Cinderella Screwed Me Over (25 page)

She scooted her chair closer to mine. “You know I’m not going to leave you alone until you tell me what happened with Jake.”

I sighed, nice and dramatic so that she got how much I didn’t want to talk about it. “He kept trying to convince me that some relationships are good.”

Steph tilted her head and stared at me. “Oh, Darby. Surely there’s more than that.”

“I called him for no reason but to chat, even though he was in the middle of work. When I had a bad day, I complained about it to him. I had him go to a boring party with me. I was relying on him too much. I could just feel it starting to get messy.”

Karl leaned in, yelling over the music. “What’s going on?”

“Darby dropped a guy because he liked her and she was starting to like him back,” Steph said.

I scowled at her. “Thanks for making it sound as horrible as possible.”

“I guess I should consider myself lucky that you were appalled by me,” Karl said with a smile.

“You better watch it. Getting someone in this place to punch you might be harder than at Hot Shots, but I like a challenge.” Usually I would’ve delivered that line much better, but it came out kind of sad, thanks to the fact that his statement was a little too true. Maybe my exes had a list of what not to look for in a girlfriend with all my qualities listed.

Anthony held his hand out to Stephanie. “You want to dance?”

Stephanie glanced at me.

“I’m fine,” I said, pushing her toward her fiancé. “Go dance.”

Anthony hated to dance, but Steph loved it. I knew Anthony suffered through it because of how happy it made Stephanie.

As soon as they were gone, Karl asked, “You want to talk about your relationship? I know you don’t believe in what I do, but I might just impress you with what I know.”

“I don’t need a therapist to tell me that my views on relationships are screwed up.” I glanced at him. “I hope this doesn’t come across as offensive, because I don’t mean it that way, but don’t you have a hard time convincing your clients you know what you’re talking about when you’re not married?”

Karl’s lips thinned. He took a swig of his drink. “I was married. For six years. My wife had cystic fibrosis. They wanted to do a lung transplant, but they couldn’t find a donor in time. So she passed away. A little more than two years ago.”

“That’s… I’m so sorry. I can’t believe Stephanie didn’t tell me.”

“I asked her not to. I don’t want it to be the first thing people know about me. I’d rather tell them in my own time.” He sat back. “Everyone keeps saying I should get back out there. But it’s impossible not to compare them all to Monica.”

“At least you had training on how to make those six years good.”

“You’d think. She used to get mad whenever I’d ask her counseling-type questions. I had to word them differently so she didn’t know what I was doing, and even then, she caught on pretty quick.” He stared at the table, a faraway look on his face. One corner of his mouth twisted up. “She taught me the real-world experience I needed.”

“So after going through that, don’t you hesitate to do it all again?” I asked.

Karl nodded. “Sure. It’s why I’m sitting here with you right now instead of going over to the blonde at the end of the bar and asking her out.”

Trying to be subtle, I checked out the girl he was talking about. She was pretty, dressed in clothes that were sexy but not completely revealing, and had these cute black glasses.

“You should go,” I said. “The worst she could say is no.”

Karl shot me a sidelong glance. “I’m not sure I should be taking relationship advice from someone who dumped a perfectly good guy.”

“Just because I’m a big failure at relationships doesn’t mean I’m not right about the blonde. She keeps looking back here, and she’s going to think you and I are together.” I nudged Karl with the tip of my shoe. “Go.”

He reluctantly stood up and headed over to the bar.

Another song started and Stephanie and Anthony didn’t come back. When I’d thought about getting out, sitting in a nightclub by myself wasn’t what I had in mind.

Is that my phone?
I could barely hear it over the noise. I dug my cell out of my purse and stared at the display.
Jake.

Finger over the accept button, I went back and forth on whether I should answer.

“You look sad sitting here all by yourself,” a guy said as he approached, interrupting my dilemma. He extended his hand. “Come dance with me.”

I was going to say I should save the table, but Anthony and Stephanie were making their way back.

What the hell? I might as well try to have a good time while I’m here.

I took his outstretched hand and let him lead me to the dance floor. It had been a while since I’d danced in a nightclub. Not much had changed: girls in Barbie-size clothes danced like they were auditioning to be America’s next top stripper; one look-at-me girl was dancing on the platform; people grinded against one another.

