Breathless (6 page)

Rita grasped
her daughter’s hands and held tight. “You listen to me. You’re
gonna stop feeling sorry for yourself. You took a while to see what
the rest of us have seen for years, but that doesn’t mean it’s too
late. She doesn’t have his ring on her finger. Until she does, he’s
fair game.”

Jasmine was
shocked by her mother’s advice. Rita’s old-fashioned values
dictated propriety and respect above all. She was the last person
Jasmine expected to advise her to try and lure Eli away from
Belinda. “I can’t believe you’re saying that.”

Rita smiled and
brushed the back of her hand over Jasmine’s cheek. “You know what
they say, Jamie. All’s fair in love and war.”

“I guess you’re
right,” Jasmine said, hugging her mother fiercely. “I just hope he
doesn’t wind up hating me for waiting so long to tell him how I
feel.”

***

Eli felt
restless when he left his parents’ home. He didn’t feel like
returning to an empty house and he wasn’t in the mood to talk to
Belinda. He wanted to talk to Jamie, but she was probably still
wrung out after her drunken binge the night before.

Eli was
standing at the bar at Jimmy’s, waiting to order a beer, when Brent
came up beside him. “Hey, man,” Brent said.

“Hey.” They
were civil because of their mutual respect for Ava, but Eli wasn’t
naïve enough to believe they’d ever be friends. Nor did he want to
be. Brent would always remind Eli of what he and Jamie could have
had. “Congratulations. I heard about your engagement. Can I buy you
a drink to celebrate?”

“Yeah, that
sounds good.” Brent pointed to a booth. “I was just waiting on my
buddy Tucker to show up. He’s building our new house, and there’re
a few things we need to go over.”

The
house.
The dream house Jamie had created with the hopes of one
day sharing it with Brent. Eli placed their drink order while Brent
filled him in on the plans for the house. Eli smiled politely,
pretending to be interested, but in his mind, he saw and heard
Jamie gushing over every detail and how it was everything she would
ever want in a home. Her dream home with her dream man. Eli had no
place in that picture, and the sooner he accepted that, the better
off he would be.

Walking over to
the table with their drinks, Brent asked, “How’s Jamie? I haven’t
seen her since she referred us to another architect.”

“She’s okay.”
Eli wouldn’t give Brent the satisfaction of knowing she’d been
drowning her sorrows less than twenty-four hours earlier because he
was marrying someone else. “Busy with work. You know how she
is.”

“I remember.
She’s almost as bad as I am.” Brent smiled. “Or should I say
was
? My beautiful fiancée is making sure I find a healthy
balance.”

“I’m glad to
hear that.” Eli tapped his beer bottle against Brent’s glass.
“Congrats on finding one of the last good women in this city.”

Brent winced.
“Cynical much, man?”

“I’m just tired
of the whole dating scene, ya know?” Brent knew Eli was using Ava’s
service, but the agency’s confidentiality agreement prevented her
from discussing details with him. “Ava introduced me to someone.
We’ve been out a few times.” Eli peeled the label from his beer
bottle, wondering why he was confiding in Brent, someone he’d hated
just a few short months ago.

“How’s that
working out?” Brent asked. “Y’all hitting it off, or what?”

“I don’t know.
I thought we were, until today.”

“What happened
today?”

“I introduced
her to my family.”

Brent held up
his hand and laughed. “Say no more. That’s usually the kiss of
death, or so I’ve heard.”

“I was hoping
she’d get along with them.”

“But it didn’t
go well?”

“No.” Eli
rubbed his eyes, wishing he’d just gone home. He’d thought he
needed to bend someone’s ear, but he wished he’d kept his mouth
shut. “She left before dinner. Apparently she started feeling sick
after Mama took the meat out of the oven.”

Brent raised an
eyebrow. “Come again?”

“She’s a
vegetarian.” Eli thought about all of the other things that left a
sour taste in his mouth. “And she doesn’t like dogs.” He tipped his
beer back and took a deep swallow. “She doesn’t care for kids much
either.”

“You do realize
you’re describing the exact opposite of Jamie, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess
she is.” Maybe that’s why being with her didn’t feel right.

