“I’m not at the wrong house. I came to talk to you.”
I pulled my sleeve up onto my shoulder. “Why?”
“Can I come in?” she asked softly, but I wasn’t buying her shit.
“No.” Her shoulders slumped. I took a deep breath. “I’ll come out there.”
Ash’s light blue eyes showed a sliver of hope. I stepped outside, glancing towards Luke’s. His car was gone, so he must be, too. Had she come to see him, also? Were they getting back together? No, they weren’t. I knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t take her back. I mean, days ago he had told me they were nothing, so I shooed away the thought.
“Listen,” she began. “I was a total raging bitch to you.”
Yep, you sure were.
She laughed. Oh shit, did I just say that out loud?
“I can see why he likes you…you definitely don’t put up with bullshit.” So I did say that out loud.
“Did you really come all this way to say sorry?” I inched my eyebrows up. “Because that seems awfully nice of you…”
She blew out a breath. “No. I came to make things right.”
I wasn’t really buying it. Ash was a complete stranger to me—plus, Luke and I weren’t technically together so I wasn’t sure why she was even here. What? Did she have a baby and then realize, “Oh, I suck as a human being. Let me try to make it better?” I was not falling for it. Nope, and I didn’t really have to, because a loud, rumbling engine and squealing tires suddenly grabbed my attention. Luke’s car flew into park and he was out of it in seconds, stomping towards my porch.
He was enraged. His face was reddening and his chiseled jaw was clenched. Ash straightened her shoulders as soon as he was inches away from her.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Ashley?” he yelled. I took a step back and watched her roll her eyes.
“I came to make things right, per your request.”
“Bullshit! You had your chance.” He pointed at her. “You aren’t allowed to be here!”
Now, that had my head spinning. Allowed to be here? What was he, her father? We really did belong on Jerry Springer, I’m tellin’ ya.
“Jesus, calm down. I just came to tell her that you were telling the truth.” Ash’s face was relaxed, as if she couldn’t care less that Luke was trembling with anger.
“If you don’t get off this porch in less than five fucking seconds, I’m calling the police.” My eyes widened and my mouth slowly fell open.
Ash rolled her eyes again and looked over at me. “Good luck with this one…”
I grimaced and found myself wanting to punch her for the seven hundredth time since meeting her. That’s saying something, because both times I had encountered her were for less than five minutes each.
Luke was breathing heavily when I looked over at him. He watched as his ex-wife lazily walked down the porch steps and opened her jeep door. She looked back and forth between the pair of us before she zeroed in on me.
“He was telling the truth. We’re done, and I’m sorry for causing problems.”
Then she got in her jeep and shut the door. Luke watched her all the way until her red taillights faded around the corner. Once they were gone, he turned around. Worry was etched on every part on his face.
“I’m sorry, Cammie. She isn’t supposed to come near you.”
“What do you mean?”
He briefly closed his eyes and then opened them again, showing the beautiful color that I may or may not have had constant dreams about. “I had my lawyer take out a restraining order on her after I got your email in Afghanistan.”
My mouth formed an “O,” but I was at a loss for words. Was she really that dangerous?
I finally regained the ability to speak again. “But why?”
He snarled, “Because I know how fucking psycho and conniving she is. I wouldn’t put it past her to do something crazy to you.”