Finding Jordie: Things aren't always what they seem. (The Love Lies Bleeding Series Book 1) (2 page)

“Yeah, well, it comes with the territory. You can’t do what I do and be a pussy. I’m Jordie. I’d shake your hand, but...” I held up my hand to show him the blood on it. I noticed the red splatter on my favorite mid-calf, light brown Uggs as well. “Well, shit, my boots are ruined.”

He let out a little laugh. “Jordie.” He furrowed his eyebrows slightly as if he was mulling over my name. “I’m Nathan.”

I reached into the pocket of my hoodie for my cigarettes. Not there. With a twitch of anger I remembered my stuff had been scattered all over. As they headed back inside Mike and Rachel stopped, and she handed me my keys, smokes, and lighter.

“Thanks.”

“I’m going back in.” Rachel eyed my face. “I’ll close up. Don’t worry. Go home, Jordie, I mean it. Get some ice on that shit. It’s busted pretty bad.”

“Okay.” I reached up to touch it again and winced.

She hugged me. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. Then one day to Sunday!” The excitement in her eyes made me giggle inside. “Yes! I. Can. Not. Wait!” She exaggerated each word. She spun and headed for the door, shaking her hips and teetering on her high heels. Mike followed right behind her, grinning and shaking his head.

I snorted with laughter, and my eyes shifted up to Nathan. He looked so confused.

“One Sunday a month is Cabaret Night here. Any excuse to dress up like a pretty little vixen makes Rachel a happy, happy woman.” I chuckled as he nodded with understanding and gave a small laugh himself.

Completely not giving a shit exactly how far away from the entrance I was, I pulled out a cigarette. Nathan offered me a light then lit his own smoke.

“So, Nathan, I’ve never seen you around here before. Are you fresh off the train from Grand Central?” I widened my eyes sarcastically.

“Nah, my friend is a musician. He came out here for two weeks from Cali and I tagged along to help him out and relax.” He messed with the button on his flannel.

I took a drag off my cig and let out a bit of laughter. “Oh yeah, how’s the relaxing part going so far?”

He turned his attention to me again and smiled before he spoke. It was almost as if he was waiting for something.

He’s definitely a weirdo.

“I’ll let you know when I get to that part.” He gave me a crooked grin and shrugged.

Oh my… hot.
“Yeah, New York City isn’t the place to go if you want a vacation. I’ve lived in Jersey and New York City most of my life. I’m still waiting to relax.” I wrapped my hoodie around my waist.

We stood there silently for a brief moment, but under his blue-eyed stare it seemed like forever.
What’s this guy’s deal? Is he waiting for me to say something? If he is I have no idea what. He is definitely strange. Gorgeous, but strange.

I broke free from my inner ramblings and glanced behind me at the group of people walking out the door. “All right, it was very nice to meet you, Nathan. Thank you for
trying
to save my ass tonight.” I smirked and nodded my head slightly. “If you decide to stop in again, drinks are on me.” I smiled—or tried to. Instead, I busted my lip wide open again. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your time here. I’m going to head home. I have a date with an ice pack.” I pointed to my bleeding lip with my keys.

When I reached past him to put my cigarette out on the wall, I grazed his arm and felt a little pull in my belly.
That’s… different.

“I should be going as well. Do you take the subway or a cab?” He crinkled his eyebrows with curiosity, and I couldn’t help but notice him in detail. His eyes were an amazing clear blue with the thinnest black outline. His hair was light copper brown, short on the sides, a bit longer on the top paired with the ‘I just rolled out of bed’ look. He had a perfect nose, a strong, square jaw, and great lips.

There’s no way he’s older than twenty-three, I’d say. He’s so good looking though—it’s distracting.
“Cabs and subways?” I sneered playfully, trying to get my mind back on his question. “I’m a city girl, Nathan. I hoof it.” I lifted my bloodstained boot up and let it drop back to the ground with a thud. “Besides I don’t live far from here.”

“Can I walk with you?” He scanned the street. “It’s almost two in the morning. I wouldn’t feel like much of a gentleman if I let you walk home alone. I mean, with that guy out there and all.”