“Is that the
kind of woman you told Ava you were looking for?” Brent held one
finger up to the waitress to let her know he was ready for another
drink.

“No. I don’t
know. Maybe.” He considered the forms he’d filled out and the
conversations he’d had with Ava. Had he given Ava the impression he
was looking for someone like Belinda instead of someone like Jamie,
or had she drawn her own conclusions?

Tucker walked
in, and Brent beckoned him over. Tucker shook hands with both men
before sliding in next to Brent. “This is a little too close for my
comfort,” Tucker laughed. “Why don’t we move to a table?”

Eli stood. “I’m
heading out. You take my spot.”

“Hey, I didn’t
mean to chase you away, man,” Tucker said.

“You didn’t.
I’m getting tired. It’s time to call it a night.” Eli turned to
Brent. “Thanks for listening. Believe it or not, it helped.”

Brent laughed.
“Who knows, now that we’re not competing for the same woman, we may
even learn to like each other, Rea.”

Eli grinned.
“Let’s not get crazy.”

***

Eli was trying
to fall asleep when the phone rang.
Belinda.
He thought
about ignoring it, but that wouldn’t be fair. She was probably as
upset about what happened at dinner as he was. “Hello.”

“Hey, Eli. You
weren’t sleeping, were you?”

“No, I was just
lying here.”

“Yeah, me too.”
After a brief pause, she asked, “What did your family say after I
left?”

“Not much.” He
knew he should amend that statement, so he said, “They were sorry
you had to leave.”

“I don’t
believe you, but it’s sweet of you to say.”

Eli knew he
couldn’t fool her into believing his family liked her when they
clearly didn’t. “Are you feeling better?” He hoped she would be
open to changing the subject. They had to talk about it, but he
wasn’t in the mood for any more drama. Those conversations
inevitably ended in tears, and he didn’t have the energy to console
a distraught woman.

“I am,
thanks.”

He rolled over
and slid his free hand under the pillow. “Do you have a busy week
coming up?” They’d been trying to get together at least once during
the week, but he was less enthused about the prospect.

“I do.” She
sighed. “Eli, I didn’t call to make small talk. Can we talk about
us?”

Oh no, here
it comes.
“To tell you the truth, I’m kinda tired, Belinda. Can
we talk about this some other time?”

“I have
feelings for you,” she said quietly. “I haven’t told you because I
didn’t want to rush things, and frankly, I wasn’t sure how you
felt.”

Eli wasn’t even
sure how he felt. He’d never been more confused. “I think you’re a
great girl…”

“But?”

“I’m not sure
I’m ready for anything serious.”

“Isn’t that the
reason you went to Ava? Because you were ready to settle down?
That’s what she told me. If that’s not true--”

“No, it is.”
His conscience wouldn’t let him throw Ava under the bus just to
spare himself an uncomfortable discussion.

“You just can’t
see yourself settling down with me. Is that it?”

Eli told
himself finding nice girls who weren’t interested in his status or
bank balance was difficult. He shouldn’t be so quick to cut Belinda
off. Maybe his family would grow to love her. Perhaps he could grow
to love her too. “I didn’t say that. I don’t know how I feel yet.
It’s too soon to tell.”

She exhaled.
“I’m glad to hear you say that. I thought you might be ready to
write me off after today.”

“I’m not making
any promises--”

“I’m not asking
you to.”

“I like you. I
like spending time with you, but I still don’t know if we’re
compatible as a couple.”

“I get that.”
She paused. “We have a lot more in common than you think, you
know.”

“What do you
mean?”

“We both wasted
too many years loving people who couldn’t love us back.”

He couldn’t
confide in her, of all people, about his relationship with Jamie.
“This has nothing to do with Jam--”

“Doesn’t
it?”

Eli was a
terrible liar, which was why he’d decided a long time ago not to
bother trying. “Fine, maybe it has something to do with her. She’s
been an important part of my life for a long time. I can’t just
turn my feelings off because I’ve met someone else.” When he
realized how that sounded, he tried to soften it. “I’m sorry. I’m
sure that’s not what you want to hear.”

“Don’t ever
apologize for being honest with me.” She laughed softly. “My ex had
a terrible habit of lying to me, especially about where he was.
It’s refreshing to meet a man who’s not afraid to tell the truth,
even when it hurts.”

