Rebound Envy (Rebound #2)

by Jerica MacMillan

  I think Jenna's been hoping for this since I started dating Scott. She waited patiently until she decided he might stick around for a while. She desperately wants couple friends.

  I look over at Scott while he buckles up and starts the car. "Thanks again for doing this."

  He looks at me before backing out of my driveway. "Of course. You don't need to thank me. I like Jenna and Brian." He flashes his perfect white teeth in a quick smile, and then we're on our way.

  I give him an answering grin, even though he's not looking at me now. He reaches over and threads his fingers through mine, our linked hands resting on my leg. How much more perfect could this guy be? He looks like a model, he opens my doors for me, he likes my friends—what else could a girl want?

  Sex. Mind blowing sex with my boyfriend, for one thing.

  And someone who likes books as much as I do. They don't even have to have the same taste in books, though some overlap would be nice. Scott's not much of a reader. His eyes glaze over when I start talking about my favorite classics that I'm going through with my students, or the novel I'm reading for my online book club.

  That would make him more perfect. Sex and books. And not talking about organizational systems all the time. I always pick up my house before he comes over. My organizational system is to pile things on horizontal surfaces. When Scott's coming over I shove everything in the guest room so he doesn't see it. I don't even want to hear what he might say about that.

  Scott parks outside of The Barrel Room, pulling me from my wandering thoughts. We're meeting here for before dinner drinks and then walking the short distance to the Brick House Grill for dinner.

  When we go inside, Jenna's already at the bar. She gets up when she sees Scott and me, giving me a quick hug and leaning in for Scott to give her a peck on the cheek. "I'm so glad you guys could make it!"

  I can't help laughing a little at her enthusiasm. When she was with Tom, my boyfriend at the time, Devon, and I would go out with them a lot. Dinner, movies, wherever. Devon and Tom were roommates for a while. After we all graduated from college, Devon and I broke up. Jenna was more heartbroken than I was, since she'd lost her built in couple friends. It had seemed so perfect, two sets of best friends dating each other.

  It wasn't too long afterward that Tom had died in a horrible car accident. Jenna wasn't too concerned with my relationship status after that.

  Scott's smiling at Jenna as well. "This is a great idea. Thanks for inviting us."

  Brian comes out from behind the bar carrying two glasses. He hands one to Jenna and drops a light kiss on her mouth. He turns his smile on me and leans in to give me a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Amy." He shakes hands with Scott and offers a simple greeting before turning to Adam behind the bar. "Adam, when you're done with those customers, can you get a couple glasses of wine for Amy and Scott? They're on me."

  Brian brushes aside my pro forma protest, and I make eye contact with Adam over his shoulder. He stares at me for a moment before I turn away. "Scott, are you going to have some wine?"

  "I think I'll just stick with water for now."

  "Sure. I'll go get our drinks."

  "Thanks." He brushes a light kiss on my lips before returning to his conversation with Jenna about something that happened at work.

  I wait for the couple in front of me to collect their drinks and step away from the bar before approaching. Adam slides a glass of red wine onto the counter. His fingers are resting on the base of the glass, and I pick it up by the bowl so as not to make contact with his hand.

  Adam's mouth is configured in a pleasant smile suitable for any customer, but something distinctly less pleasant lurks around his eyes. He lifts his fingers from the glass, allowing me to pick it up. He waits for me to take a sip. It's the same Syrah he served me the last time I was here.

  I offer him a slight nod. "Thank you."

  He nods in return, his facial expression never altering. "You're welcome. What'll your beauty queen have?"

  I suppress a surge of irritation at his nickname for Scott. "Don't call him that."

  He raises his eyebrows and widens his eyes in a display of affected innocence. "It's just a joke, Amy."

  "It's not funny, Adam."

  He snorts, though he's clearly not amused either. "Fine. What can I get for your date?" He puts a little bit of bite on the last word.

  I'm beginning to think Jenna's right. Adam is acting like a jealous ex-boyfriend, which is ridiculous. He's the one who didn't want to see me anymore, not the other way around.

