Misunderstandings (16 page)

Present Day

I woke the next morning in my hotel room, feeling better than I had in two years. Lying in bed, I allowed myself the luxury of enjoying the moment. Maybe now, once and for all, I could finally put the past behind me. I knew I’d never forget about the baby, but maybe I could let go of some of the grief.

My phone chimed, letting me know I had a text message. I smiled when I saw it was from Tressa, yelling at me for not returning all her texts from the previous day. Instead of trying to text all the drama from the day before, I dialed her number. It took more than an hour to fill her in on everything that had transpired. She huffed and cursed her way through how Rob had tricked me but laughed hysterically when she heard about
the elevator getting stuck. She grew quiet as I explained everything that had gone down with Justin.

“How do you feel now?” she asked when I finally ran out of steam.

“Relieved, but I still feel like a Mack truck ran over my chest. You know how I hate to talk about everything that happened.”

“He’s still a total asshole for what he did to you. He’s lucky I never flew there. Otherwise, he’d be dickless now.”

“He’s different now. Harder, I guess. I think the whole situation changed him.”

“Yeah, well, you’re different too. He made you go through a tough-ass situation all alone,” Tressa snipped, not ready to give up her grudge against him.

“I know. Believe me, I let that be known. Now, tell me what’s going on there. How did Ashton’s first date go with Panty Dropper?”

Tressa laughed at my question. “Just put it this way, luck has not been on their side. The first night they went out, Mr. Hot Voice ended up in the hospital.”

“What?” I laughed as Tressa filled me in on all the details surrounding our friend Ashton’s disastrous attempts at a one-night stand. Tears of mirth rolled down my face when she told me about Ashton taking a nosedive on her bedroom floor right before her date. Then he walked in on her with her panty-covered butt in the air.

“Poor Ashton,” I said, wiping the tears from my cheeks from laughing so hard. “I wish I were there.”

“Whatever. You’re too busy shacking up with your ex to miss us.”

“I’m not shacking up with him,” I denied.

“It’s only a matter of time. The hard edge you used to have when you talked about him is missing from your voice. Just don’t let the asshole hurt you again, or I’ll overcome my fear of flying and drown him in the Pungent Sound.”

“Puget Sound,” I corrected.

“Whatever. You knew what I meant, and you catch my drift.”

“I understand, but you have nothing to worry about. The only thing that happened yesterday is that Justin and I finally have no secrets and now we can move on. Who knows, maybe we can even be friends.”

“Translation of ‘friends’ for you: He’s so dreamy. Translation of ‘friends’ for him: I can’t wait to stick it in her.”

“Don’t be crude, and you’re so wrong,” I denied.

“Just be careful.”

“I will. Trust me, nothing is going to happen.

Tressa mumbled something I couldn’t quite catch but loosely sounded like I needed a hard smack to the side of the head.

I ignored her mumblings and told her to text me updates on Ashton and Panty Dropper before hanging up. Checking the time on my phone, I cringed when I realized I had less than half an hour until Melissa would be arriving to pick me up. I hastily plugged my cell into the charger, since talking to Tressa had drained the battery. I was applying my makeup ten minutes later when a knock at my door told me Melissa was early. “Shit,” I said, wrapping one of the minuscule towels
from the bathroom around my torso before heading to the door.

“You’re a little early,” I griped as I pulled open the door. It wasn’t Melissa. Justin’s broad frame was standing in front of me. Yelping with dismay, I clutched what little towel there was before glancing down to make sure it was covering all the appropriate areas. “What are you doing here?” I stuttered out.

“Melissa got called in to work for some paperwork fiasco, so I volunteered to pick you up so we can meet her and Rob for lunch,” he answered, entering my room without waiting for an invitation. “Is that okay?” he asked, sitting on the edge of my bed.

“Uh, sure,” I answered, trying not to sound flustered, even though he was sitting on my bed. For some reason, it felt oddly intimate. Old memories, I’m sure. “I just have to get dressed,” I answered, pawing through my suitcase in a mad attempt to find something that would cover me better than my towel.

“I figured. Towels are so out in the fashion industry,” he teased.

