Over You (32 page)

“Hi, Mom,” Jessica said.
 

“Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling today?”

“Okay. But what about you?”

Her mother sighed. “This flu is miserable, but I think it’s getting better.” She sighed. “I want so badly to be there with you, to make sure you’re okay. But it wouldn’t help if I gave you this nasty bug.”

“I know, Mom. I’ll be fine.” Both her parents were down with the flu, so neither could come see her. “How’s Dad? Is he feeling any better?”
 

“Yes, I think so. But we just don’t bounce back as fast as we used to. It will take a few days.” Her mother hesitated. “So did Alex ever get in touch with you after I came to see you the other week?”

Jessica had avoided telling her mother all that had happened with Alex—and she’d never mentioned Kyle at all—but she knew she needed to bring her up to speed before she came for a visit. Especially now that she and Kyle had rekindled their romance. “Yes, he did, actually.”

“Oh?”

She recounted how he’d shown up unexpectedly, and how he’d tried to woo her back. She didn’t mention their two day engagement.

“So, are you back together then?” her mom asked.

“No. I just don’t believe he’s the right man for me.”

“Well, if he’s not right for you, then that’s that, I suppose. I’m sure you’ll find your true love one day.”

An image of Kyle filled Jessica’s mind, and she smiled. “Mom, I’ve found my true love.”

Her mother was silent a moment. “But you’ve only been there three weeks. Forgive me, but how can you be sure this man’s your true love? What’s his name, anyway?”

While in the hospital, Jessica had spoken to her mother several times, and as much as she’d wanted to tell her about Kyle, she hadn’t been up to the task of explaining her complicated love life, so she hadn’t yet told her that Kyle had been the one to save her. Now, bracing herself for how her mother would react to her news, she plunged in. “It’s Kyle. Kyle Judd.”
 

Her mom gasped, then was silent a moment. “I don’t understand. He left you, what? Five years ago?” She paused for a second. “What are you saying, Jessica?”

“I’m saying we’re back together.” Hudson jumped on her lap, and Jessica absently stroked his fur.

“How did this happen?”

“He’s back in town, Mom. Ellen hired him to remodel her bathroom.”

“I see.” Her mom began coughing.

“Mom, maybe we should discuss this when you’re feeling better.”

“No,” her mother said between coughs. “No, I want to talk to you about this now.” She coughed again, then her lungs seemed to settle. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, I was there, Jessica. I saw what you went through when he broke your engagement. You locked yourself away into a dark place, and frankly, I was deeply worried about you.” Her voice softened, but still sounded scratchy. “There was a period of time where I wasn’t sure you’d come out of it.” She paused. “Are you sure you want to risk going through that again?”

Her mother’s words served to remind her of what she’d been trying to forget. Kyle hadn’t just broken her heart, he’d pulverized it when he’d told her he couldn’t marry her. Her mother’s final question placed a wedge of doubt into her mind. A wedge that created a wide gap between what she ultimately wanted with Kyle, and what she feared would actually happen. A gap that she hoped she could bridge over time.

“Mom, when I saw him again, I realized that I still loved him.” She sighed. “Of course I’m a little scared about trusting him, but I just feel like . . . well, I think I need to give him one more chance.” She paused. “And, Mom. He was the one who saved me when I was attacked. If it wasn’t for him, I’d probably be dead.” Jessica heard her mother’s sharp intake of air.
 

“Oh. I didn’t know.” She was quiet for a moment. “Even so, sweetheart, you need to be cautious.”

Her mother voicing her own concerns upset her a little, made her doubt herself, and she didn’t reply.

“Jessica,” her mother said. “You know all I want is for you to be happy, right?”

“Of course.” She had no doubt that her parents loved her and wanted what was best for her.

“But please be careful. Please. I don’t know if I can watch you suffer through that kind of heart break again.”

A feeling of apprehension made Jessica shiver, but she told herself it was only due to her mother’s worry. “I will. I promise.”

“Okay.” Her mother had another coughing fit. “I’d better go take some more cough medicine. I’ll call you when Dad and I are better.”

“Okay, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you, sweetie.”

