Kris knew she wasn’t prepared to have this talk, but she didn’t realize it was going to be this hard to hear Jenna speak about how she really felt. She wanted her to talk to someone. Jenna had started opening up to Skylar, but now she attacked her over something stupid. Once again, she felt like she was taking someone away from Jenna, this time a friend instead of her sister.
Kris relaxed her hands and dried her palms against her jeans. “I’m so, so very sorry. I know it doesn’t help, but I really wish none of this ever happened.”
“Does that mean you wish Kim never came back?”
“If she hadn’t we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”
“You would rather me never know what happened to my sister, wondering if she was still alive? I guess you wish her kidnappers had taken care of her so you would’ve never had to deal with her?”
“That’s awful. I never said any of those things.”
“Anything else you would like to clear off your chest since I don’t plan on ever having this conversation again?”
A shiver ran down Kris’s spine. Now was her one chance to tell Jenna what she had been holding back. She wasn’t sure she had the courage to say it, but if she didn’t tell Jenna now she knew she never would and it would eat her up inside.
Kris waited until Jenna wasn’t looking at her because she didn’t want to see the hurt in her eyes once she said what she needed to say.
“I want to sell the house.”
“What? Are you crazy?” Jenna shook her head. “No. No way. That’s not even up for debate.”
“Do you know how it makes me feel to sit in this room? This is the place your sister almost killed me. This is the room I shot Kim by accident. There has been so much blood shed here. It’s full of too many memories, and it makes it difficult for us to move on.”
“This is my first house, our first house together. This is the place I brought Kim home to, back to her family. This is the room I confessed my feelings for you. We made love for the first time in this house. Yes, it’s full of memories, but they’re not all bad.”
“I loved this house too. I have many memories that I will cherish forever, and this house is a part of them. They are beautiful memories that I carry around with me. The good thing about memories are that you take them with you wherever you go. You don’t need to physically touch them or live in them, they’re a part of you. I’m afraid if we don’t move, those good memories will be forced out by bad ones.”
Jenna looked up at the ceiling avoiding Kris’s stare while she spoke. “I can’t. Don’t make me do this.”
“Do you realize that you always sit in that chair? I think it’s because you want to feel close to Kim, but I can’t stand it. The furniture is new, but it’s the same layout and environment. I was sitting here on the couch just like I am now. Kim was in the chair staring at me.” At the mention of Kim’s name, Jenna looked at her. Kris felt a wave of nausea and took a deep breath. “That look you have right now. Anger, confusion, sadness. You are her identical twin sitting in the same spot giving me the same look she did before she shot me. I’m shaking and sick to my stomach seeing you sitting there. Does that matter at all to you?”
Jenna’s phone chimed and she looked down at the screen. Kris wanted to throw the phone against the wall to get her attention. She watched Jenna type a response back to the person who had interrupted their discussion.
Jenna stood and slipped the phone into her pocket. “I can’t talk about this any more right now.” She put her shoes back on and crossed the room. She stopped in front of the door with her hand on the doorknob. “Don’t wait up.”
“Where are you going?”
“Skylar has dinner reservations at the new restaurant downtown. Her coworker bailed on her, and she asked if I wanted to go.”
“You’re leaving now? We were discussing this house and our future.”
“I know, and that’s why I have to get out of here.”
Kris jumped as Jenna slammed the door shut behind her.
***
Jenna followed the hostess to the table where Skylar was already waiting, sipping on a drink. Skylar didn’t notice her approaching because she was busy eyeing a young couple at the bar. Jenna wondered whether the woman had caught Skylar’s attention, the guy, or knowing Skylar she wanted them both.
She sat down across from Skylar and glanced down at the time on her phone. It had only taken her ten minutes to get there, but she stayed in the car a few extra minutes wiping her tears and getting her emotions under control. She silenced her phone and placed it face down on the table, not wanting to deal with any interruptions from Kris.
“Oh hello, Jenna. I didn’t see you come in.”
“Maybe that’s because you were too busy staring at Barbie and Ken at the bar.”
“Hmmm, maybe. Jealous?” Skylar took another sip from her glass while she studied Jenna. “What is it? I can tell something’s wrong.”
“What? Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine. What are you drinking?”
Skylar placed the glass down and shook her head. “Don’t change the subject on me. I’m a lawyer, remember? I know all the tricks in the book.”
Jenna opened her menu and scanned the pages, but she couldn’t concentrate with Skylar staring at her. She knew Skylar was relentless and wouldn’t give up until she got the answer she was looking for. Skylar had only been in town a little over a month and already had a reputation for being persistent and having no mercy when it came to defending her clients.
“Are you ready to order?”
Jenna looked up from her menu at the waitress who had a fake smile plastered across her lips. She glanced over at Skylar expecting to see her still waiting for an answer, but instead Skylar was busy sizing up the waitress.
“I’ll have whatever she’s drinking.”