I didn’t know how to respond. Sure, during dinner last night I’d seen him open up more, showing me that some of the guy I once knew was still there, but I chalked it up to the fact that Rob and Melissa had been there as a buffer. He wasn’t flirty like the old Justin, but he was at least friendly.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, clutching my clothes in front of me and backing up to the bathroom.

“No hurry. We still have a while until we have to meet Melissa and Rob,” he answered.

I sagged against the door once it was closed. Having Justin in my room was enough to send my blood pressure through the roof.

I pulled on my panties and jeans with jittery fingers, telling myself it was fine that he was here. Once my pants were in place, I felt a little more comfortable now that I wasn’t completely naked. That is, until I reached for my bra, only to realize I’d left it in my suitcase. Biting back a groan of frustration, I weighed my alternatives. I could walk out there in my jeans with the towel wrapped around my chest or I could put on my shirt and walk out to get my bra. Neither option seemed ideal. Knowing Justin as well as I used to, he would definitely think this was a “check me out” ploy. I was screwed either way.

After a full two minutes of weighing the pros and cons, I decided to go with option B. Of course, it was only after I was pulling on my shirt that I realized I had grabbed a fitted T-shirt that hugged my curves. Sighing at the look I was sporting, I left the bathroom with my arms crossed over my chest as I tried to keep the front of my body angled away from Justin.

“Sorry, I’m just about ready,” I said, not wanting to make a further spectacle of myself by sprinting the last few feet to my open suitcase, where my bra was dangling halfway out. I maneuvered my body so the suitcase was no longer in Justin’s line of vision. Reaching a hand out, I snatched the offending undergarment into my hand, which turned out to be a bad idea since it was snagged on something in my suitcase. My hard tug made it come free with a loud snapping sound as it whacked me in the face.

I silently mumbled a string of curses, trying to control my watering eyes.

“You okay there?” Justin asked, sounding like he was trying to suppress laughter. It was at that moment I looked up from my suitcase and met Justin’s reflective stare in the mirror. His eyes were filled with merriment as I clutched the bra in my closed fist.

“I’m fine,” I answered, ignoring the fact that I was now sporting a welt on my forehead. I tried to remain aloof as I kept my chin up and stalked to the bathroom with my lips twitching. Closing the door behind me, I could hear Justin’s chuckles and I couldn’t help laughing at myself. I finished getting ready and before I knew it, we were leaving the room together. My heart skipped when he led me past the elevators toward the flight of stairs. Usually, I requested a ground-floor room, but the hotel had been almost completely booked at the time I checked in. Last night I had gladly hoofed it up the four floors to my room. Seeing Justin bypass the elevators played with my emotions.

We took our time walking down the stairs, exchanging the typical pleasantries. It felt awkward considering our history, but it was better than fighting. We exhausted the topic of weather after the first flight of stairs and Rob and Melissa’s engagement party the rest of the way down.

Everything stood still for me as Justin stopped in front of an achingly familiar vehicle.

“Your jeep,” my voice cracked.

“I figured since there was a break in the rain, I’d celebrate by taking off the roof and doors. I hope you don’t mind?” he
asked. Based on the small smile on his face, he knew I would approve.

“Sure,” I said, climbing into the vehicle. I kept my face neutral, although emotionally I was soaring.

Justin cranked the jeep, and it was as loud as I remembered. Within minutes, we were able to leave the city behind. The wind whipped around, stinging my face with familiarity. I was enjoying the ride so much it took ten minutes before I thought to question our destination.

“I figured we’d take the scenic route,” Justin yelled over the wind.

It felt like taking a trip to the past. My mind became flooded with memories and images of the good times we had shared. We were half an hour out of the city when Justin pulled onto an embankment and whipped a U-turn. The tires spun out on the gravel before gripping the road, taking us back in the direction we’d just come from. I didn’t comment, figuring he was a bit turned around. Thirty minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant less than a block from my hotel.

“Scenic route, huh?” I smiled.

“Well, it was scenic for me,” he answered softly.

Pulling down the visor, I inspected my reflection, startled by how happy I looked. It had been a long time. Two years, to be exact. I remembered my conversation with Tressa and wondered if I was setting myself up for heartache.

“You’re late.” Melissa greeted us outside the restaurant.

“We took the long way,” I said, nodding toward Justin.