She turned her phone off and set it on the table, then replayed their conversation. A wave of exhaustion washed over her as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Would she really fall apart if things didn’t work out with Kyle? Or had she become stronger since then? Her mind drifted, and what seemed like moments later, she heard Kyle’s voice and felt him gently stroking her cheek.

“I’m leaving now, Jess,” he said.

Her eyes fluttered open to see the face of the man who had brought her so much happiness and so much heartache, and who now brought on so much anxiety. Trying to push aside her reservations, Jessica smiled up at him. “Hey.”

“Sorry to wake you, but I didn’t want to leave without telling you.”

His thoughtfulness helped to dampen her doubts about his claim to have changed. Maybe he really had changed. “It’s okay. I’m glad you did.”

“How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Ibuprofen maybe?”

Jessica sat up a little, which startled Hudson enough to make him jump down. Her body seemed to complain about her movements too. “Yeah, that might help.”

Kyle nodded, then went into the kitchen and fixed her a glass of ice water and brought it to her, along with two small pills. “Here. These should help.”

She took them from him, placed them on her tongue, then took a swallow of water. “Thanks.”

“I’ll be back in about an hour to take you to dinner.” His forehead creased. “If you think you’re up to it.”

This would be their first date since he’d broken their engagement five years before. She really didn’t want to miss it. “I think I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? I could just get something and bring it over.”

She readjusted her position to see how she really felt. Awful, that’s how. Her back ached from falling down the stairs, and the flesh wound from the bullet made her leg throb. Grimacing at the pain, she said, “Yeah, maybe that would be best.”

“Okay. I’ll be back in an hour or so with something to eat. You take it easy while I’m gone.”

She nodded.
 

When he came back with dinner, Jessica let him in the house, then followed him into the kitchen. “I can set the table,” she said, walking toward the cabinets.

“No, you need to rest.” He steered her back to the soft chair in the sunroom. “I’m perfectly capable of setting the table and laying the food out. I’ve taken care of myself for a long time now.”

She put her feet up on the ottoman in front of the chair. “Good, because I feel pretty stiff.”

A few minutes later they sat across from each other at the table.

“Thanks for getting dinner,” she said as she dug into the enchilada on her plate.

“I’m sure you’ll feel better soon, and then I can take you out.”

She smiled at him. “I’d like that.” She took a bite of salad. “What work do you have left to do in Ellen’s bathroom?”

After giving her a verbal bullet list, he said, “Unless I run into some kind of huge snag, I should get it done before Ellen comes home.”

“That would be perfect.”

They chatted and ate, their earlier argument pushed aside, than Kyle cleaned up. “How are you feeling?” he asked as he put the last dish away.

“I’m pretty tired, actually,” Jessica said.

A look of sincere caring filled his face as he came over to where she sat. “Do you want me to help you upstairs?”

Though the ibuprofen had helped, her back and leg still ached. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Kyle helped her stand, then with one arm around her waist, they made their way to the stairs. Despite her discomfort, Jessica enjoyed having him so close to her, and leaned heavily on him as they climbed the stairs.
 

“If I have time tomorrow, I’ll patch those bullet holes,” Kyle said as they passed the obvious damage to the walls along the staircase.

“Okay. I’d rather Ellen not see them.” They reached the landing and turned toward her bedroom.

“I’ll do my best,” Kyle said as he helped her sit on her bed. A smile crossed his face. “Do you need any help undressing?”

Jessica smirked. “No, I can manage that much.” Then a new thought came to mind. “Can you lock the front door when you leave?”

“I don’t have a key, so I won’t be able to lock the deadbolt.”

She pointed to her purse, sitting on the floor. “You can borrow mine.”

He looked at her with surprise. “Are you sure?”

She gazed at him with confidence. “You protected me from that mad man, Kyle. I think I can trust you with a key to my aunt’s house.”

He laughed. “I just wanted to make sure.” After retrieving the key from her purse, he sat next to her on the bed and leaned close. “I promise I won’t sneak into your room while you’re sleeping.”

With the heat from his body radiating toward her, and his green eyes gazing at her, Jessica caught her breath. Maybe I wouldn’t mind, she thought, then felt a blush wash over her cheek. To cover the thought that had taken her by surprise, she laughed. “You’d better not.”

