Authors: Shauna Allen
The truth of her words sliced him to ribbons. He’d been so bogged down in the misery of the past year, he hadn’t been able to see any kind of a future.
Tears filled her eyes. “I’m tired of seeing my son so miserable. Go get her if she’s going to make you happy.”
What seemed a miserable eon later, Charles got Kyle to her condo. He helped her up the stairs, supporting her weight against his body. “I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he murmured in her ear.
He took her keys and opened the door. Once they were inside, he helped her to the couch, where she plopped down miserably.
“Thank you, Charles. I appreciate your help.”
He sat next to her. “You’re welcome.”
She leaned back and closed her eyes. “You don’t have to stay.”
“I want to. I still want to talk, you know. About us.”
She groaned. “There is no ‘us.’ Not anymore.”
He didn’t say anything for several moments and she knew it was wishful thinking to hope that he would let it go at that. She popped open an eye and found him studying the sketch that Jed had drawn of her face.
He looked at her, a million questions in his eyes. What could she say? What should she say? She supposed she owed them both the truth. “That’s the reason there will never be an ‘us’ again.”
His brows furrowed as he set it back down on the coffee table. “I don’t understand.”
“No”—her head began to spin wildly. Her stomach churned—“I don’t suppose you do.”
“Will you please explain it?”
“I—”
But bile began to rise up in her throat and saliva began to fill her mouth. Her palms began to sweat and she swallowed, trying to prevent what she feared was coming.
Too late. Her stomach spasmed painfully. And even as she tried to hold it back with all her might and her hand at her mouth, she puked all over him.
Charles sat there in wide-eyed shock, her vomit dripping down the front of his already muddy polo shirt.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, half glad that the aching in her stomach was finally relieved. “I’m so sorry, Charles.” She stood and the room didn’t spin too wildly. “Let me get you something to clean up with.”
He reached up and touched his head. “It’s in my hair.”
“Oh.” She bit her lip. “Sorry.”
“It’s in your hair, too.” He looked up at her.
She dabbed at her own hair and grimaced. Yuck.
He stood up. “Perhaps I could just jump in the shower and change clothes? Do you still have some of my old things around here?”
She thought a second. “I think so. And I can throw those in the wash if you want.” She pointed at the puke-infested garments he was currently wearing.
He nodded. “Okay.” He walked gingerly down the hall and closed himself into the bathroom.
She waited until she heard the shower turn on then went into her room to grab her robe and change out of her own dirty clothes. She slipped into the guest bathroom and rinsed the vomit from her hair and combed it back from her face. That would have to do until he left and she could indulge in a nice, long bubble bath.
She rifled through some drawers until she found a pair of his old sweats that he’d left behind and pulled them out. That took about all of her energy and she was glad when the shower turned off. Maybe he’d leave soon so she could get some sleep. She just hated that she’d probably have to call in sick so soon after starting a new job.
She padded to the kitchen to seek out a Sprite for her rumbling tummy and maybe some saltines, but a pounding on the front door stopped her short.
She diverted and made her way to answer, the sudden movement making her moan.
“Here you go, darling. Would you mind tossing these in the wash?”
She caught a glimpse of Charles as he reappeared just as she was opening the door. He stood casually with his dirty clothes in hand, a towel wrapped around his waist and water dripping down his bare chest.
The door was wide open now. She turned and stared, thunderstruck, at her guest and her heart plowed up into her throat as he peered over her shoulder at Charles half-naked behind her.
“Jed?” Kyle stared at his shocked face and wondered if she was seeing things. Was he really here after all this time? She pulled her robe tighter around her chest and wished she could throw herself into his arms, but the absolute ice in his eyes—as if she’d never meant a thing to him—stopped her cold.
He shifted his gaze from Charles back to her. “Muffet. I see I’ve come at a bad time.” He pivoted on his crutches and started to go.
“Kyle?” Charles started her way.
She held up a hand to stop him. “Get dressed, Charles, for Heaven’s sake.” She stepped outside and shut the door. “Jed, wait!” She rushed to catch up with him at the base of the steps. He was surprisingly fast for someone with a broken leg.
He ignored her and was already unlocking a big black truck and tossing his crutches inside with angry force. He lugged his body weight up into the driver’s seat and she ran to grab the door before he could shut it and be gone from her life again. He glared down at her.
She didn’t recognize him anymore and it broke her heart all over again. “I said wait,” she said faintly, leaning against the doorframe for support.
He shoved his key in the ignition, but didn’t start the truck. He just stared out the windshield silently. She caught her breath and tried to make sure she wasn’t going to throw-up again. She looked up at his profile. It was still him and love filled her painfully. He was just very, very angry. But she wasn’t sure why. Surely he didn’t think . . .? She reached in and touched his arm. He flinched.
“Jed?”
