Hearts Collide (Canyon Cove Book 4) (5 page)

I’ll be back in an hour.
 

There’s a private bathroom in the restaurant.

Ever have sex in a car? Want to try now?

Instead I opened the car door and headed quickly towards the restaurant without looking back.

Chapter Three

Jackie

Mirabella’s was unusually empty for a Saturday afternoon. I sat at the table surrounded by my friends, but I couldn’t focus on what they were saying or anything at all. I stared at the rust-colored ceiling, then the art on the walls, then back at my plate.

I poked at my Cobb salad, grateful that Samantha was feeling especially chatty. As long as she kept talking, maybe no one would realize I was in my own world.

I hated that Brent had this effect on me. I hated that four months ago I had the best almost-sex I ever had and it was with a selfish, egotistical, gorgeous man who liked screwing women for the hell of it. And I hated that when I closed my eyes I could still feel his lips on my skin.

That kiss today, however brief, just made everything worse. It took me a while to stop obsessing about Brent and there I was doing it again.

“Hey, Jackie,” Amy whispered as she tapped my shoulder.

Blinking, I brought myself back from my dream world and turned to look at her. Amy usually worked the cash register whenever we had our lunches there.

“Oh hey, Amy. I wasn’t sure if you were working today. I didn’t see you when I came in,” I said.

“You walked right past me. You were in your own little world,” she said with a soft laugh. “You’ll have to tell me who is he another time, but he is very yummy. Like a young Robert Redford. Hot!” She fanned her face with her hand. “He just dropped off your keys.”

She handed my keys to me and slipped away. I dropped them into my bag as I planned to go back to my home planet, but when I looked up Samantha had an expectant gaze. I looked around the table and everyone was looking at me.

“What?” I asked.

“I swore I saw Brent come in and then Amy comes over and hands you keys,” Samantha said. “I think I can speak for the table when I say we want details. Did you leave your keys at his place or is he leaving his keys with you?”

“Give me a break,” I said. “You know I can’t stand him, but yes that was him. They’re my keys. I left them in my car.”

“So why did he have them?”

I looked around the table hoping to find any excuse to talk about something else, but I came up blank.

“He was driving past and saw me fighting with my car,” I said.

I shrugged hoping no one would point out what I was just realizing. It sounded ridiculous.
What was a wealthy man like Brent doing in my neighborhood?

“Mmm hmm,” Tara said.

The combination of her Southern accent and her raised eyebrow said more than words could have said. As I looked around the table, I could tell they were all thinking the same thing, that I was full of it.

“Really, I swear,” I said. “My car wouldn’t start and then Brent showed up and gave me a ride.”

“Oh I’m sure he gave you a ride alright. Like the ride he gave you at my wedding,” Samantha said with a laugh.

“Will you stop that? We didn’t have sex. It amazes me sometimes how alike you two are with your jokes,” I said, annoyed. “And really, you know it’s not easy having to live up to my mistakes over and over. I don’t bring up all the guys on your list. Can we just forget about it?”

“Umm, no,” Samantha said as she tilted her head and grinned. “I’m willing to accept that he just so happened to be driving down the road you live on while your car wouldn’t start. But when will you accept that fate is trying to get the two of you together?”

“What are you talking about fate? You think fate keeps making me run into him? If that’s fate at work then she’s even more of an idiot than I thought.”

“Maybe fate was just giving you a taste of what’s to come since you’re going to see him again tomorrow,” she said.

I stared at Samantha with my best
you’ve completely lost your mind
look.

“Why am I seeing him tomorrow?” I asked.

“Because you’re coming over for dinner, remember? Brent is coming too.”

“Wasn't last time bad enough? Why are you making me go through this again?”

“I’m telling you, Jackie, you guys would be great together,” Samantha said. “You just need to spend more time with him. You have a lot in common and I know you don’t like older men and Brent is only two years older than you.”

I buried my head in my hands wishing she would stop talking about him. How long was she going to go on about him?

As we said our good-byes, I pulled Samantha aside as we left the restaurant.

“Can you give me a ride to the gas station and then home? I need to get my car running again,” I said.

“What are you talking about? Isn’t that your car right there?” she asked.

I looked towards where she was pointing and shook my head.

“That looks like my car, but I don’t understand it. Dennis used my car the other day and didn’t refill it for me. Maybe he realized that while I was gone and put some gas in it. He has my spare set of keys.”

“Dennis?” Samantha said. “Why did you let him use your car? Don’t even tell me you’re back together with him. I don’t know why you even bother with that asshole still. You’ve been on and off for four years now. Come on, Jackie, you know you deserve better.”

“We’re still off and there will never be an on again with him. I’m just trying to help him out,” I said, opening the car door. “He’s really not that bad. I mean look, the tank is full.”