“I don’t want
to hurt you.” He rolled onto his back and covered his eyes with his
forearm. He knew what it felt like to be the odd man out in a love
triangle. He didn’t want to put anyone else in that situation.

“I’m a big
girl, Eli. I can take care of myself. Believe me, my eyes are wide
open. I know you still have feelings for Jamie, and if she’d have
you, you’d probably be in her bed right now.”

That was a
visual Eli didn’t need if he hoped to get a wink of sleep. “Let’s
make a deal. No more talk of Jamie or your ex. We just give it a
little longer and see where this things takes us. What do you
say?”

“It’s a
deal.”

Jasmine was too
distracted to get any work done, so she slipped out of the office
on her lunch break. She hoped a little retail therapy would lift
her spirits, but as soon as she walked into Alisa’s, she wished she
hadn’t come to her favorite boutique. Ava spotted her and waved. If
Jasmine tried to leave, she would look as if she was avoiding
Brent’s fiancée because she was jealous. Which she wasn’t. Ava
could have Brent. It was Eli Jasmine was concerned about.

“Hey, Jasmine,”
Ava said, crossing the boutique. Ever since Jasmine visited Ava’s
office to give her the plans to Brent’s dream house, Ava had been
warm whenever their paths crossed.

“Congratulations on your engagement,” Jasmine said. What a
difference a couple of days could make. When Jasmine learned about
their engagement, she’d felt a sense of loss. She’d known she and
Brent would never find their way back to each other, but it was the
end of the dream. After her revelations, she realized Brent had
found exactly what he needed with Ava, and it was time for her to
do the same.

“You heard
about that, huh?” Ava rolled her eyes. “That’s one of the
disadvantages of having such a high profile boy--excuse me,
fiancé.”

Jasmine smiled,
half-expecting it to feel forced, but it didn’t. She was genuinely
happy for them. Maybe running into Ava was exactly what she needed.
“So, let’s see the ring.” A week ago, she would have been sick with
envy over the four-carat, pear-shaped solitaire. Instead, she only
admired its beauty.

“I told him it
was too big,” Ava said, blushing.

“There’s no
such thing.” Jasmine squeezed her hand. “It’s lovely, really. I’m
very happy for you.”

Ava looked
hesitant. “You’re taking this better than I would, Jasmine. If my
ex-fiancé were getting married, I don’t think I could be so
gracious.”

“I’m glad you
didn’t see me Saturday night. Believe me, it wasn’t pretty.”
Jasmine laughed as she thought about her pity-party.

Ava touched her
arm. “I understand. I’ve never been engaged before, but I’m sure
this can’t be easy for you.”

“Actually, it’s
easier than I thought it would be. I’ve accepted that it’s time to
let go. I should have had the good sense to let go a long time
ago.”

“I thought you
may have been ready when you came to my office to give me the
plans.”

“In my head I
was ready, but my heart wasn’t quite there. It is now.”

Ava smiled.
“I’m glad. Um, have you had lunch yet?”

“No. Why?”

“I was just
going to the deli across the street before I head back to the
office. Would you like to join me?”

“Sure, I’d love
to.” Jasmine hoped she could get some insight into the woman Eli
was seeing.

Ava gestured to
the racks around them. “If you want to do a little damage here
first, I don’t mind waiting.”

“That’s okay. I
can come back another time.”

They ran across
the busy street and into the deli. After placing their orders, they
snatched the last available table in the corner. The deli made
their sandwiches quickly and delivered them to the table.

“So, have you
and Brent set a date yet?” Jasmine asked before taking a bite of
her roast beef sandwich.

“Not yet. He
doesn’t want to wait, but I tried telling him these things take
time to plan.” Ava shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

Jasmine took a
sip of water to wash down the lump in her throat. When Brent had
been engaged to her, he always put off setting a date. Jasmine was
trying to be mature, it still stung to know Brent couldn’t wait to
take that walk down the aisle with Ava.

“Do you mind if
I ask you a personal question?” Ava asked.

“Um, I guess
not.” She wiped her mouth with a paper napkin, praying the question
didn’t have anything to do with her history with Brent. That would
just be too awkward.