I’m glad we were able

to help you out. Although…I wish one of you would fill me in

on what I did. I remember everything until I walked up to the

podium. I think I blocked it all out.” I looked over at Marvin, then

at Angela. They were both grinning.

Marvin held up a hand and started counting off each incident.

“You drooled, accosted a woman in the elevator, and made up

your own speech that nearly made me wet myself.” He cuffed

me on the shoulder. “But when it came time to deliver, you did

it…perfectly, minus the giggling.”

“I giggled through the speech?”

Marvin and Angela nodded. “It added some levity to an

otherwise dull evening.” Angela glanced down at her watch. “I

need to go help with the packing up.” She gave Marvin a hug, and

I walked her to the door. She turned and looked at me before she

stepped into the hallway. “You’re a great kisser, and that’s a lot

coming from a straight woman.”

“I’m sorry about that. Blame it on the Stanky Leg.” I looked

away in embarrassment.

“I’m not mad,” Angela said with a smile as she moved into

my line of sight. “Maybe now Zoe won’t hit on me so much when

I visit her salon.”

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“I seriously doubt that,” I said with a grin.

“Oh, I put your jewelry in your cosmetic bag.” Angela tucked

her hair behind her ear. “I put you into bed last night. Marvin

didn’t seem comfortable with the idea.”

I felt a flush wash over my face.

“I hope your girlfriend won’t mind.”

“I’m sure she won’t,” I said with a sigh.

“Maybe I’ll see you next time I’m in town. It might be kind of

fun to tell Kalen that story.”

“Fun for you, yes, but I’ll hear about it for the rest of my life.”

“Take care of yourself, Shannon,” Angela said as she walked

away.

“I’m so glad I don’t have to work for the next few days,”

Marvin said as he sipped on a Mountain Dew. “When this plane

lands, I’m driving you straight home, then I’m going home to

sleep for the next twenty-four hours.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the five hundred-

dollar emergency cash that I hadn’t had to use and pressed it

into his hand. “Whatever bonus my sister promised you was not

enough. Thank you for taking care of me.”

Marvin looked at the crisp one hundred-dollar bills and tried

to hand them back. “I can’t take this. Even though you made me

want to pull my hair out, I had a blast and met a really cute guy.”

“Keep it then as hush money,” I said with a grin. “All Kalen

needs to know is that I gave her speech.”

As we walked through the New Orleans airport, I felt relief. I

was home. I inhaled deeply the smell of fried food and beignets,

and I even welcomed the smell of exhaust as we made our way

through the parking garage. My stomach did knot up, though,

at the prospect of seeing Hailey again. Invariably, we’d run into

each other at the apartment. It was going to be awkward and kind

of sad not to have her in my daily life.

“Sure you won’t take the cash back?” Marvin lowered my

suitcase to the sidewalk in front of my building a little later.

“Sure you won’t tell Kalen anything?”

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Marvin laughed and gave me a quick hug. “I won’t say

anything, cash or not.”

As I walked through the courtyard, I felt relieved to be home,

but there was a pang of sadness, too, as I looked at the empty

bench where I usually found Hailey. With the distraction of the

trip behind me, I realized that I missed being with her. I wondered

if maybe she missed me, too. A glance at my watch told me that

she should be home from work by now, but there was no sign of

her. I tried to tell myself it was all for the best as I rode in the

elevator to my floor.

I unpacked my things and started the laundry. Bone tired, I

warmed a can of soup and looked at my computer. Whatever e-

mails, if any, would have to wait until morning. I took my bowl

and a packet of crackers to the sofa and ate while watching TV. I

only meant to lounge for a while, but the next morning, I awoke

fully dressed with the remote still in my hand.

A knock at the door halted my trip to the shower. I fully

expected it to be Kalen ready to hear a firsthand report on the

trip, but when I looked through the peep hole, I was surprised to

see Hailey. I looked down at my wrinkled clothes and figured that

the rest of me was equally frightening. I ran my hands through

my hair and opened the door with a shy smile.

Hailey’s brows rose as she took in my appearance. “Rough

night?”

