My First - Jason & Katie (25 page)

She waited to see if Jason would at least give her a nod of agreement, since apparently the cat had his tongue. But no. Not even the smallest gesture of encouragement.

Fine, then. She didn’t need him! She could do this all by her lonesome.

“You told me that you never did anything with those girls, either in or out of your truck, and I know you don’t lie.”

She took a deep breath. She had a feeling that if she pursued this, she would be passing a point that she couldn't come back from. She would be opening up a strange new can of worms that could never be closed.

Well, she thought, so be it. Better an ugly truth than a beautiful lie.

Honestly, none of this would bother her so much if the girls hadn’t been giving her the
strangest
looks when they offered up their answers. It was such a weird vibe that they were sending, and she just couldn’t drop it.

She continued building her logic proof.

“And you and Nick were the only two with black trucks.”

Oh no. A sick feeling welled up in her stomach.

“So if you didn’t do anything, then…wait. Are you saying that NICK did all of those things with those girls?! That it was his truck? Are you saying Nick cheated on me?” Katie demanded answers.

“I’m not saying anything! I haven’t said a word during this entire investigation, Sherlock. That’s all you,” Jason sounded mad.

Why would HE be mad?

“Jason, I’m serious. Tell me. Is that what happened. Did Nick cheat on me?”

She couldn’t believe those words had actually just come out of her mouth.

She waited, but Jason didn’t reply. He just stared straight ahead.

“Jason! Answer me. Did Nick cheat on me?” Although she was striving to stay calm, she heard the strain coming through in her voice.

“Katie, it was a long time ago,” Jason said resignedly, “just leave it alone.”

“Seriously! You KNOW that’s not going to happen!” She was furious. Why wouldn’t he just put her out of her misery? Was this some kind of a sick joke to him?

“This isn’t a joke, Jason, and it’s not funny! Come on, Jason, tell me! Yes or no?”

“It’s not my place to say,” Jason set his jaw in that stubborn way he had, and Katie could tell that he had no plans to tell her anything. This infuriated her even more.

“What are you talking about? Of course it is! You were Nick’s best friend and my…my…” her voice trailed off.

He took his eyes off the road briefly to meet her gaze.

“I was your what?” he asked softly, and his voice was low, harsh...almost dangerous in its intensity.

At the tone of Jason's words, she felt a jolt...um, let’s just say...below the belt.

God, she must be losing her mind! Only a crazy person would get turned on in the middle of
this
conversation.

Her breathing was starting to get very labored, and her head was spinning. Oh, LORD, she was about to have a panic attack.

No! There was no way she was going to let that happen. Not before she got some answers, at least. She opened her mouth to speak but Jason beat her to it.

“I was your what, Katie?” he asked again, this time without the same edge to his voice, but with a lot more melancholy.

“You were my…you are my,” she hesitated, searching for the words. She didn't know how to explain, how to make it clear, everything that Jason was to her.

“My…Jason.
”

When he heard her say that he was ‘
her
Jason’ his heart felt like someone had reached inside his chest and was squeezing it like a lemon.

It broke his heart to think that he was going to be the one to tell her this, but at this point he figured it was like ripping off a Band-Aid - quick and fast was the best way.

“Yes, Nick cheated on you,” he stated matter-of-factly. He waited for her to cry, to yell...to do something.

But she just stared at him. He kept glancing over at her, still trying to focus on the road as well.

“And you knew. The whole time.” This was more statement than fact.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice was almost a whisper.

He raked his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. He really did not want to be having this conversation with her.

“Because, Katie, it was complicated.” he said, resigned.

“How 'complicated' is it to say, ‘Hey Katie, you know Nick has slept with half the female population of Harper’s Crossing?' Doesn't seem that complicated to me,” she looked at him, fastening those big blue eyes firmly on him. He wanted to explain, he did...but how?

Ah screw it. He figured he might as well start at the beginning. It would be the only way she might even
sort of
understand.

“Remember the summer between freshman and sophomore year that you spent at your Grandma’s in Chicago?”

“Yes. Nick and I talked every day,” she said, nodding defensively.

“Well, one night about a week before you came home, we went to a party at David Price’s house and we drank, a lot. I left with Krissy that night and I didn’t see who Nick left with, but the next day he came over and said that he and Tiffany had hooked up.”

He thought he would give her a moment to let the information sink in. She didn’t choose to take it.

“And?” she demanded stridently.

He sighed in resignation, he knew she would want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

“And I told him he needed to break up with you. He said he couldn’t, that he loved you. I said that if he wasn’t going to break up with you, then he at least needed to tell you what had happened. After some convincing, he agreed.

“You came home that Friday, and I really do believe that he was planning on telling you. But, remember his mom made that big dinner, and you were so happy to be home, and happy to see his family. He couldn’t do it. He promised he would tell you the next day, but the next day turned into the next week, the next week turned into the next month. And he never told you.

“As far as I know he didn’t cheat again until the next summer when we were all up at the lake. Remember that lifeguard, Britney? Well, he hooked up with her. He said it wouldn’t happen again because we were leaving. I believed him.

“Once our junior year was in full swing I heard things about what he had been up to and confronted him. He admitted he had been seeing some girls, I told him that if he didn’t tell you, I would. He promised he would.

“I don’t know, Katie. Time kept passing and he never said anything...and I just didn’t want to burst the bubble of happiness you were living in.”

