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I try to pull away but Sully and Jason are quick to flank me. I’m tiny again, wedged between layers of hard muscle and broad shoulders. “Talk to us,” Sully says.
“I’m okay, I promise.”
“Selina,” Matthew says my name again, and every time, the sound of it rolling off his tongue has the hairs on the back of my neck rising. “Whatever you’re going through, you obviously need to talk about it. And since we’ve come so late in the evening to bother you, causing you to work overtime, the least any of us can do is listen to you.”
I look up and realize they’re still watching me, still waiting for me to say something.
It’s not like the floor is going to open up and swallow me whole, regardless of how attractive that idea might sound this very moment.
“Oh, God…. Where do I start?” I shudder, all of my emotions coming back to the surface like a frothy whirlpool, completely out of control.
I take a deep breath then begin.
“The fact that I broke up with my boyfriend of four years barely touches the surface of the worst part of it all. It’s the fact that I walked out of an apartment that I’d been paying rent for without having any kind of backup plan because I just recently paid off my student loan years in advance, not knowing that I’d be splitting up with that jerk a week later. It’s the fact that I’m a fashion design graduate who’s still working the sales counter at a men’s store that I’ve also been sleeping in for two weeks now, because I’ve got nowhere else to go. And let’s throw in the fact that I can’t afford a new place yet, and if my boss finds out, I’ll lose my job. It’s the fact that…”
My eyes burn as the tears roll down my cheeks, wet and warm and loaded with everything that I’ve been holding inside for far too long. The guys don’t say a word, they just watch me demolish myself, sobbing as I struggle to get through the last part of my statement. “…I’m a complete failure at an age where I should be leading the charge and making the whole world my bitch.”
That’s all I’m able to say, my shoulders dropping as I finally let go.
I cry my heart out, no longer caring that three older, devastatingly handsome men are watching me and witnessing this pitiful meltdown.
I cry, until I feel Matthew’s arms snaking around my waist as he pulls me into a comforting hug.
Without even thinking, I hide my puffy face against his chest, unloading the weight that I’ve been carrying around on my shoulders. I melt in his embrace as Sully gently moves some of my curly locks away from my cheek and behind one ear, while Jason rests a hand on the small of my back.
“You know, it could be a lot worse,” Matthew says once he senses that I’m slowly calming down. I think he can tell from the receding hiccups. “You could be completely homeless. At least you have the store.”
“God, Matt, comforting isn’t one of your strong suits, is it,” Jason scoffs and yanks me out of Matthew’s arms but only to hold me himself. It’s a different kind of hug, yet I let his warmth envelop and soothe me while Matthew and Sully chuckle softly. “It’s going to be okay, Selina. We all have hurdles. Some might seem taller than others. A few might even seem impossible to cross. But you’re strong enough to get through this.”
“How do you know that? Can’t you see me completely melting down like the most pathetic creature that ever lived?” I blurt out, still eager to chastise myself for having allowed the situation to reach such a critical level to begin with. “I have no idea how to get myself out of this mess, and now look at me. I’m crying in my customers’ arms.”
Sully clears his throat. “It’s perfectly normal considering what you’ve been through. And you deserve better, Selina.”
“We’d like to help,” Matthew says.
I give him a sideways glance. “What do you mean?”
“We’re going away for a couple of months. Why don’t you join us?” he asks.
I’m staring blankly at Matt, unable to leave Jason’s comforting embrace. “Huh?”
“There are plenty of rooms in my cabin in Aspen,” Matthew says. “Come stay with us for a while. You shouldn’t be spending your holidays here, Selina. You’ve been through some pretty traumatic events lately and you need a safe place to gather your thoughts and figure out your next move. I’m offering you the chance to do that.”
“Are you serious?” I ask, slowly but surely the information connecting to the appropriate receptors in my brain.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” he replies, holding back a laugh.
All I can muster is a shameful shrug. “I’m just a salesgirl here. I mean… why would you do that for me?”
Matthew, Jason, and Sully exchange glances again. This time, however, I spot a playful glint in their eyes. A sparkle of amusement accompanied by something downright enticing, a curiosity of sorts that has my full attention. Yet when Matthew’s gaze finds me once more, it’s smoldering hot and making my skin tickle everywhere.
“You’re not just a salesgirl, Selina. You’re a woman, a beautiful and talented woman who has been nothing but kind and gracious to us, every time we walk into this place. You’re a human being, first and foremost, who is going through some difficult times. You deserve empathy and a place to rest without having to look over your shoulder every night and without having to worry about losing your job on top of everything else. It makes sense that I can offer you precisely that, at least for a couple of months, until you get your feet back on the ground.”
“Don’t you have some vacation days?” Sully asks.
I nod slowly. “Plenty, actually. Almost two months’ worth.”
“Then talk to your boss and let him know you’re taking time off. You’re exhausted, you need some time to recover, you’re healing from a bad relationship,” Sully says. “It’s not like the store is going to fall apart without you until January.”
