Over You (8 page)

Dr. Davis glanced at Jessica, then looked at Ellen. “I know both of you are concerned, but let me reassure you that the skilled nursing facility where you will be, Ellen, is excellent. And keep in mind that the purpose of sending you there is more than just caring for the infection, but also to provide daily physical therapy.”

“How long will she need to be there?” Jessica asked.

Dr. Davis turned to Jessica. “I would expect her to be there for no more than two weeks.”

Hearing him explain it made Jessica feel a little better, and as she watched Ellen’s face, she thought Ellen seemed more comfortable with the idea as well. Once he left, Jessica visited with her aunt a while longer, then she said good-bye and left.

Going back to the empty house didn’t appeal to her, so Jessica decided to stop by a local restaurant to have dinner. As she drove down the main street, memories of her previous stays filled her mind and she realized that she and Kyle had eaten at every restaurant at least once. Sighing in resignation, Jessica pulled up to a Mexican place that had always been a favorite and went inside. They seated her in a booth near the back, which suited her fine. It had been a long and emotional day and all she wanted was to enjoy her meal and not have to think for a while.

She ordered a quesadilla and while she waited for the food to come, she munched on chips and salsa. When the server placed her meal in front of her, she felt her stomach rumble in anticipation. Focusing on eating, she didn’t pay attention to the people who entered the restaurant, but when she heard a familiar voice, her eyes shifted from her plate to the front of the restaurant where a good-looking couple waited to be seated.

Lowering her head and placing her hand against her forehead to shield her face from view, Jessica surreptitiously watched as Kyle and a gorgeous blond woman chatted and laughed. After a moment the couple was led to a table in the middle of the room. Jessica willed herself to be invisible as Kyle and the woman walked to their table and sat. When Kyle took his seat, his back was to Jessica, and she released her held breath in relief.

Trying not to be obvious, Jessica studied the woman sitting across from Kyle. She appeared to be about Jessica’s age and her blond hair looked natural. She had a dazzling smile, with perfectly straight white teeth and when she smiled her entire face lit up. The blouse and slacks she wore showed off her shapely figure. Jessica wondered if the woman was a model, but then imagined she was probably beautiful
and
smart and was probably a successful businesswoman.
 

Picking at her quesadilla, Jessica suddenly had no appetite. Here she sat, pathetically all alone, eating her dinner, while the man she had once been planning to marry sat nearby with a spectacular looking woman, having a great time. Jessica wondered if this was the woman Kyle had been talking to on his cell phone the other day.

As she watched them interact, she felt like someone was using a spoon to scoop out pieces of her heart.

“How is your meal, miss?”

Jessica looked up at her server, but stared at him, trying to understand what he was asking. After a moment she said, “It’s fine.”

“Can I get you anything else?”

“No. Thank you.”

He walked away and suddenly Jessica wanted nothing more than to escape the restaurant and the awful feelings she was having. The only problem was, how could she leave without walking right past Kyle? The last thing she wanted was for him to see her there, all alone, and feel sorry for her. It would be humiliating.

Chapter Ten

Jessica sipped her water as she thought about how to leave without Kyle noticing her.
 

It might not be too hard, she thought as she observed Kyle and the woman. Kyle seemed to have eyes only for her. He probably wouldn’t notice me unless I walked up to his table and tapped him on the shoulder.

Scowling at the thought, Jessica pushed her plate away.

“Would you like a box, miss?”

Jessica looked at the server and realized she couldn’t hide there forever. “No, but I’m ready for the check.”

“Would you care for any dessert?”

“Oh, uh, yes.” Jessica smiled, realizing that having dessert would give her a reason to stay in the booth a little longer.

The server handed her a menu. “Would you like a minute to decide?”

“Yes, thank you.” Jessica watched the server walk away, and then glanced at the choices before turning her attention back to Kyle and his date.

I wonder how long they’ve been dating. How important is she to him? Then a thought came to her that made her inhale sharply.
What if she is his fiancée?
 