Samantha didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. Her face said it all. She didn’t believe Dennis would do something nice. And if he did, then he would want something in return. That was how Dennis operated. I knew that, but I couldn’t help but defend him.

***

Even though Dennis hadn’t moved from where I left him, I still wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Who else would put gas in my car for me? Dennis didn’t usually help me out, but there was a first time for everything.
 

The television was loud again and the apartment had a weird musty smell. I sniffed the air, trying to pin down the stench when my eyes began to water.

“Have you been smoking?” I asked, angrily.

“Don’t worry, it wasn’t in your precious apartment,” he said. “I went outside.”

His eyes didn’t move from the TV screen. I wanted to scream at him for smoking in my apartment, but I didn’t want to ruin the one good thing he did.

“Thanks for putting gas in my car,” I said as I leaned into his line of sight.

He gave me an annoyed look, then looked back at the screen.

“Where’s my sandwich?” he asked.

Guilt filled me, making my stomach drop. I felt so bad about forgetting the sandwich, I forgot about everything else. Dennis had the ability to make me feel horrible about simple mistakes.

“Oh no, I completely forgot,” I said.

“You were right there.”

“I know, I’m so sorry,” I said. “Do you want me to make something for you?”

“You don’t have anything. I already checked,” he said. “Maybe we can go get something once this game is over.”

“I can’t. I have to work tonight.”

“You call that work? You just like rubbing elbows with those fancy people.”

“I like doing the events. Plus I need that money to pay for grad school.”

And to keep you comfy on my couch apparently.

“Well, you work a lot,” he said. “More than I ever did and I made more than you. You should really consider whether it’s worth your time or not.”

“Worth my time?” I stared at him for a minute. After all this time, how could he not understand how much I enjoyed working these events? It kept me busy which meant I didn’t have time to think about all the things that were wrong in my life, like having an ex-boyfriend who kept staying with me.

“I think once I get promoted, you should think about this more,” he said. “Figure out how much you’re making waitressing for Samantha and if it’s really worth your time. You could move in with me and just focus on going to school.”

What???

I couldn’t deal with him anymore. Dennis was an accountant at a big firm. He was very proud of that fact and how much money he made. I wondered how he was able to function in such a high profile, high stress environment when the Dennis I knew melted down putting together IKEA furniture.

I stared at him as I tried to figure out what was going on in his head, but he just turned back to the game. Did he really think that was a good idea? Did he think we were still together? Had he completely lost his mind?

Shaking my head, I walked out of the living room and into my bedroom. The last thing I wanted to do was get into another fight. I only had to put up with him for three more days and then he’d be gone. At least that's what I hoped.

Chapter Four

Jackie

The next day, I rushed home from class and quickly changed into my nicer pair of jeans and a purple knit top. Dennis was looking through the cupboards in the kitchen when I came out of my room.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Samantha invited me for dinner,” I said.

“And you’re not inviting me to come along? Don’t you think that’s rude?”

“I think it’s rude of you to expect an invitation. And I think it’s rude that you’re going through my cupboards when you haven’t given me money for groceries. When is your apartment going to be ready?”

“If you don’t want me here just say so and I’ll sleep in the car or something,” he said

“You don’t even have a car. Do you really think I’d let you sleep in my car?”

“I don’t need a car. Work gives me a rental when I travel which is a lot. You’re being a real bitch, you know that?”

I held myself back from blowing up at him. It wouldn’t help and I’d only end up late for dinner. In my head I counted backwards from ten as I grabbed my bag and walked out the door.

I’ll deal with him another time.

***

As I waited outside, Samantha came down the steps and waved to me. She had a baby monitor in her other hand. When she opened the door, I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

“You realize this is the last place I want to be, right?” I said, entering as I removed my sweater.

Samantha took my sweater and hung it in the dreaded coat closet. I couldn’t even look at that closet without thinking about Brent.

She rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know what it is with the two of you,” she said. “I saw the two of you at my wedding and I know you both probably better than anyone. I’m telling you, you’re perfect for each other. And since nothing is going on between the two of you, I’m taking matters into my own hands.”

“By forcing us to eat together? You know what happened last time.”

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well,” she said.

“You realize it’s unfair to quote Virginia Woolf,” I said.

“What can I say, I fight dirty.”

As we entered the kitchen, Sam checked on the roast in the oven.

“You’ve been really pushing for me and Brent even more lately. I think having that baby has done something to your brain,” I said.

“It has. It’s made me realize how Drake and I could’ve been together even longer. I wasted time away from him when I could have been happy instead. I want that happiness for you.”

I appreciated that Sam was looking out for my happiness, but I didn’t understand why she just wouldn’t listen to me.

“I’ve told you, I don’t need it and I don’t want it,” I said. “Look, just because you’re in a state of matrimonial bliss, that doesn’t mean everyone else needs it. We’ve had this talk before. You know I don’t want to get married.”

Sam grimaced as she folded her arms in front of her.