The waitress shifted her head to look at Skylar and quickly turned back to Jenna. “Okay. I’ll be back with your drink. Let me know if you have any questions about the menu.” She turned and glanced back over her shoulder at Skylar as she walked away.
“Do you ever not think about sex?” Jenna asked.
“You should know the answer to that by now.” Skylar winked at Jenna. “Are you sure you want to have what I’m having?”
“You don’t think I can handle it?”
“We’ll see, but let’s get back to the original question. What’s up with you tonight?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just enjoy dinner. Your job is to take my mind off of what I’m dealing with.”
“If you needed that kind of distraction we should’ve met somewhere else, somewhere a little more discreet.”
Jenna laughed. “That’s exactly what I’m looking for.”
“Oh, really? If that’s the case, we can leave now.”
“Whoa, slow down. You know what I meant. I don’t want to think about it.”
“Well, for someone who doesn’t want to think about whatever it is, you’re still talking about it.”
The waitress returned with Jenna’s drink and took their meal orders. Before Skylar could start in on her again, Jenna picked up the glass and swallowed the liquid. It lit her mouth and throat on fire, taking her tastebuds with it. She coughed and grabbed the water glass in front of her, drinking the rest of the water in one sip.
Skylar smiled at her over the rim of her glass before taking a sip of hers.
“You can’t say I didn’t try to warn you.”
Jenna took a smaller sip trying distinguish the subtle flavor, but all she could taste was the strong alcohol. “What the hell is in this?”
“A little bit of this, a dash of that, and a lot of alcohol. You won’t find it listed on the drink list, but I know the bartender.”
“You know the bartender, do you? Why am I not surprised?”
“Jenna Harper, you of all people should know I’m not like that. I like to flirt and I enjoy it when they flirt back, but I am not what you’re implying.”
&
nbsp; Jenna might have felt bad if anyone else had made that statement, but she knew Skylar was trying to manipulate her into feeling bad so she would say what was bothering her.
“You know you can’t hide anything from me, so just tell me. Did Amelia contact you again and you’re having mixed feelings about what almost happened?”
“No, Kris and I had an argument, and I left when I received your text.”
“You left in the middle of an argument? What were you two fighting about?”
“What weren’t we fighting about would probably be the easier question to answer. I didn’t see it coming and was completely blindsided. Your name was mentioned.”
Skylar leaned forward like she didn’t want anyone to overhear their conversation. “Me? You were arguing over me?”
“Kind of, but you were just the start of it and then it escalated from there.”
“Okay, now you have to tell me what it was about.”
“Kris is jealous of you.”
Skylar’s smile faded and she crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back in her chair. She looked like someone had sucked the life from her.
“She started in on me as soon as I got home this evening. You told her about Ruby?” Skylar nodded. “Well, she didn’t like the fact that I told you and—”
“And what?”
“She pretty much accused me of having an affair with you.”
Skylar looked around to see if anyone heard Jenna. “You should keep your voice down when you say things like that in public.”
“Sorry, I’m not used to talking about something like this.”
“I know, but with the clients I deal with sometimes, it’s second nature to me.” She leaned forward lowering her voice. “So, uh…what did you tell her?”
“To be honest, I’m not really sure. She brought up a lot of things after that.” Jenna shook her head. “My mind is numb right now. I basically denied it.”
“Did she believe you?”
“I think she did, but she’s suspicious of me telling you things that I don’t tell her, and she knows about the texts we send. She brought up the fact that I’ve had lunch with you a few times—”
“And you thought it was okay for you to meet me for dinner after running out in the middle of a heated discussion? Now, she’ll be even more suspicious.”
“I wasn’t thinking that far ahead. I had to get out of there.”
The waitress returned with their meals. She sat Jenna’s plate down in front of her and smiled. She placed Skylar’s plate in front of her keeping her distance and not doing a good job hiding how uncomfortable she was.
“Can I get the two of you anything else?” she asked while looking at Jenna.
Skylar licked her lips causing Jenna to suppress a laugh.
Jenna shook her head. “No, I think we’re good for now.”
The waitress smiled and backed away from the table, not turning her back until she was a good five feet away. After a few steps, she glanced back over her shoulder at Skylar but turned around quickly when Skylar waved and gave her a wink.
“I think she likes me,” Skylar said before taking her first bite.
“I would think being a lawyer you’d be able to read people better. That poor girl is scared of you.”
“Really? I thought she was trying to play hard to get.” Skylar chuckled. “So, did Kris ask if we were having an affair?”
“Not in those exact words, but it was insinuated in her tone.”
“Maybe you misinterpreted then.”
Jenna stared at Skylar as she chewed her food. “This coming from the woman who can’t read the obvious signs that our waitress is putting out right in front of you? No, I didn’t misinterpret.”
“What are you going to do? I still can’t believe you walked out. I never would have sent that text and invited you if I had known what was going on.”
“It’s not your fault. I don’t want to talk about this subject any more. I just want to enjoy this delicious food and company.”
Skylar tipped her glass to Jenna and grinned. “That last sentence did not help you sound any less guilty.”