Katie was quiet. Jason wasn’t sure if she was thinking and would rather be left alone, but he didn’t want her to shut him out again.

“Katie, talk to me.”

“What do you want me to say, that I was an idiot? That I was a fool? God, Jason did everyone at school know? Was it some big joke?” she asked.

“I don’t think that many people knew. The girls didn’t want it getting around and honestly it was only a handful of them. And you were not an idiot. You had a boyfriend you trusted, that doesn’t make you an idiot. If anyone was an idiot it was Nick!” Jason paused a beat, and then added quietly, “Honestly, I never knew how he could even look at anyone else when he had you.”

Even in her heightened emotional state, Katie couldn't help but be soothed by the gorgeous greenery that surrounded Whisper Lake, as well as the quaint downtown area that they had to drive through in order to get to the hotel.

This place had always been where she had come to heal her soul, and maybe it could do its work again this time. She hoped so.

As they stepped out of the truck, she breathed in the clean mountain air and let it revitalize her. She felt it refreshing her body as it refreshed her spirit, and she gave in completely to its ability to do so.

Katie thought about what she had learned on the drive. Well...continued to think would be more accurate. After the big ‘reveal’ she had told Jason she had a headache and wanted to take a nap, and had sat with her eyes closed for the last hour of the drive, faking sleep.

She realized during that meditative interlude that she wasn’t even mad at Nick, really. Maybe it was because so much time had passed - and since he was gone, it’s not like she could confront him about it, anyway – but, really, she wasn’t devastated, or even upset, that he had been with other girls.

She was mainly mad that Jason had kept it from her. She had always trusted him, and it felt like he had betrayed that trust. She knew logically that he was not the one to blame but it still stung.

As she and Jason walked up to the hotel lobby, Katie texted Sophie to let her know that she had arrived, and to ask how Sophie was feeling. Sophie texted back that she was feeling much better and that she would see her soon for massages and facials.

When Katie looked up from the text exchange, she saw Jason walking towards her with two card keys in his hands. “Got us all checked in!” he smiled cheerfully, “Come on. You're on the third floor. I'll carry your bags.”

Katie smiled back weakly. She wasn't over being mad at him yet...but DANG IT she did like how he was always thinking of her needs, taking care of her...why did he have to be so infuriatingly gallant?

When they arrived at the door to her hotel room, Jason inserted the key and held the door open for her. After she had walked inside, he smiled and placed her bags just inside the door.

He gave her a quick hug and said, “OK, Kit Kat, I'm gonna go and get settled in my room. Text or call if you need anything, OK?”

She nodded, feeling torn. As mad as she was right now, she didn't want to see him go. Still, she let him walk away down the hall without saying anything.

Katie spent a few minutes exploring the hotel room. She poked around in the empty drawers, unpacked a few of her items of clothing, and hung some of her dresses in the closet. She looked in the bathroom, opened up the tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner and smelled them. She pulled aside the drapes and spent a few minutes gazing down on the people hustling and bustling through the courtyard that her room had a view of.

She stood in the middle of the room and sighed. She was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic in here. She decided to head downstairs to check out the hotel grounds. She pocketed her key and grabbed her purse, heading out the door and down the hall. Even though she was only planning to walk around the hotel and surrounding landscaped areas, she still couldn't help feeling the small flutter of excitement that accompanies exploration of new territories.

Even if it was just a hotel she had never been to before, she was headed out into the great unknown!

While she was passing through the lobby, she saw a familiar face at the check in desk. She walked up and slung an arm around the shoulders of her diamond friend, and the two of them chatted as Chelle got herself checked in.

“So, where's David?” Katie asked, careful not to let the cheerful tone in her voice waver.

“Oh, he couldn't make it. He had to work at the last minute. But, that's OK, because I was able to bum a ride with Eddie so I didn't have to drive by myself.”

“Well, that's good,” Katie smiled and then gave her friend an impromptu hug, “I'm so glad you're here, Chelle! I'm so glad we're reconnecting!”

Chelle returned the hug, and when she pulled back, she looked directly into Katie's eyes. Katie thought she saw uncertainty there.

Chelle said hesitantly, “Look, there's something that I need to talk to you about.”

“OK,” Katie agreed readily.

“Umm...maybe we should go sit down,” Chelle replied, and the two of them settled onto one of the comfortable couches in the lobby.

As soon as they were seated, Katie asked, “Are you pregnant?”

Chelle laughed nervously and said, “No, I wish that was all it was.”

Katie took her friend's hand, “Look, whatever it is, just tell me. It's better to know something than not to know it, even if it's unpleasant to hear.”

Chelle nodded and took a deep breath, then dove in, saying, “Look...I don't like to tell stories out of school, but I really think that you need to know this before you see everyone at the wedding tomorrow.”

Katie nodded.

Chelle plowed forward, “Here's the thing. After you left The Grill last night, I overheard Tiffany and Kylie talking about how awkward it was for them to be taking shots in front of you...when it was about stuff they had done with Nick.”

Chelle looked scared, and then blurted out, “Don't shoot the messenger, OK?”

Katie let out a wry bark of laughter. She said, “If I was going to shoot the messenger, I'd have to start with myself. I already figured that out, and then confirmed it. Apparently Nick cheated quite a lot during our relationship, a fact of which I was blissfully and stupidly unaware.”

“Not stupidly,” Chelle corrected.

Katie smiled a small, sad smile, “Thanks for saying that. I can't help but feel like an idiot, but thanks for telling me I'm not.”