The guy who’d led me to the floor threw his arms around me and started swaying to the beat. Within seconds, he leaned in for a kiss.

I jerked away. “Whoa, buddy. Aren’t you supposed to buy a girl a drink first?”

“I’ve got some wine at my apartment.” He pulled me closer. “It’s only a few blocks away.”

“How nice for you.” I stepped back. “I’m all danced out.”

I huffed off the floor and went back to sit with Stephanie and Anthony.

“That was quick,” Steph said.

“Yeah. He thought I’d be interested in the fact that he has an apartment a few blocks away. I wasn’t.”

Stephanie leaned her head on Anthony’s shoulder. “I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with that anymore.” She shot a pointed look at me. “You wouldn’t have to deal with it either if you weren’t so stubborn.”

“The point was to forget about everything, not have it rubbed in my face.”

“But part of a best friend’s duty is pointing out things you might not want to hear.”

Karl sat down in the chair next to me. “How’d it go with the blonde?” I asked.

“Had a nice conversation. Got her number. So, we’ll see.”

The four of us sat there, listening to the music as the lights bounced around the room. Watching all the other people mingle wasn’t making me feel better. I’d wanted to get out so badly, but now that I was out, I kept thinking it really wasn’t all that great.

Chapter Twenty-four

Since I had a basic idea of Jake’s schedule, it wasn’t too hard to keep from running into him. I headed to the office early and made sure to avoid coming or going into the building around the time Blue closed.

The Lion Inn job was becoming an even bigger mess by the day. Now the owners were talking about adding a few extended-stay suites. They wanted a whole different look for the rooms, and I just didn’t have the same passion that I had for my residential jobs.

At least I get to see Mrs. Crabtree today
, I thought as I pulled into her neighborhood
.
She’d asked if I wanted to do lunch at Blue first—her treat—but I told her I couldn’t get away from the office that early. Which was true. But mostly I couldn’t see Jake. It was only Wednesday and I was going through withdrawals.

Mrs. Crabtree greeted me in typical grandmother form, offering cookies and asking about my day. She led me to the bathroom and I studied the pink-striped wall. The painters had done a great job on it. I bent down and studied the new baseboards. “I think it looks great. Do you like it?”

Mrs. Crabtree nodded enthusiastically. “I really do. Clyde told me he thought I was crazy for wanting a pink bathroom. When I showed it to him, he put his arm around me and said if I’m happy, he’s happy. I think once we get everything else into place it’s going to be perfect.”

“I better get to work, then.”

I kicked off my ruffled, red suede pumps and worked on getting the bathroom together. I hung shadow boxes, filled them with knickknacks—one of them being the sculpture I’d bought from Tina. Looking at the glass-blown flower made me think about how Jake had carried it home for me. If only I’d said no that night, I wouldn’t be thinking about him now.

I shook that thought from my head and got to work on the last touches: hanging pink daisy towels and placing the rugs around the room. I’d had it all planned out in my mind, but it turned out even better than expected.

Mrs. Crabtree beamed when she saw the finished room. “I’ve got to go get Clyde and show him. I bet he’s reading the paper in his den.”

I put my shoes back on, gathered my leveler and hammer, stuck them back into my toolbox, and set it by my purse.

Then I heard an awful noise. A noise I couldn’t quite place, but immediately told me something was wrong. I hurried through the house, searching for where it was coming from. Through the open door of the den, I saw Mrs. Crabtree leaning over her husband.

“Something’s wrong with him,” she cried.

The antique desk in the corner had a phone on top. I picked it up and punched in 911.

…

I pulled my car into the parking garage and made my way to the elevator. I’d been trying to hold it together, but I could feel myself cracking. My eyes burned, a giant lump had permanently lodged in my throat, and a steady rhythm of pain pounded through my head.

I climbed on the elevator, leaned against the wall, and ran a hand through my hair. The elevator stopped on the first floor and Jake got on. I didn’t say anything for fear I’d start crying.