Hot tears filled her eyes and Kyle and his date blurred. Picking up a napkin, she dabbed at the tears clouding her vision

“Have you decided, miss?”

Barely holding herself together, Jessica stared at the dessert menu as she spoke. “The chocolate flan.” Scarcely glancing at the server, she handed him the menu.

“I will have that out to you shortly.”

Jessica nodded, but didn’t speak. The moment the server walked away, she scrutinized Kyle and the woman more closely. Each time they gazed into each other’s eyes, Jessica cringed. When Kyle took the woman’s left hand, Jessica strained to see if a ring adorned her ring finger, but she couldn’t see clearly.

The server materialized next to her table and set the cold dessert in front of her.

“Thank you,” Jessica said, giving him a smile this time.

“You are welcome.”

As he walked away, Jessica saw that the blond woman was approaching her table. Alarmed, Jessica turned her attention to her food. Using her peripheral vision, she watched as the woman walked past, never acknowledging Jessica’s presence.

She must be going to the restroom, she realized, feeling foolish for having thought the woman was coming to her table.

Lifting her gaze to Kyle’s table, Jessica saw he was still sitting and eating his meal.

What if he needs to use the restroom? Jessica thought. There’s no way he wouldn’t see me. If he knows I don’t have someone as crazy about me as he seems to be for his date, will he feel sorry for me? The idea made her head pound; she couldn’t abide the thought of him knowing she was alone. Even though she had just broken up with Alex, that didn’t change the fact that she was single now. Yet there he was, perfectly happy with another woman. His life had gone on just fine without her.

Desperate now to leave the restaurant without him seeing her, she frantically looked around for a solution. When she saw her server, she motioned him over.

“Yes, miss?”

“This is going to sound strange, but do you have a back door I can leave through?”

His eyebrows drew together. “It is for employees only.”

Jessica nodded. “I know, but this is kind of an emergency.”

Looking uncertain, the server hesitated. “I don’t know . . .”

Jessica bit the inside of her lip, then reached for her purse. “How much is the bill?”

The server pulled his notepad out of a pocket and told her the amount.

Lifting her wallet from her purse, Jessica grabbed triple the amount and held it out to him. “Please.”

Taking the money from her hand, he glanced around. “This way please.”

“Thank you.” Pure relief filled her voice. She followed him as he walked toward the bathrooms. Just as they passed the door to the Ladies room, the blond woman walked out and ran into Jessica.

The woman flashed her perfect smile at Jessica. “I’m so sorry.”

“That’s okay,” Jessica mumbled, noticing the musky scent of the woman’s perfume. She continued following the server and a moment later they walked through a door marked Employees Only.

A few steps in, the server stopped and pointed toward another door. “That door leads to the alley. You can leave through there.”

The other employees stopped what they were doing and stared at her. Ignoring them, she smiled at the man who had been her server and was now her lifesaver. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

He nodded. “Have a good evening.”

Jessica nodded in return, then turned and hurried toward the rear door, pushing it open. Cool evening air washed over her and she inhaled deeply, feeling liberated from the trap she had found herself in. Glancing to the left and then the right, she could see the street where she had parked and headed in that direction. As she approached the end of the building, she paused and glanced around the corner of the building to make sure Kyle and his date weren’t coming out. Seeing the coast was clear, Jessica hustled over to her car and quickly got in.

Exhaling in relief that she’d made it without being seen, she turned on the engine and drove away. Once home, she found she was exhausted from the events of the day and went to bed a short time later. As she tried to fall asleep, she worried about how she was going to face Kyle the next morning when he came to work on the house. Though she was certain he had no idea she’d seen him with someone whom he appeared to care about, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hide her distress over seeing him with another woman.

“Why do I even care?” She said aloud.
 

At the sound of her voice, Hudson, who was curled up next to her, began to purr. Jessica rolled onto her side and propped herself up on one elbow while rubbing Hudson’s soft fur with her free hand. She felt comforted by her cat’s presence.
 

