"Screw his car. I'll call you an Uber. And if he shows up here, I'll throw those keys right into his face," she says, and I believe her. I know she would do that. Sam is strong and bold; she would never cry because of a guy. She's the complete opposite of me.
I don't know how long I've been sitting there before I manage to stand up. Dominic didn't call me back. That only proves my worst assumptions.
I leave the bookstore early, leaving his car in the parking lot. Our boss offered to let us have a short day. Dominic was right about one thing: not many people go book shopping right after Christmas.
Chapter Sixteen
Dominic
I knew something was going wrong; I could feel it in my gut. When I got to Serena's home and didn't see my car next to it, I started worrying if something had happened.
Is she still at the bookstore? No, that can't be. It's eight in the evening, and the shop closes at seven. And the restaurant is closed for a week-long holiday.
I press the button of her doorbell for the fifth time, hoping that she's okay, blaming myself for not calling the bookstore from my dad's office. I don't know the number, but I could've found it on the Internet.
When I walked out of the bathroom this morning, I realized that Cameron had stolen my phone. I don't know why she did that since she'll never guess the password. Maybe she hid it somewhere simply to piss me off. I wanted to drive to the bookstore to tell Serena what happened, but I was rushing for a meeting with my father, and I didn't want to be late.
After I apologized, I talked to Dad for more than an hour, and he was so overjoyed that he canceled all of his meetings, and we went for a walk to the Grove. I can't even remember the last time we spent the whole day together.
I'm standing next to her front door for more than ten minutes, waiting for her to respond, hoping that she's in the shower.
"The keys from your car are at the bookstore. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to get them." Serena's voice comes over the intercom, and I jump.
What's going on? Has she been sitting next to the door all of this time but decided not to let me in?
"What happened? Are you okay?" I ask, pressing the speaker button. No response from her. She keeps silent for more than a minute, after which I add, "Please, open the door."
"Please leave," she says, and I can hear that she's upset for some reason.
"Why? What happened?"
"Ask Cameron."
Shit. I knew that that girl had taken my phone on purpose. She probably answered it when Serena was calling. That's why she wanted it. What a fool I am. Why didn't I call the bookstore first?
"I don't know what she told you, but it's all a lie," I say after a long pause, hitting the door with my fist and instantly regretting it.
"She didn't have to tell me a lot. She sent me her picture in your bed, next to the present I gave you," she responds right away, and I can hear that her voice is shaking.
Serena is on the verge of crying. I want to kill Cameron, but I have to admit that I'm the reason for her tears. I was the one who didn't throw Cameron out the second I saw her. That girl took a picture in my bed on purpose, putting the book on a bedside table in advance. And then she took my phone, waiting until Serena called, sending her the photo while they were talking.
I hit the door one more time, angry at myself that I let her fool me that easily. Cameron might be mad at me, but why did she want to get revenge on Serena?
Who cares now when everything is so fucked up?
"My housekeeper let her in because she said that I invited her," I start, even though I realize that my chances that Serena will believe me are extremely low. "I told her to leave and got in the shower. When I came out, she’d stolen my phone. I was in a rush, that's why I ignored it. I thought..."
"She sent me the photo a couple of hours ago," Serena interrupts without letting me finish.
"Because she took it on purpose!" I scream, even though she can hear me perfectly. The whole neighborhood can hear me, but I don't care.
All I want is for Serena to open this fucking door and give me another chance.
"I know how it looks, but it's true," I say after a long pause in a calmer tone, losing hope little by little. "I have cameras outside my home. I can show you the time she came and the time she left."
"And now I'm supposed to believe cameras at your house?" She chuckles as if I'm the biggest jerk on the planet who could've changed the timing on those fucking cameras to fool her.
I guess telling her about my father and the security system in his office is in vain; she won't believe that either.