Melissa returned a questioning look before speaking up. “Oh, well, come on. Rob’s already inside.”

We found Rob sitting at a booth and before I could react, Melissa slid in next to him. I stood for a moment, eyeing the empty side of the booth across from them.

“You want me to slide in first?” Justin asked.

“Huh, oh yeah,” I giggled, trying to play off the awkwardness as a joke. I could handle this. We had just ridden next to each other in his jeep. Of course, we had bucket seats with a gearstick separating us, but technically it was the same thing, right? I could almost picture Tressa snorting at my reasoning.

“Is everything ready for tonight?” Justin asked, draping his arm along the back of our booth. I shifted in my seat, rubbing the goose bumps that had popped up along my arms.

“I think so. Brittni and I have an appointment set at the salon while you guys do all the heavy setup,” Melissa bragged.

“Oh, so let me get this straight, we get the grunt work while you two get pampered?” Rob mocked.

“Damn straight, but you’ll reap the benefits when my nails and hair are all pretty,” she said, running her fingers seductively over his bicep.

“Works for me,” Rob answered, dipping a tortilla chip into the salsa the waitress had set down.

“Oh brother,” I muttered, rolling my eyes dramatically.

Justin laughed outright.

“What?” Melissa asked confused.

“You getting out of work by insinuating your nails will somehow benefit Rob,” I answered.

“Are you saying you’d rather lug around tables and chairs all afternoon?” she asked.

“Hell no, but I’m not too shy to tell the guys flat-out they’re doing the grunt work.” I smirked, dipping my own chip.

Justin and Rob both laughed, while Melissa looked insulted.

“You’re supposed to be on my side here. Not three against one.”

“I am, Mels,” I answered, patting her hand.

After the waitress took our orders, the conversation floated from one topic to the next. We discussed our jobs, or job-in-waiting in my case. Melissa had lucked out and found a job as an assistant to an assistant.

“What if you don’t get a permanent spot at your school in Woodfalls?” Rob asked me.

“I guess I’ll have to commute to whatever school I can find a position at, or just move there. Hopefully it’s a moot point since one of the older teachers is supposed to be retiring soon and her position is basically mine.”

“Is it the grade you want?” Melissa asked, digging into her enchilada.

“No,” I sighed. “But I’ll take what I can get initially.”

“Bummer. Maybe you should move back here. I know Melissa would love to have her best friend closer,” Rob commented.

Without looking at Justin, I was well aware that the statement had stopped him in midbite. Melissa looked at Rob with a mixture of horror and exasperation as her eyes darted between Justin and me.

“Hon, stop kicking me. It’s not like I’m suggesting something ridiculous. Justin and Brittni are no longer enemies, so why shouldn’t she move back to Seattle?” he asked, seeing nothing wrong with his logic.

“Because I have a life back home, Rob. I can’t just up and leave.”

“So you’re telling me you have the job you want and a home you like to go to every night?” he quizzed.

“Well, not yet, but there are other things in Woodfalls,” I said, very much aware that Justin and Melissa had given up all pretenses of eating while Rob drilled me.

“Like what?” Rob asked, unconcerned, as he took a big bite of his taco.

“My mom and friends, for one.”

“So you and your mom are close now?” His ploy for nonchalance was broken when Melissa kicked him hard enough for all of us to hear.

“Look, I’m not dumb, so you can stop kicking him, Melissa, before you do permanent damage,” I said dryly. “It’s not feasible for me to pack up and move across the country right now just because Justin no longer thinks I’m Satan’s mistress,” I added. It sounded harsher than I intended, but Rob had forced me into a defensive posture. Justin’s only response was to start eating again.

Melissa looked like she wanted to comment but said nothing. An awkward silence settled over our table that lasted through the rest of the meal. I felt bad that I had ruined the
mood, but Rob had backed me into a corner. Relieved when the check came, I was the first to slide out of the booth after we paid.

Once we were outside, I waited by Melissa’s car while she kissed Rob good-bye. I had the distinct feeling she was still ribbing him for drilling me by the way they both glanced my way. I acted ignorant while I checked my phone for missed messages. I had several texts from Tressa with more Ashton updates. I was smiling as I read them when Melissa joined me.