“We broke up years ago.” She gazed at Hudson as she spoke. “I’ve moved on, right? I’ve dated. I’m probably just feeling vulnerable because I broke up with Alex so recently.”

Hudson stood and rubbed against Jessica’s arm, purring madly.
 

“It’s not that I still care about Kyle, right, big guy?” Jessica scratched under his chin and he nipped at her fingers. Laughing, Jessica flopped onto her back and closed her eyes, but instead of falling asleep, she kept seeing the interplay between Kyle and his date. A mixture of jealousy, anger, and desire whirled inside of her.

As drowsiness began to overtake her, she felt a vague sense of wanting Kyle back. But then she remembered that he didn’t want her. After all, he was the one who had broken things off without any explanation and no further contact. Clearly, he had no desire to have a relationship with her ever again. As she drifted off, she realized that she needed to put away all thoughts of having any kind of relationship with Kyle Judd and simply move on with her life.

Jessica awoke the next morning to the sound of Hudson meowing insistently. Then she heard a loud knock at the front door. Leaping out of bed, Jessica looked out the window and saw that Kyle had already arrived.

“What time is it?” she muttered as she glanced at the bedside clock. “Oh. I guess I slept in.”

Frowning, she threw on a robe and rushed through brushing her teeth.
 

Suddenly irritated at Kyle for being in her life again, she wondered why she should hurry. But then she pictured her aunt Ellen and how disappointed she would be if her bathroom wasn’t done when she came home.

“All right,” she muttered, then went down the stairs, deciding not to care how she looked since there was no possibility of a relationship with Kyle. She found the thought liberating and she actually had a smile on her face when she opened the door. Kyle’s eyes opened wide in surprise and Jessica wondered why. Was it because she was still in her robe or because she hadn’t bothered to brush her hair? In either case, she had to swallow the laughter that threatened to burst forth. “Good morning, Kyle,” she sang out, suddenly in a very good mood now that she wasn’t allowing herself to care about Kyle or what he thought.

“Uh, hi there.”

“Sorry I’m not dressed yet. I guess I overslept a bit.” Jessica watched as Kyle’s gaze took in her appearance, stopping on her hair which she knew was sticking out in several directions.

“I thought you usually got up early.”

Jessica found her good mood vanishing at Kyle’s familiarity with her normal routine. It felt much too personal and she didn’t like that he knew her so well. With forced cheerfulness she said, “Well, I guess you don’t know me as well as you thought you did.”

Kyle’s eyebrows drew together and his eyes met hers. “No, I guess I don’t.”

Jessica smiled in response. “I’ll let you get to work. I have a busy schedule myself, so just let yourself out when you’re done.”

“Okay.”
 

Holding the door open wider, Jessica waited for him to walk past her and up the stairs. He gazed at her as he walked in and she stared back, then she closed the door behind him. She tried not to glare at his back as he walked up the stairs, although she still felt the sting of his comment.
 

As if he knows me so well, she thought angrily, all the while knowing that he knew her better than any other man did.

Chapter Eleven

Once Jessica heard the unmistakable sounds of Kyle working, she tiptoed up the stairs and into her bedroom. Though she wanted to shower, she was hesitant to do so. The thought of Kyle being in the next room while she would be in such a vulnerable position made her uncomfortable. And her discomfort made her irritated at him for causing her to feel that way.
 

I need to dig around in the attic anyway, she thought as she pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I can shower after he leaves.
 

A few minutes later she climbed the stairs to the attic, and when she reached the door she hesitated. The last time she’d been in the dusty space, she had been with her Uncle Patrick. The large open room had always felt creepy to her and she’d never gone there on her own.

Ellen really wants that wood carving that belonged to Patrick, she thought as she pushed the attic door open. I just hope it won’t take too long to find.

The door creaked a bit and she flicked on the flashlight she’d brought with her. Shining the beam around the room, she found the string hanging from one of the bare light bulbs and pulled, illuminating a portion of the room. She turned on the other two lights, and then turned off her flashlight and set it on a table layered with dust.