The Best Kind of Trouble (24 page)

Nathan.

A very angry Nathan.

His eyes were narrowed, his jaw clenched, and his fist wrapped around a bottle so tight, I was sure it would shatter into tiny shards at any moment.  His stare was possessive. He practically vibrated, trembled with jealous rage.

My first instinct was to get defensive. I returned his angry stare with one of my own.

There is nothing sexy about jealousy.  Maybe if he hadn’t been such an idiot, a coward, as Colin had said, than he’d have nothing to be jealous of.

My thoughts turned to Caleb. To his quiet confidence.

He wasn’t afraid of losing me.
Was that because he knew I was his or because he knew I’d never be? Or because he didn’t want that with me?

My mind spun in circles.

Despite my anger and my whirling thoughts, I noticed every little detail about him, roving my eyes over his too familiar features.

Like a thirsty man in a desert, I drunk him in. His strong jaw, broad shoulders, his messy brown hair and sharp blue-gray eyes.

The intensity I found there made a shiver run down my spine.

Even with my anger, my repulsion at his jealous, angry stare, and deep seeded hurt where Nathan was concerned, my body instantly reacted.

Goosebumps erupted along my flesh, and heat unfurled low in my belly.  My fingers itched at my sides.

I was shocked at how real and raw, how close to the surface my emotions were concerning Nathan.

And in that moment, I knew.

I still had feelings for him.

And somehow, someway, I was going to have to face them.

I swallowed hard.

Face them and move on.

With Caleb.

Caleb.

“Make him fight for you, Ashley,” Colin’s voice jolted me back, the sounds of the bar instantly returned.

I turned my eyes back to him. He slid a drink across the table to me, his eyes pinned me to the spot.

“But, give the guy a break, too,” he continued. He smiled wide. “Let him see you smile one more time before you walk away.”

Colin kissed me on the cheek and then disappeared into the thick crowd.

In that moment, I realized the opposite of love isn’t hate. It’s indifference.

I turned back to the bar, but Nathan was gone.

A very familiar feeling gripped me.

I grabbed the dark amber liquid in front of me and slammed it back relishing the burn and the heat.

~000~

It took me a week to gather the courage to get on a flight and go to San Diego.

A week in which Caleb still never called.

And Nathan never showed up. 
Maybe he was tired of chasing me.

I felt pathetic and stupid for assuming he would.

When I finally stepped onto the plane, with a half-baked plan in motion, my heart wouldn’t stop hammering. It pounded hard against my rib cage, the echo whooshed in my ears.

Instead of turning and running, a new steal determination straightened my spine. I sucked in a deep steadying breath.

I was a hot mess. My whole life was a hot mess.

And the only place I could think to start to get it all worked out, was in San Diego.  With a pair of stormy blue-gray eyes, staring trouble in the face.

Courtney B. Jones grew up in Texas where she still lives with her husband and their two kids. She is a recent college grad and an elementary school teacher.

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