Love to Hate You

by Liliana Rhodes

  “Then give me your number,” he said as he pulled out his cell phone. “So we can make plans for tomorrow.”

  “I’m not going to sleep with you,” I said.

  “Is that a challenge?”

  “I’m being serious. After what you said before, there’s no way. Not this fast.”

  “That doesn’t change anything,” he said. “I still want to see you tomorrow. And probably the day after that too.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know, but I want to find out. There’s just something about you, Jackie Stone.”

  “How do you know my last name? Did Sam tell you?”

  “There’s a lot I know about you,” he said with a grin. “I’ll just leave it at that.”

  I took his cell phone and entered my phone number. I didn’t say it, but there was something about him too. Even though we didn’t know each other well, it felt like I had known Brent my entire life.

  “Sometimes you need to let it ring a lot before the answering machine kicks on,” I said as I handed him his cell phone back.

  “Answering machine? What year do you live in?” he teased.

  “Very funny,” I said. “It’s a long story, but I’m waiting for a replacement phone. Until then, I only have my landline.”

  “Alright, this better be a real number,” he said as he put his cell phone away.

  “Are you ever serious?” I asked.

  “Rarely. Life is too short to be serious.”

  After we left the closet, Brent decided to go home. He walked over to me with a naughty smirk and I thought he was going to kiss me again, but then he held out his hand for me to shake.

  “We’re shaking hands?” I asked.

  “Sam’s watching and we’re not close enough to the closet,” he said before speaking loudly. “It was wonderful meeting you. What did you say your name was again?”

  “Jackass.”

  “You’re much too pretty for the name Jackass,” he whispered.

  “No, you’re a jackass,” I said, laughing.

  “Stop laughing, you don't know what it does to me. I’ll have to toss you over my shoulder and carry you back to the closet.”

  “Don’t you think Sam will get suspicious that you’re still shaking my hand all this time?”

  He turned and looked at Sam, who grinned and waved.

  “I suspect she’s onto us,” he said. “I’ll give you a call about tomorrow.”

  I won’t hold my breath, I thought.

  He seemed too good to be true. He was incredibly hot, had a great sense of humor, was a great kisser, and had a dog. Why would he call me? If he’s as perfect as Sam says, why wasn’t he already taken?

  I knelt to pet Shade and he gave me his paw.

  “Guess he wants to shake your hand too,” Brent said.

  I spent the rest of the evening thinking that I should have left the party with him. I should have thrown caution to the wind and done something even more wild and crazy for once. What did I care what Samantha would say? There was no way she would keep pushing him on me if things didn't work out.

  * * *

  A week later, I was visiting Sam when the inevitable came up.

  “Alright, Jackie,” she said as she sat on the lounger on the patio. “I’ve been waiting for you to spill the beans, but you haven’t said anything yet and it’s driving me crazy.”

  I knew what she was talking about, but I figured however long I could put it off, the better.

  “Spill the beans? You mean about my new phone? It’s a lot nicer than the last one, but the bean thing didn’t work on drying the old one out.”

  “That’s not beans, it’s rice. You put your wet phone in rice. I doubt that works either though,” she said. “Wait a minute, you know I have major pregnancy brain. Don’t try to confuse me. Have you gone out with Brent yet? I saw you two at the wedding, I knew you’d hit it off.”

  Sighing, I leaned back in my chair and sipped from my glass of fresh lemonade. The day was perfect with blue skies and the ocean gently lapping the shore. Having to talk about him was definitely making the day take a wrong turn.

  “We’re not going out. Ever,” I said.

  “Ever? I don’t understand. I saw the spark. I know something happened in that closet. What do you mean you’re never going out with him?”

  “He’s an asshole,” I said.

  “No, he’s not, he’s great. What happened? This has to be a misunderstanding.”

  “Remember, you know a different Brent than I do. You never had to date him.”

  “I know him well enough to know he’s not an asshole,” she said. “Just tell me what happened. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation.”

  “There is. He’s a total jerk who didn’t call. He said he was going to. He said he wanted to see me the next day, but then he didn’t even bother calling.”

  “Okay, okay,” she said. “Calm down.”

  “You know how this brings it all back. I can’t help that. I wish it didn’t, especially since it’s been so long, but if a guy can’t even call, then how can I trust him?”

  “I’m really surprised he didn’t call,” Samantha said. “That’s not like him at all. You gave him your cell?”

  “No, I didn’t have my new phone yet so I gave him my home number.”

  “Maybe your answering machine is on the fritz,” she said. “You’ve had that thing for years.”

  “I get other messages. Besides, Dennis is there all the time. He answers the phone when I’m not home.”

  “Dennis? Are you freaking kidding me? I can’t believe you.”

  “It’s not what you think,” I said. “I’m just helping him out. His landlord decided to sell the building, so he needed a place to stay until he finds a new place.”

  “Whatever, Jackie. You know he’s got more excuses and stories than anyone.”