“What?”
“Why did you come?”
He seemed to hesitate before he answered then he reached over and gunned the engine to a roaring start. “Stupid me. I thought we had some unfinished business between us.” He glanced up toward her condo and shrugged. “But I guess I was wrong.”
“Jed, wait. Let me explain,” she pleaded as he reached for the door.
“See ya, Muffet.”
She ducked out of the way as he slammed the door and threw the truck into reverse.
She sat on the curb and openly sobbed as he barreled out of the lot because she knew she had lost him forever.
She didn’t know how long she sat there crying as she felt her heart shriveling like a raisin.
Eventually, Charles came and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Kyle, sweetheart? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
Had he hurt her? Well, that term was relative. She shook her head. “Not the way you mean.”
He sat next to her and studied her tear-streaked face. “Are you in love with him?”
When had he become so observant? She nodded and dabbed her eyes.
“And he drew that sketch upstairs, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
He sighed and leaned back on his hands. “Wow.”
She sniffled as some semblance of emotional stability came back. “What do you mean, ‘
wow?
’”
He gave a half self-depreciating smile. “Well, first off, I guess I’m a little surprised at the switch.” He shrugged. “From me to him? It’s a big difference. No offense.”
She wasn’t offended at all because she was proud of Jed in every way. “None taken.”
“But, I have to say, if you’re going to be with someone else, I’m glad it’s with someone who’s going to love you hopefully as much as I do.”
Kyle shot him a puzzled frown. “What do you mean? Jed doesn’t love me. Why do you think I’m sitting here blubbering like a baby?”
Charles sat forward. “Of course he does. No one sees someone like that,” he indicated upstairs where the sketch lay on her table, “if there isn’t some serious emotion behind it. He loves you, Kyle. He just hasn’t admitted it, I guess.”
She dropped her head. “I’m sorry, Charles.”
“Sorry for what?”
“That it couldn’t work out between us.” She looked at him from the corner of her eye. “I know how much everyone wanted that. How much easier it would’ve been on everyone.”
He shrugged. “I’m sorry, too. But I’ll be fine. I do love you, Kyle, as much as you might think otherwise. I know I wasn’t perfect, but I do want you to be happy. Even if it’s not with me.”
Where was this Charles for the last eighteen months of their relationship?
“You are wonderful. You’ll make some girl very happy one day.”
By Monday morning, Kyle’s twenty-four hour bug was gone, but she still felt like a zombie, either from the lack of anything substantial in her stomach or all the tears she’d shed over Jed. She couldn’t be sure. But she was relieved that she felt reasonably well enough to make it into the office and try to get in at least a half-day’s worth of work.
“Mornin’,” Toni greeted her from the front desk. Her dreadlocks were gone now in favor of a pixie cut of bleached blonde.
“Whoa.” Kyle stopped. “Good morning. Your hair looks great.”
Toni smiled. “Thanks. I get it done down at DaVonna’s. You ever think about trying something new?”
Kyle reached up and touched her customary ponytail. “Uh, I’m not sure?”
“Let me know if you want their number.” She sat down and started typing. “With your face, you could definitely go shorter and blonder.” She glanced up. “I’m just sayin’.”
“Hmmm. I’ll think about it.” She walked by to her office. “Thanks.”
She grabbed a cup of herbal tea and settled into her desk. She booted up her computer and began logging in that week’s accounts. Her hands automatically paused when she came to Gentry’s. Her eyes skimmed their purchases. They’d had a good month.
Malachi and Blaine came in and joked their way down the hall. They stopped at her door.
“Good morning, Sunshine.” Malachi smiled with his customary greeting to her.
“Good morning.” She looked up from her work. “Hi, Blaine.”
“Hey there. So a group of us are going to Mama Lupe’s later for lunch. Wanna join us?” Blaine asked.
The thought of Mexican food didn’t settle well with her still-healing stomach. “No, thanks. Not today. I think I’ll stick with soup. I had the bug that’s been going around over the weekend.” With a side of heartache.
“Bummer,” he commiserated with a grimace. “All right, then. Glad you’re feeling better.” Both men turned and headed off toward Malachi’s office.
Her workload kept her plenty busy for the next several hours. When she looked up, it was nearly lunchtime. People were gathering their things and heading out to eat. She grabbed a couple papers she needed copies of and made her way to the front lobby to use the copier behind Toni’s desk. She could heat up her chicken noodle soup once everyone had cleared out of the office.
Today, Toni had smooth jazz playing on her radio and Kyle found herself swaying to the melody as she waited for her copies. She closed her eyes for a moment and imagined being back with Jed. She imagined his face, his arms around her.
A breeze ruffled her hair as the front door opened, but she didn’t turn. It was probably the last of the crew heading out for lunch. She was too wrapped up in her fantasy anyway as she remembered the lake house and what it felt like to be pinned under his body on the dining room table.