His lips quirked into a smile. “That’s not what you would have said when we were engaged.”

His reminder that they were once engaged was like a splash of ice water to her face, and all the doubts she’d had after the phone call with her mother that afternoon came rushing back. She kept her voice even as she spoke. “Well, we’re no longer engaged, are we?”

Stiffening, Kyle froze for a moment, then he frowned. “No, we’re not. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

How can he be so cavalier? She wondered. Is he that clueless about the anguish I suffered? The complete and utter devastation? The thought worried her.
 

If he was so unaware of the heartbreak he’d caused, what would keep him from doing it again? Then she thought of Melanie and the way he’d abruptly broken things off with her—and she had a daughter whom he adored. Did he feel any guilt for the misery he certainly caused the two of them?

Suddenly wary, Jessica stared at him a moment. “I’m pretty tired.”

Obviously understanding that she was dismissing him, he stood. “Sleep well, Jess.”

She nodded, then watched him walk out of her bedroom. A moment later she heard the front door close and the deadbolt turn. She had trouble falling asleep that night, her feelings for him warring with the logic that her mind kept putting forth. The logic that said to be very, very cautious with trusting him with her heart.

Second Chances Chapter Three

By the time Jessica had finished cleaning up from breakfast the next morning, then begun working on her programming project, she’d become worried because Kyle hadn’t shown up or called. This would be the last full day he would have to work on Ellen’s bathroom before Jessica brought her home from the long-term care center the next day. She knew he still had a number of tasks to complete, and she knew he’d planned on working all that day.

Jessica glanced at the clock on her computer again, her thoughts turning to the interaction she’d had with Kyle before he’d left the night before. Had her comment about them no longer being engaged gotten to him? So much that he had decided not to come over? The thought surprised her, because he normally wasn’t the type of person who would let that bother him for long.

Trying to stay focused on what she was working on, she forced herself to ignore the minutes as they passed with no word from Kyle. Finally she couldn’t take it any longer and she called his cell phone, but when it went to voice mail, she hung up without leaving a message, knowing he would see he had missed a call from her.

Just before she was about to take a break and have lunch, Jessica heard a car pulling up to the house. A sense of relief swept over her when Kyle knocked on the front door, then let himself in, and Jessica admitted that in the back of her mind she’d been worried that something had happened to him.

“Hey,” he said, walking toward her.

“Where have you been?” she blurted.

He sighed. “Avery cut her head.”

Avery, Jessica thought. Melanie’s adorable two-year-old who Kyle admitted he was crazy about. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah. She had to get stitches.”

She shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand how this involves you.”

Kyle’s forehead creased. “Melanie called me as I was heading over here. She was pretty upset. Apparently the cut was bleeding pretty heavily.” He glanced away, then looked back at Jessica before going on. “I was nearby, so I went over, then I brought them to the Emergency room and stayed while Avery got the stitches.”

Though Jessica didn’t like the feeling of jealousy that seemed to overtake her, she couldn’t seem to help it, but it felt petty to complain about him taking care of a young child when he was supposed to be working on her aunt’s bathroom, so she kept her thoughts to herself. But inside she admitted that she was surprised he would drop everything and rush to Melanie’s side, and she wondered if that would happen again. After all, he’d broken up with her the week before.

He stood there a moment. “Well, I guess I’d better get to work. I have some time to make up.”

Jessica nodded, not sure what to say. He walked out of the sunroom, and before long Jessica heard him working upstairs. Her thoughts filled in the blanks to Kyle’s story.
When he’d arrived at Melanie’s house, he’d pulled her into a warm hug, trying to comfort her. Then he’d taken her and her daughter to the Emergency room, staying by her side for hours, then brought the two of them home, staying long enough to make sure they were both okay, finally remembering Jessica and his commitment to finish Ellen’s bathroom.

As the images rolled through her mind, Jessica felt her jealousy and anger growing until she was furious at Kyle. But she couldn’t very well tell him how she felt. How heartless would she sound if she told him he should have ignored Melanie and Avery in their time of need? What kind of person was she that she really did feel that way?