  I decide to ignore his attitude. There's nothing I can do about it, anyway, and I don't want to make a scene in the middle of his and Brian's wine bar. Definitely not in front of Scott. I wouldn't even begin to know how to explain to him whatever this is between Adam and me.

  "He'd just like a water, thanks."

  Adam takes a step back, his mouth open in shock. Then he steps closer again and leans across the bar. "He wants water? In a wine bar?" He's whispering, but it's more of a stage whisper, and his inflection gives away his horror.

  I sigh, not wanting to get into this, especially not with Adam. Brian might look askance at Scott's choice, too, but he's at least enough of a nice guy to just shrug it off and let it go. Not Adam, though. "Yes. He just wants water. In a wine bar. Is that too difficult for you?" I keep my voice as level as I can.

  Adam shuts his mouth with an audible click, then curls his upper lip in a little sneer while filling a glass with tap water. With this attitude, I'm not sure what I ever saw in this guy.

  Oh, that's right. He's sexy as hell with his dark hair that curls a little when he lets it get too long, his mesmerizing eyes that are so light they look golden, and his full, beautiful, kissable lips. He's taller than me, taller than Scott, and he can rest his chin on top of my head when he holds me. I know, because he did it when we went out those two times. Being surrounded by him made me feel safe and warm.

  And when he wants to, he can turn on the charm so that it rolls off him in waves. I wish he'd turn on a little of that charm tonight. Not the full blown Adam charm, just enough so he's not acting like a complete asshole.

  Adam hands me the glass of water. This time when I take it, my fingers brush against his. He doesn't let go until my hand is wrapped around the glass, his eyes holding mine the whole time. I don't say anything, and neither does he. Finally, I turn to walk back to the others with my glass of wine and Scott's water.

  They're not talking anymore. They're watching me. Jenna's eyeing me with a thoughtful expression, Brian is looking at Adam and looks a little pissed off, and Scott is frowning, his eyes flicking back and forth between Adam and me.

  When I reach Scott, he takes the glass of water from my hand and takes a sip. His eyes are studying my face now, his brows still scrunched. "Is everything okay?"

  I take a deep breath and force the corners of my mouth to turn up. "Of course. Everything's fine."

  He doesn't seem reassured by my statement. The frown is still in place. He glances back toward the bar and then looks at me again. "What happened? What was he saying to you? You don't seem like everything's fine."

  "He was just surprised when I ordered your glass of water. Most people have at least one glass of wine and have water after or in between glasses."

  He nods slowly, but the frown remains. "Okay. But it seemed a little more intense than that. I know you come here a lot with Jenna. Aren't you friends with him?"

  I take a drink of my wine, trying to buy some time while I figure out what exactly to tell Scott. I don't want him to be jealous, too. One overbearing jealous guy is more than I can handle tonight.

  Before I come up with an answer, Brian saves me. "Why don't we go sit over there and finish our drinks? We still have twenty minutes before our reservations."

  I look at him, grateful for the distraction, and follow along in his wake. Jenna is still studying my face, but hasn't said anything. Scott opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but closes it again and foll
ows along to the seats Brian is leading us to.

  I let out a relieved breath as I sit down and conversation goes elsewhere. I have a feeling I'll be rehashing my little interlude with Adam with both Jenna and Scott. At least now I have a little space to figure it out on my own before having to deal with either of them.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Our dinner together is surprisingly pleasant despite its inauspicious beginning. Everyone seems to have forgotten the exchange between Adam and me and moved on. We talk, we laugh, Scott even loosens up and has some wine with dinner and we all share a couple desserts. Granted, I eat most of ours, but Scott has a few bites. He's very serious about his dietary choices, but it's nice that he'll relax his self-imposed restrictions for special occasions.

  When it's time to say goodbye, Jenna disabuses me of the notion that everyone had forgotten about what happened with Adam. She gives me a hug and leans in close. "Call me tomorrow. We need to talk about Adam."

