Disclaimer - All recognisable characters belong to their original owners. I do not make a profit from writing this; I simply do it for my own amusement. No copyright infringement intended.

PROMPT: You may be good to me, but you're not good for me.

Good

Rose looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't recognise the face staring back at her. Her hair had been dyed a platinum blonde - fake. Her skin was tanned - fake. Her eyes lashes were long - fake. Her eyes were framed with dark liner, making them look bluer than they were, and her lips had been enhanced with the deep shade of red she'd chosen this morning. Her nails were long, like talons - fake. A gold necklace hung around her neck. Now that was real gold. But Rose didn't like it. She liked costume jewellery. Quirky, eccentric things. On her left-hand ring finger sat an expensive silver band with a large rock in the middle of it - that too was real. But it felt fake. Her expensive pantsuit looked good, but it hid the person she was really was inside.

No longer being able to look at what she had become, Rose turned away from it, tears falling from her eyes. She missed who she was, carefree and happy. There was only one person to blame - herself. She'd allowed this to happen.

But no more.

Rose would make things right.

The first thing she did was take off the ring and set it down on the bathroom counter. It was beautiful. No one could deny that. And so many women would have loved to have had this ring chosen for them. But Rose wasn't so many women.

Next, Rose ran a make-up wipe over her face, disgusted with the amount of product that came off. Then she set about pulling off her fake nails and false eyelashes.

Peeling her clothes from her body, Rose stepped inside the shower, mentally making a list of everything she had to do. She'd kept her apartment, so that was one less thing she had to worry about. She just hoped her brother didn't mind a roommate. Her clothes and belongings would need to be gotten moved over, but she could handle that. Then she just had to tell him. She just had to find the courage to say that he wasn't what she wanted. It wasn't that he was a bad man, far from it. He was kind and intelligent and handsome and funny. He gave her everything she wanted and more. He was good to her. But he wasn't good for her. Rose had always felt intimated by his position at the bank, by his father and brothers. She'd tried to fit into the world he'd built, and it had come crashing down. She wasn't a businesswoman. She was a grease monkey. Born and bred to work under cars, in an oil-stained jumpsuit. Not behind a desk in a dress and heels.

Moving her things was relatively easy. She called her old friend Rachel to ask for a spare pair of hands, and the next morning, four strapping men had turned up on her doorstep with smiles on their faces. She hadn't seen them in so long. It almost felt awkward.

Then Embry had pushed his way in saying he wanted to take a shit, and suddenly, Rose was back on the beach, having fun with her friends.

Royce came home a few hours later. He'd been away on business, and while Rose didn't mean to just spring this on him, she couldn't go on living this lie any longer.

She'd handed him the ring. "You're too good to me… but we're not good for each other."

He hadn't argued. He'd just taken the ring, kissed her forehead and wished her well.

See? Too good to her. Most other men would have demanded a longer explanation, shouted, cursed, gotten angry. He did none of those things, just accepted her answer.

He'd find someone. Eventually.

Five days later and Rose left Emily's house with her natural hair colour. The beautiful woman had been expecting her call and had been more than happy to return her locks to their former glory. The strands that she had straightened the life out of for the past two years now bounced and curled when she walked, like they themselves were pleased to be free of the heat she subjected them to on what used to be a daily basis.

With a pep in her step, Rose had gone to Black's Motors. She needed a job.

"You look like somebody I used to know," Jake had teased, wrapping his muscular arms around her. She was immediately covered with his familiar scent of oil and wood.

"Haha," she fake laughed, then bit her lip. "Got any jobs going?"

"For an old friend? Always."

She was truly grateful. Rose hugged him and bit back the tears. She was getting her old life back. It may not be glamourous or filled with expensive things. But it was hers. And she fucking loved it.

"Oh! What would the missus say if she saw you wrapped in the arms of another?" A loud voice asked, causing Rose and Jake to break apart.

"Fuck off, McCarty," Jake swore, flipping the large man who had just entered the room his middle finger. "This is Rose, our newest employee. And you know I would never cheat on Nessa. She's the woman for me."

Rose was captivated by the blue eyes staring back at her. His skin was tanned, two dimples neatly nestled in his cheeks. He was tall - like a tree, but around the same height as Jake. And muscled as fuck.

"Emmett, this is Rose, our new mechanic."

Jake's words sent a thrill through her. But it didn't compare to the fluttering in her stomach caused by the way this handsome stranger - Emmett - was looking at her. Like she was good enough to eat.

"Well, hello, Rose. It's lovely to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine," Rose purred. And God, she did hope it would be.

Thank you for reading.