Is this guy for real?
“I’ve managed just fine so far.” I answered him with a hint of discord in my voice. “Thank you, but uh... you could be the All Mighty Nut-Job and I’m going to spoon feed you my home address? I should at least make it a challenge for you, no?” I raised an eyebrow. “Besides, didn’t you have a friend with you?” I looked around.

“I did, but I think he walked off with the skirt-stuck-in-girdle girl.” He laughed and I couldn’t help laughing myself.

Wow, what a smile
. “Stop smiling like that. You
look
like a nut job.” I led the way down the sidewalk and turned left. We walked a few more yards in silence. Stopping short, I turned on my heel and tilted my head back to face him.

“So you’ve changed your mind about showing the nut job where you live after all, I guess?” His expression was a mixture of confusion and a scowl, but I could tell it was playful. His eyes were so distracting.

“Nope, you’ll be happy to know that you’ve safely walked me home... nut job.” I turned my attention to the doors in front of me.

His eyes followed mine. He shook his head and broke out in his wide-smile laugh again. “
This
is what you city girls call hoofing it?”

I gave him a smirk, trying to contain the smile that was about to break free. “Thanks again, fine sir. It’s good to know chivalry isn’t dead after all.”

“Jordie.” He nodded.

“Nathan.” I nodded back, still smirking.

As he walked away he put his hood up, his head down, and buried his hands into his pockets. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him until he was out of my sight.

I hurried up the steps, unlocked the door, and stared begrudgingly at the two flights of stairs. Right then I wished I’d opted for the first floor apartment and rented out the top floor instead.
Who am I trying to kid? I love my rooftop far too much to be that mad at myself.
With a sigh, I started the climb. As I unlocked the door to my apartment I could taste the fresh blood on my lip again.
That’s because you are a smiling fool.

“Shit.” I dropped my keys and smokes on the table and kicked the door shut to lock it. Groaning loudly, I tossed my hoodie on the couch and headed straight to the kitchen, not bothering to turn the light on. I grabbed an ice pack out of the freezer and placed that bad boy on my throbbing lip as I continued into the bathroom.

“Friggin’ asshole. I thought hipsters were all about art, coffee, and beanie hats.” I stared at myself in the mirror. “You’re a mess.” I examined my lip closely in the reflection.

Nathan’s face flashed in my mind, and it occurred to me
this
was what he was looking at.
To think I called him the nut job. He must think I’m certifiable by my actions alone. Forget about how I looked when we met
. My hair was disheveled, there was blood from my lip smeared to the bottom left of my chin, and my eyes were shadowed with some serious dark circles. I left the bathroom and made my way up the stairs to my bedroom, kicked off my boots, and stripped for a shower.

The hot water running down my back relaxed me and my mind began to drift. I couldn’t get this guy out of my head. Aside from his piercing blue eyes and that infectious smile of his, there was something different about him. Granted he was a bit weird, but then again I wasn’t one to talk. I’d been told I leaned to the odd side myself, being the socially shy, closed off to the world, bossy bitch that I was.

What was it about him that consumed my thoughts this way? I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt any interest in a guy. Was that what I was doing?
Jesus, Jordie it hasn’t been that long since you’ve been attracted to someone that you would forget what it feels like, has it?

Oh Lord, it has.

I finished arguing with myself as the water began to turn frigid, and stepped out clean, refreshed, and feeling silly. I had a tendency to over think things. I grabbed a towel and examined myself once again in the full-length mirror, this time giving myself a full body scan. I wasn’t skinny by society’s standards. Nor would I have wanted to be. I was a perfect size ten with curves.
Thank god I never lost ‘the girls’,
I thought, giving my bust a little push up. I’d worked hard to stay where I was.

Pleased with myself, I wrapped the towel around me and headed to my bedroom. It was two forty-five a.m. I turned the light off and climbed into my ever-so-welcoming bed.

Somewhere, a phone was ringing.

“Too early,” I mumbled as I was pulled out of my unconscious state. I dazedly looked at the clock. Nine forty-five a.m.
Holy shit. I slept in.
I closed my eyes again while my hand scrambled over the nightstand and tried to feel its way to the phone.