  I laugh and nod, not wanting Scott to see how much Jenna's comment affects me. "Of course. We'll talk tomorrow." Jenna studies my face and smiles back before turning to say goodbye to Scott.

  After we get back to my house, Scott walks me inside. I hadn't planned on inviting him in tonight, wanting to be alone with my thoughts, but he follows me in once the door is open. He's come in after every other date, so I suppose it's kind of routine by now.

  There are several piles of papers on my coffee table, my laptop and a coffee mug next to it. I notice a flicker of disapproval cross Scott's face before he smooths it away into his customary pleasant expression. I'm not sure if he disapproves of the clutter, the reminder that I drink coffee, or both. Normally, that look, even if it was just a flicker, would really bug me. At this point, I can't muster up enough energy to care.

  Scott steps in close and gives me a kiss. This time, I'm the one to break away first. Usually it's him because I'm wanting to push the envelope as far as he'll let me. Tonight, I'm just not in the mood. He gives me a confused look when I pull back first, but lets it go.

  "What are your plans for the rest of the weekend?"

  I gesture toward the piles of paper on the coffee table. "Grading. The quarter is over next week, and I need to get through these essays this weekend so that I can give them back to everyone before their test next week. Plus, Jenna and I are finalizing the order for the florist and I'm helping her whittle down her guest list this weekend."

  He brushes a stray strand of hair out of my face, pushing it behind my ear. "It sounds like you're pretty busy, then."

  I give him a small smile and nod, dropping my eyes. I could probably make time for him, but right now I just don't want to.

  He lifts my chin and places a soft kiss on my lips. When he pulls back his eyes roam over my face. "Hey, are you okay?"

  My eyes drop and then focus on a point over his left shoulder. I nod, forcing a tight smile. "I'm fine."

  I can feel his eyes on me for a moment, and when I look him in the face again, he nods once, accepting my assurance. Or at least accepting my unwillingness to talk about what's bothering me right now. "Okay. I'll call you tomorrow. Is that okay?"

  I smile again, more genuine this time. "Of course. Tomorrow."

  He presses one more kiss against my mouth and then heads for the door. I trail after him, locking the door behind him once he's gone.

  I'm out of sorts after what should have been an enjoyable evening. I change into lounge pants and a tank top and pour myself a glass of wine, hoping it will take the edge off whatever this mood is. I try to grade some essays, but can't settle and focus. Instead, I find myself pacing and draining another glass of wine.

  I stop myself, not wanting to get drunk since I really do have a busy weekend of grading papers and helping Jenna with wedding plans ahead of me. I decide to take a bath, bringing a glass of water and my current book with me. Not even my book can hold my attention, though, and I end up setting it down safely out of the splash zone, while submerging myself in the warm water, trying to sort through my thoughts and feelings for both Adam and Scott.

  * * *

  After three days of stewing, I've decided that I need to confront Adam. Of course, by the time I came to that conclusion on Monday night, it was way too late to do anything about it. But, having made the decision allowed me to focus enough to get through the rest of the essays I needed to grade and get them back to my students.

  It's Tuesday afternoon now, and I came to The Barrel Room right after work. At almost four on a Tuesday it isn't very busy.

  There are a couple people sitting at the bar and a few people scattered around the chairs and tables, but it's pretty quiet. Now that I'm here, I'm not sure how good quiet really is. I'll just have to make sure things stay civil.

  Adam is behind the bar, his back to me, refilling the racks of glasses. I pause a moment to gather my thoughts, and can't help admiring the view from the back. He looks put together as always with a white button down shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbows, and a charcoal vest. I can't see him below the waist, but I know he has on a pair of dark wash jeans. He always wears some variation of that to work.

  He turns as I approach the bar, his eyes widening in surprise. "Amy. What are you doing here?" He looks around behind me, and his brows come together as he checks the time. "Jenna doesn't get off work until five. Are you going to wait here for her for over an hour?"

  I slide onto one of the bar stools, putting some space between myself and the other two customers. I don't bother taking off my jacket because I'm not planning on staying long. "I'm not meeting Jenna. I came to see you."