  I sighed. “He had nowhere else to go. I wasn’t going to let him sleep on the street.”

  “Whatever,” Sam said in a huff. “I just don’t get you sometimes. After all the things he did.”

  “At least Dennis calls when he says he’s going to.”

  “Did you ever think that maybe Dennis answered the phone and didn’t tell you Brent called?”

  “What? No, Dennis wouldn’t do that. Why would he do that?” I asked.

  Every day that week, I had asked Dennis if anyone called, and no one did. I didn’t want to admit that to Samantha though. I didn’t want anyone to know how hurt and disappointed I was that Brent didn’t call. It was easier to put up the tough front than deal with how I felt. It’s how I always handled things.

  “Because that’s exactly the douchey kind of thing Dennis would do. You know I don’t trust him, and I never liked him. I always told you he was just a rebound after Marc. Why you kept going back to him for four years was beyond me. You’re thirty, you should know better.”

  “We’re not back together. Trust me on that,” I said, thinking that talking about Brent was the lesser of two evils. “It doesn’t change the fact that your brother-in-law is a jerk. I can’t stand him. He’s no different than Marc. I hope I never see him again.”

  Chapter One

  Brent

  It had been four months since Sam and my brother Drake’s wedding. Every time I had seen Sam since then, she brought up Jackie and tried to get us together. I had managed to come up with an excuse for not attending Sam’s matchmaking dinners, but this time I was out of luck.

  As I pulled up to their house, I noticed Jackie’s old car parked at the curb. The large vehicle stood out from the newer cars on the street and in the driveways. The paint was faded, making the once-black car look an unappealing dull grey color. I liked her car. It had character, just like Jackie.

  I walked into the house without ringing the doorbell. Drake, Sam, and Jackie were already sitting at the dinner table eating. I didn’t mean to show up late, but I had no choice.

  Jackie looked up as I entered the room, turned away, and qui
ckly looked back at me again.

  “You brought someone?” she said, her face a mix of surprise and anger.

  “Didn’t you?” I asked.

  Her face contorted, but she didn’t say anything. She looked at my date, standing beside me with her arm curled around mine. Drake pushed his hand through his thick blond hair before shaking his head as he held back a laugh. Sam’s face glowed with hot anger.

  “I know it’s customary to bring wine to a dinner party,” I said as I held up a bottle of red wine. “But I also brought Brandi.”

  “Hello,” Brandi said.

  She wiggled her perfectly manicured fingers into the air as she tilted her head cutely to the side, making her long honey-colored tresses cascade over her shoulder. Brandi knew my brother had contacts in the entertainment industry. I knew she would work this opportunity as best as she could.

  “Please sit, Brandi,” Sam said politely. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable while I speak to Brent in the kitchen.”

  She rose to her feet, her mouth in a hard line. She forced a smile at Brandi and then shot me a death glare as she walked to the kitchen door.

  “Sam, why don’t you sit,” I said. “I’ll grab an extra place setting for myself. No need for you to go out of your way.”

  Sam’s eyes widened in a way that reminded me of her mother, my nanny, growing up. I was in trouble.

  “In. The. Kitchen. Now,” she growled.

  “I think I should go,” Jackie said, pushing her chair back.

  “Don’t you dare move.” Sam pointed at Jackie, who jerked her chair back into place.

  I followed Sam to the farthest part of the kitchen where she spun around, her eyes wide.

  “You suck,” she said as she punched me in the arm.

  “Really?” I said, rubbing my bicep. “Really, Sam? I can’t believe you hit me.”

  “It felt good,” she said with a shrug. “I should hit you again for Jackie.”

  “You haven’t hit me since we were eight.”

  “You haven’t done anything as stupid as this since then,” she said. “How could you bring a date?”

  “I’m sorry, I know it was stupid of me to do that, but you knew I didn’t want to come.”

  “Why not? I saw you two at my wedding. Even before then, when you saw her at the Fitzsimmons’s party I catered, you couldn’t take your eyes off her. You asked me for her number then.”

  “And you said she was taken. You told me about that asshole Dennis she was dating,” I said.

  “She’s not with him anymore,” she said. “They broke up last year.”

  “Well, she’s with someone else now.”

  Sam squinted at me. It was her ‘you’re completely insane’ look.

  “What are you talking about? She’s not with anyone,” she said.

  I shook my head. “Then she’s keeping something from you.”

  Samantha’s brow wrinkled. “What makes you think that?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said. “But trust me on this.”

  I headed back towards the dining room where Jackie pushed food around on her plate while Brandi talked about the movies she had been an extra in.

  “Let’s get going,” I said.

  Brandi stopped talking mid-sentence. Her shoulders slumped as her face fell and her bottom lip slipped into a pout.

  Annoying, I thought.

  I didn’t care about Brandi. I barely knew her. She was nothing like the women I liked to date, but I was hoping she would make Jackie feel a little of the jealousy I felt whenever I thought of her with someone else.

  Jackie shot up to her feet.