“Well, watching you devour that calzone like you were feasting between the waitress’s legs is rather distracting.”
“Well, the similarities are there. I eat very carefully and with purpose.”
Chapter Seven
Allie answered the door with a yawn stretched across her face as she rubbed her eyes. “Is there a reason you can’t come to visit during normal hours of the day? Like at least after breakfast?”
Kris handed Allie the coffee with her name written on the sleeve. “I’m sorry. I’m so used to waking up when Jenna goes for her runs in the morning. My body is programmed that way.”
“Really? I mean I understand, but how long has it been now since Jenna slept there?”
Kris took a long sip of coffee trying to stall her answer. She knew exactly how long it had been since their argument and Jenna walked out. If she had known Jenna wasn’t going to return home that night, she would have never let her leave in the middle of their discussion to have dinner with Skylar. She waited up for Jenna to return home so they could continue their talk. There was so much more she wanted to get off her chest, so many things she had held back for far too long. They had said a lot to damage their relationship in that short amount of time, but she felt all of it needed to be said in order for both of them to move on. But she wanted them to move on together, not sleeping apart like they were now.
Jenna stayed at Skylar’s that night after dinner. Kris was waiting for her on the couch when she walked in the door the next morning after breakfast. The lack of sleep and anger brewing all night sent her into attack mode as soon as she heard Jenna’s footsteps on the porch. When the door opened, Kris began throwing accusations around of an affair, which then lead into bringing up Jenna abandoning her for Kim’s funeral, and before ending it came full circle back to her wanting to sell the house. Jenna leaned against the doorframe with a blank stare, not saying a word. When she finished, she noticed the tears in Jenna’s eyes and the hurt written in the lines on her face. In that instant, she felt ashamed and guilty for the things she said. While it did make her feel a little bit better, it wasn’t worth the pain it caused Jenna to hear her say it.
Kris lowered her head feeling the weight of her heavy heart. She took a step forward to apologize and console Jenna, but before she took the next step she heard the door open and shut. Upon looking up, she found herself all alone once again.
“Has it been two months?”
Kris was brought back to reality to find Allie counting the weeks on her fingers. “It’s been seven weeks and four days.”
“Wow, that long, huh? I was pretty close. I’m surprised you don’t have it down to the minutes and seconds.” She studied Kris’s face. “You don’t do you?”
“This isn’t funny, Allie. This is my future we’re talking about here.”
“I know, but you know you love my dark humor. I was just trying to make you smile. Is she going to Cynthia’s baby shower Saturday? You know Jay will take it personal if she doesn’t show up.”
“I’m not sure. I don’t even know her schedule any more. She comes over to see Jax and to pick up a few things, and then she goes back to Skylar’s. Hell, if she does show up she’ll probably bring Skylar.”
“Why is she staying with Skylar anyway? If she’s so hellbent on keeping the house, why are you the one staying there while she’s staying somewhere else?”
“Because we are taking time apart, and I don’t have anywhere else to go. You guys just have this couch. Erin’s mother moved in with them and they are taking care of her until they can find an assisted living place for her. Jay and Cynthia have the new baby coming, and Jenna has Skylar to stay with so this is the only thing that halfway makes sense right now.”
“Danni and I will speak to either of them if we see them out, but it feels weird. I liked Jenna and Skylar both, but since all this ha
s happened I don’t know how to act or what to say. You guys need to get back together because this is all just too awkward on the rest of us.” She nudged Kris’s elbow.
“Oh, I’m sorry that my relationship dissolving makes it inconvenient for you.” A small smile played around the corner of her lips. One of the reasons she loved Allie so much was that Allie always tried to inject humor into a difficult situation.
“How do you feel about Jenna staying with Skylar?”
“I’m not thrilled about it, but what can I say?” Kris twisted her engagement ring around on her finger. It had become a new nervous habit of hers. Since they were taking a break from each other, she didn’t know what that meant about their engagement. Are you still engaged if your relationship is on pause?
“Do you think they’re more than just friends?” Allie asked. The words trailed off like she wasn’t sure if she should ask.
“I don’t know. Skylar is beautiful, and she has a way of drawing you in and holding your attention hostage. I don’t think she would do anything on purpose to drive a wedge between Jenna and I. Kim returning was the inciting event that started this whole fiasco.”
“So, do you think Jenna is sleeping in a guest bedroom?”
“Allie, is this your way of making me feel better?”
Allie took a sip and shrugged her shoulders. “I just want you to be prepared for the worst case scenario, that’s all. I’m not saying it is happening or will ever happen. Before she left, you did accuse her of having an affair. You wouldn’t have said it if you weren’t thinking it.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t thinking about it. I can’t sleep at night wondering if she is lying in bed with Skylar. I asked her in the beginning, but she denied it. I haven’t asked her lately because I’m afraid she might tell me that she’s sleeping with her now. As long as that never happens, I cling to the hope that we still have a chance.”
Jenna's Future (Dr. Jenna Harper Series Book 3) Page 7