“Rough week.” I opened the door wider and motioned for her

to come in. She looked uncomfortable as she brushed past me and

leaned against the bar.

One of the suitcases that I was too lazy to put away the

previous evening lay in the middle of the living room floor. I

watched as Hailey glanced at it and back at me. “Business trip or

just a getaway?”

“Business, unfortunately.” I walked into the kitchen and set

up the coffeepot. The tension between us seemed more solid than

the bar that separated us. “And your trip was?” I tried not to sound

bitter.

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I watched out of the corner of my eye as she shrugged. “I

needed time to think.”

“When did you get back?” I measured the water for the coffee.

“The day you left. I wanted to talk to you then, but you were

gone before I worked up the nerve to come up here.” She was

silent for a moment. “I watched you leave from my window.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“Because I thought it would be better to talk face to face.” I

could hear the scraping of the bar stool as she pulled it back and

took a seat. I couldn’t make myself look at her. I heard finality in

her tone, and even though I figured whatever we had was over, I

wasn’t looking forward to hearing her say it.

“Want coffee?” I watched the dark liquid fill the pot.

“Sure,” she said after exhaling a long breath. “I need to

explain something to you, Shannon.”

I folded my arms and closed my eyes dreadfully waiting for

her to continue.

“You’ve no doubt heard the saying ‘what goes around comes

around.’”

“Many times, yes.” I poured our coffees and turned to slide

hers across the bar. When our gazes met, she looked tired. Her

eyes didn’t have the familiar sparkle.

“I haven’t let myself get close to anyone since the divorce,

mainly because I’m afraid that if I get attached, I’ll get hurt the

same way…the same way I hurt my husband.” Hailey’s hands

shook slightly as she lifted the cup to her lips. “I was attracted

to you the minute we met,” she said after she swallowed. “And

when I realized that it was actually you I was talking to online, I

tried to back off. You were just so damned irresistible, and I felt

myself giving in.”

Referring to me in the past tense as she did made my heart

sink. I sagged against the counter, suddenly feeling exhausted

and longing for my bed.

“When you came home from visiting your family, you seemed

so distant, and the warning bells started to go off. I panicked.”

“I guess I felt a little panicky, too.” I didn’t want to have to

admit that I had some fears of my own, especially after Kalen had

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gotten through with me. “There’s something I need to know. Like

what happened to the woman you had the affair with?”

Hailey’s face showed surprise and her lips tightened and

formed a straight line. “She lost interest after the divorce. I think

it was a thrill for her to sneak around. Once the marriage ended,

so did we.”

“So that’s not where you went when you left?”

“Of course not.” Anger flashed in Hailey’s eyes. “I went to

the corporate apartment to think things over.” Hailey stared down

at her cup for a minute. When she looked up at me, her eyes were

teary. “I don’t think I’m ready for anything serious.”

“I am,” I said with resignation. I hadn’t realized it until that

moment. I didn’t want to casually date. I just wasn’t cut out for it.

Once I found someone I was truly interested in, I didn’t want to

play the field to see what else was out there, and unfortunately, I

was still very infatuated with Hailey.

I wanted to tell her that I’d wait forever for her to come around,

but as I looked into Hailey’s misty eyes, I felt myself giving in,

and I let her off the hook as gently as I could. “I don’t want it to

be awkward when we pass each other in the hall, but I think it’s

best that we give each other some room.”

Hailey’s lip quivered as she wiped at her eyes with the back

of her hand. “I wish I was in a better place because you’re a great

catch.”

“You are, too,” I said. “One day, I hope you’ll be able to

accept that.”

Hailey tried to smile. “Thank you for the coffee, but I need to

get back to my place and get ready for work.”

She looked so miserable as she stood. I wanted to take her

into my arms and tell her everything would be okay, but my heart

was breaking along with hers. If I took her in my arms, I didn’t

think I’d be able to let her go. I stood rooted as she walked to the

door and let herself out. Maybe it was just exhaustion, but I felt

my own eyes well up as I stared down at her coffee cup. I took

a long shower and crawled into bed. Maybe it wouldn’t sting as

much after a long nap, but I doubted it.

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