Jake’s eyebrows drew together. He reached out and put his hand on my arm, his eyes searching mine. “Darby? What’s wrong?”

If he wouldn’t have asked, I might’ve made it. “Mrs. Crabtree’s husband had a stroke. I went to the hospital with her and it was awful.” I felt a tear slide down my cheek. “All while we waited for the rest of her family to get there, Mrs. Crabtree told me stories of their sixty years together. I kept praying Clyde would be okay, but…” I forced the last few words out. “He didn’t make it.”

Jake pulled me to him and I buried my head in his chest. I’d wanted to get home before losing it. Now that he had his arms around me, though, I couldn’t keep it in any longer. The tears broke free and the raw achy sensation in my chest spread until I thought I might crumble to the ground. Mrs. Crabtree was one of my favorite clients, and I’d had to sit there and watch her world get turned upside down.

Jake kept me tucked against him as we stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to my door. Once inside, he led me to the couch and sat down next to me.

“I hardly even knew him, but it was so sad.” I leaned my head on Jake’s shoulder. He put his arm around me and ran his hand up and down my arm. My phone rang again. I didn’t bother moving.

“You need to get that?” he asked softly.

“It’s my boss. She’s called me about ten times, but I was too drained to answer. I’m sure she’s upset about something.” His shirt smelled like cologne and faintly like Blue. The thought of food made my stomach growl. I put my arm over it, trying to quiet it.

“Have you eaten dinner yet?”

“I’m fine. I’ll grab some cereal in a minute.”

Jake patted my knee. “You sit here. I’ll whip something up.”

“You don’t have to. I’m fine. Really.” The fact he was being so nice—especially after everything that happened between us—made me feel like a huge jerk.

“I know I don’t have to.” Jake walked over to my kitchen. He opened cupboards and studied the things I had—a whole lot of nothing. “How do you feel about pancakes?”

“Sounds perfect.”

After I collected myself, I listened to the messages from Patricia. I didn’t have the energy to explain everything that had happened, and I didn’t want to talk to her anyway, so I sent her a lengthy text with the important details.

Jake set a giant stack of pancakes in front of me, along with a bottle of syrup. “I’ve got to get back to work. Do you need anything else before I go?”

I shook my head. “Thank you, Jake. I don’t deserve it.”

He cupped my cheek and wiped a tear away with his thumb. “Call me if you need anything.”

I barely restrained myself from begging him not to go.

…

Mrs. Crabtree and her stories about her husband stuck with me. I went to bed thinking about her, and immediately thought of her again the next morning. As soon as I got into the office, I sent flowers, wishing I could do something more helpful.

Jake was also on my mind. He’d come in and made me dinner, even after I’d basically dumped and avoided him. Digging into the Lion Inn account seemed like an impossible task, but I didn’t have a choice. With all the catching up I had to do, I worked through lunch.

At five, I couldn’t take it anymore.

The walk to Blue was nice. It gave me the chance to prepare a speech thanking Jake for his help last night and telling him how much I appreciated his friendship, then reaffirming that he deserved a girl who had the same stance as he did on relationships.

When I got to Blue, Mindy informed me Jake wasn’t in.

I walked back to the office, got my car, and headed home. My speech got lengthier on the drive. The more I thought about it, the more I knew it was the right thing to do. Tell him I cared, but insist he’d be better off without me. Surely he’d understand that he meant a lot to me even though we couldn’t be together.

Worried I might lose the courage to give my speech if I went to my place first, I got into the elevator and punched the button for the twentieth floor.

My heart raced as I stepped out of the elevator. My stomach churned as I walked down the hall. By the time I knocked on the door, I was a nervous, sweaty wreck.

Jake opened the door and all the words I planned on saying flew out of my head. I threw my arms around his neck, and smashed my mouth to his, kissing him the way I’d been thinking about kissing him for days.

Jake pulled me into his place, closed the door, and pinned me against it. With each caress of his tongue, heat built up in my body, until every inch of me was burning. I was seconds from getting carried away and ripping off his shirt when he broke the kiss.

His chest rose and fell against mine. He ran his nose across the top of my cheek and kissed the sensitive spot under my ear, sending a delicious chill down my spine. “Hey.”