“Well, well, fancy meeting you here,” purred an all-too-familiar voice, making Kyle’s eyes pop open as her blood ran cold.
Shit!
She spun around. “Kierstan? What are you doing here?”
“Hello, Kyle. And I’ve been just fine. You?” Kierstan smiled and sidled up to the small desk separating them. She leaned over, exposing her ample bosoms as they strained against her ever-present push-up bra.
Kyle swallowed before remembering that this was her turf now. She turned away and grabbed her copies. “What can I do for you, Kierstan?”
Kierstan straightened and backed up a step. “Nothing. I’m meeting someone,” she said, her voice suddenly softer, friendlier.
Kyle peered over her shoulder. “Meeting someone? Who?”
But before Kierstan could answer, Blaine ambled in, his smile lighting up the room. He grabbed Kierstan into a bear hug and sealed his lips over hers possessively. The scene was so intimate, Kyle felt the need to inch her way out of the room.
Before she could make her escape, Blaine pulled back, but kept his arms around Kierstan. “Kyle, you remember Kierstan from Gentry’s, of course?”
Kyle had no choice but to turn around. “Yes. How could I forget?” She smiled. “It’s so good to see you again.”
Kierstan actually laughed. “I’m sure.”
Blaine looked puzzled. “Well, I guess cat’s out of the bag now, huh, babe?” He leaned in and nipped her neck. He glanced back at Kyle. “Kierstan and I have been dating a couple of weeks now. Michael helped us hook up.” He gazed into her eyes like she’d hung the moon.
The weird part was, Kierstan actually seemed to return the feeling. She tilted her head and laughed again. A carefree laugh unlike anything Kyle had ever heard from her before. “It’s funny how something can be right in front of you forever, but it takes someone showing it to you before you see it. Don’t you think so?” She caught Kyle’s eye with a meaningful gaze.
Kyle nodded, feeling highly uncomfortable. “I suppose.”
“Well, I guess we’ll be off to meet everyone for lunch. See ya later?” Blaine asked.
“Sure.”
They turned, their arms entwined around each other’s waists and left. As Kyle watched them leave, she was sure she’d just witnessed a miracle.
Jed cranked up the loudest, angriest, heavy metal music he could find and pushed himself through a brutal workout to try and sweat out his frustration. It was too damn bad he was limited to working out his upper body, back, and right leg on the weights. His left leg would have to wait another four weeks for equal punishment.
What a damn idiot he was. He’d tried to listen to his mother and go to Kyle. He was even willing to tell her everything,
everything,
that had happened between him and Kierstan. Every down and dirty detail. Because he trusted her. And he thought she’d meant it when she said she loved him.
He hefted the bar in a bench press with a grunt. But no, there she’d been, half-naked with loverboy. He’d been a sucker. Again.
Fuckin’ A
.
Well, they could have each other. He was done with the whole mess.
Someone pounded on his door, but he ignored it. Same as he’d ignored every call on his cell for the past few days. He wasn’t in any mood to talk to anyone and Noble and Mike could handle the shop just fine without him.
He set the bar down and sat up to work on his lats. The pounding finally stopped, but only because Noble came strolling in with a Coke in his hand. Damn. He’d forgotten that he’d told him where the spare key was hidden.
“What’s up, dude?” Noble raised his voice over the thrashing metal pouring from the boom box.
He kept pulling the weights, making his back muscles burn. “Nothing.”
Noble walked over and turned down the music. “I’m surprised your neighbors don’t complain.”
Jed ignored him and kept pumping.
Noble sat next to him on the bench and watched him for a few reps. He sipped his drink. Finally, he asked, “So, you ever coming back to work? Or are you gonna keep sulking over a girl?”
Jed let the resistance band on the weights release with a loud
snap.
“I am not sulking. And fuck you.”
“Really?” Noble watched him hop on his good leg as he made his way to grab a water bottle. “Because I was thinking we could rename the place
Noble’s
as much as you’re having me run it these days.”
Jed eyed him as he took a huge gulp. As much as he wanted to pound Noble’s head in, he knew he was right.
“Come on, man, we need you back at work. Can’t you just kiss and make up?”
If only it were that easy. He chugged the rest of the water and tossed the empty bottle into the trash. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he lied.
“Oh, come on now. We’re better friends than that.” He looked him in the eye. “Don’t you fuckin’ lie to me, you son-of-a-bitch. This is about Kyle leaving and we both know it.”
Jed grabbed his crutches from the corner and leaned his weight on them. “It doesn’t matter now anyway.”
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter now?”
Jed started for the door and Noble stood to follow. “Because. Muffet is back with loverboy now. Right where she belongs.”
He just wished it didn’t hurt so damn bad.