  The surprise is back on Adam's face. This is the most pleasant he's been to me since before Jenna's engagement party. "Me?" The nice guy façade crumbles and one corner of his mouth turns up, a combination of grin and sneer that makes his attractive face almost ugly. "What's wrong? The beauty queen not doing it for you anymore?"

  My hands clench into fists where they rest on the bar top and my teeth grind together. I take a deep breath and try to force myself to relax. "Don't call him that. His name is Scott. It's not a hard name to remember and you're not stupid, so just quit already."

  That look on his face doesn't budge. He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can I cut him off, pointing a finger at his face. "You want to know what's wrong? You. This. Your attitude is what's wrong."

  He takes a deep breath, nostrils flaring. Still, I don't let him speak. "You've been treating me like shit since Jenna and Brian got engaged. It ends now. I know you can be nice. You were nothing but charming to me when we first met. You're always unfailingly polite to customers. Except me.

  "Jenna and Brian are getting married in less than three months. I know you're Brian's best man, and you have to know I'm the maid of honor. We're going to be bumping into each other off and on for the next few months, and you're going to have to escort me back down the aisle at the wedding. So whatever this is that you've got going on, it needs to stop. I'm sick of it, and I'm not going to let you ruin our best friends' wedding because you're too busy being an asshole to get over yourself. If you can't be nice to me for my own sake, do it for Brian and Jenna's."

  The scorn written on his face has fallen away during my little tirade. I slide off the bar stool and reach for my purse where I had set it on the bar. His voice interrupts me. "Amy, wait." He looks over my shoulder and mutters a curse under his breath. "Shit. Just wait a minute. Let me help these people and then we'll talk." I hesitate, unsure if I want to even hear what he has to say at this point. "Please, Amy? Just a few minutes."

  I sigh, defeated, and sit back down. He gives me a tight smile, and then his polite mask that he uses for customers slides back in place before he turns to the group of five people that have just walked in.

  They take their sweet time deciding what they want, tasting a few samples before finally ordering and taking their glasses over to a grouping of two couches and an armchair surrounding a rectangular coffee table. The whole time he was he
lping them, Adam's eyes kept darting in my direction like he was checking that I was still there, waiting.

  When he's done, he comes back over to me. "Would you like a glass of something?" He picks up a wine glass and starts to reach for a bottle behind the bar. I shake my head, but he's looking down and doesn't notice.

  "No." My voice sounds croaky so I try again. "No." Good, that time was more firm. Adam stops, glass and bottle in hand, about to pour, looking at me. I stand again. "I need to go. I just need you to stop acting like …" I trail off, not sure how to end that sentence. "Jealous little shit" is the phrase that comes to mind, but I'm trying to smooth things over between us. Being antagonistic doesn't seem like the best idea. "Well, like you've been acting lately." I can't help but get in one little thing, though. "You decided not to see me anymore, Adam. Remember? You don't get to give me shit about seeing someone new."

  I straighten my jacket and pick up my purse, looping it over my shoulder. Adam puts down the bottle and glass and runs his hands through his hair. God, he has great hair. I loved running my fingers through it the couple times I got to. But that's long over now. He doesn't want me, so I'm moving on.

  I look up at him, and open my mouth to say goodbye, but he doesn't let me talk this time. "I'm sorry, Amy." He runs his hands through his hair again, looking around. I'm suddenly aware that people are watching us. Listening. Shit.

  Brian comes out from the back room, approaching us, his eyes flickering over me and then back to Adam. "What's going on, guys?" He's keeping his voice low. "I know it's a slow time of day, but there are customers. Can you guys take this in back? I'll cover out here."

  Adam gives him a short nod and turns to me. "Amy?"

  I shake my head and take a step back. "No. I said what I came to say. I don't think we need to talk about it more than that. Bye, guys. I'll see you around."

  Before anyone can stop me or say anything, I pivot on my heel and head for the door. I hear Adam's voice behind me calling my name, but Brian stops him. "Let her go. Try again later."