I finally wrapped my hand around the handset and pressed it to my ear. “Hello?” I managed to croak out groggily.

“Mommy?” It was my daughter Emma.

“Hi, sweetie, how are you?” I forced my eyes open and struggled to sit up.

“I’m good, Mom.”

I made the mistake of smiling, forgetting about my busted lip. “Ow.”

“You okay?”

“I’m good. I cut my lip last night, and it hurts is all. What are you doing today? How are Aunt Kelly and the kids?” I rubbed my eyes, a bit more conscious now. My sister Kelly took care of Emma for me on the weekends, so I could work. Shit, if it were up to her she’d have Emma all the time. She loved Emma like one of her own. Kelly, her kids, and Mark, Kelly’s husband, were the only family we had left.

“Everyone is fine, Mom. We’re going to the mall in a few.”

“Oh, fun stuff.” I yawned.

She sounded far older than her nine years of age, and I briefly wondered where the time had gone.

“Okay, Mom, gotta go. Aunt Kelly got worried when you didn’t answer your cell or the house phone earlier, so I decided to call you again.”

Shit, my cell phone.
I remembered my belongings being scattered all over the sidewalk last night. Rachel had only given me back my keys and smokes. “I guess I was really tired.”

“Yeah, I know you sleep like the dead, but you know her.”

“Yes, yes, I do.” I shook my head with a smile.

“Okay, Mom. See ya tomorrow.”

“Hey, Em, I lost my cell last night, so if you guys need anything I’ll be at the bar. Call me there.”

“Okay, I love you.”

“Love you too, angel face.” I hung up and let myself fall back into bed, smiling at the picture of Emma on my nightstand. There was no doubt whose child she was. Emma looked exactly like me—long, almost black hair, green eyes, and a smile identical to mine.

It was time to get this day moving. I dragged my ass to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, pulled my hair up in a half-assed bun, and headed downstairs. When I got to the kitchen the empty coffee container aggravated me more than it really should’ve.

“Fuuuuucckkkk, what a wonderful start to this day.” I slammed the coffee container into the trashcan. “Bad shit happens in threes. What’s next?” I wondered out loud.

I headed to the Starbucks a few blocks over to get my java fix and then walked back to the bar. It seemed like a shorter walk than usual. I guessed it was because that Nathan guy was totally consuming my thoughts again.

I searched the open area out front by the entrance, the sidewalk, under the small table sets, and near the railing for my phone. Aside from an unwrapped condom—
uh, gross
—an empty can of Red Bull, and a Twinkie wrapper, I didn’t find a thing.

“Well, at least someone had a good night.” I kicked the condom to the street with some unkind words about the asshole that hit me.

Memories flittered through my head as I passed through the bar, the half-mirrored wall with shelves stocked with a variety of shapes and colors of liquor bottles. Once upon a time, I had been a woo-hoo girl. Rachel and I had taken on that title with authority. We didn’t go to clubs and bars as frequently as we went to VIP parties for record labels, recording artists and concerts, particularly the ones of the boy band genre. We had some fantastic times together, she and I. I’d been so out of touch with the world since then.

I shook myself out of my train of thought, went back to my office, and tossed my keys on the large but cluttered wooden desk. The voicemail light on the phone was blinking, so I sat down in my office chair, fired up my relic of a PC, and hit speakerphone to retrieve the messages.

I rolled my eyes and erased the first three messages, all telemarketers. “Why the hell did I enroll in this do not call list if they just keep on calling?” My mouth dropped open as the fourth message began to play.

“Uh, yeah, this message is for Jordie, this is Nathan... the nut job.” He laughed nervously. “I wanted to let her know that I found her phone.” He paused. “At least I’m assuming it’s her phone although I have no way of knowing if it’s hers or not.” He paused again and let out a nervous chuckle. “I brought it back into the bar and left it with the bartender. I hope if it’s hers she gets it back. Okay, thanks. Bye.” He lingered on the line for a moment before he hung up.