  “You don’t have to go,” she said. “I’ll go.”

  She sped past me towards the coat closet. My instincts said to follow her, and I did.

  “Just stay,” I said. “I shouldn’t have come anyway.”

  She reached into the closet and pulled out a black oversized sweater. I took the sweater from her and held it up to help her put it on, but she swiped it out of my hands.

  “No, you shouldn’t have come,” she said. Her eyes darted over to Brandi and then back to me. “I’m glad nothing happened between us.”

  Her words slapped me and reminded me not only that she was taken, but also what I heard about her.

  “I’m glad too,” I said. “But then why are you here?”

  “Just go away and leave me alone,” she said.

  “Fine, if that’s what you want.”

  “You’re such an asshole,” she said.

  “And you’re a...” A hundred different words flashed through my head, but I couldn’t bring myself to say any of them. No matter how much she angered me, I’d never call her something bad. “You’re a witch.”

  She blinked at me while her brow knitted.

  “I hate you,” she said through clenched teeth.

  While her words slapped me before, this time they stabbed at my heart.

  She roughly shoved her arms into her sweater and turned towards the door. Sam appeared and they hugged after Jackie whispered something to her I couldn’t hear.

  As Jackie left, Sam gave me an evil look.

  “What is wrong with you?” she said.

  I shook my head and let out a long breath.

  How could she hate me?

  “I’m sorry, Sam,” I said. “I really am.”

  Brandi slid beside me with a sparkly white smile.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” she said as she held up Drake’s business card.

  Sam rolled her eyes.

  “I’m not done talking to you, Brent,” she said.

  “I know, okay? I’ll call you tomorrow,” I said.

  Brandi talked non-stop as I drove along the dark, curving canyon road. Drake told her he knew someone filming a cable show that was looking for help and she was excited about the opportunity.

  I didn’t really pay attention to what she was saying. Drake made it a habit of helping everyone he met. That was the benefit he had of knowing so many people. Brandi could care less about me other than I was Drake Winslow’s brother. It was okay, I could care less about her too.

  But Jackie was a different story.

  I hated thinking that I might have said or done something that hurt her tonight. I didn’t know what I was doing anymore. Ever since Jackie and I had our fling at the wedding, all I thought about was her.

  Sam was right to look at me like I was crazy. I was, and it was all Jackie’s fault. She did something to me that made the most ridiculous ideas make sense to me. I sighed as I glanced at the ridiculous idea sitting next to me babbling.

  “Where can I drop you off?” I asked, interrupting her.

  “Drop me off? We’re not going back to your place?” Brandi asked.

  “No, this was just dinner, nothing else,” I said.

  Brandi gave me an address that was on the other side of town before she continued on about her career and how hard she’s worked on it.

  I turned on the car stereo, which picked up where it left off on my playlist. Sting was singing about his heart breaking with every step. I raised the volume to drown out the din of Brandi’s voice.

  Another ridiculous idea popped into my head. It was just crazy enough that it might work. I refused to let Jackie keep hating me, but could I make her like me and maybe love me someday? I’d do everything I could to find out.

  Chapter Two

  Jackie

  The television blared from the living room. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before leaving my bedroom, knowing that if I started yelling at Dennis now, I would never make it to lunch at Mirabella’s on time.

  Dennis O’Hara was my ex-boyfriend and sometime friend. We had been on and off for four years, with the last year or so off, and I had no plans on getting back together with him again.

  He was an average-looking guy with short, spiky, mousey brown hair and glasses. Lately he had been sporting a soul patch, a tuft of hair in the middle of his chin, which I thought looke
d ridiculous but he thought looked cool.

  It was football season, and Dennis never missed a game on TV. He tuned everything out while the game was on. He had already been staying with me a week, and I was ready for him to leave. In the past few months it seemed like he was staying with me more and more regularly, with one excuse after another. I hated it.

  “Can’t you just--” Breathe Jackie, breathe. “Could you please lower the volume? Mrs. Reilly has complained several times about the noise to the landlord.”

  Dennis turned to look up at me from his spot on the couch. He grabbed the remote and lowered the volume a little, then tossed the remote onto the cocktail table, making my hand-blown glass fish wobble. He roughly put his feet up on the table next to the fish.

  If he knocks that over, I will kill him.

  I fought the urge to move the fish, trying to give Dennis the benefit of the doubt for once, but I couldn’t do it. I picked up the fish and gently placed it on my bookcase. I'd had that fish for ten years and Grandma had it for decades before that. It was my most prized possession. I couldn’t risk his damn feet being anywhere near it. As I turned around, Dennis glared at me.

  “You really think I’m a fuck-up, don’t you?” he asked as he turned back to the TV.

  “I think I love that fish and don’t want it to break,” I said, glad I didn’t tell him off.

  “It’s a stupid, ugly glass fish,” he said.

  “It belonged to my grandmother. She gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday.”

  “Shitty gift,” he muttered.

  Bite your tongue, Jackie. Don’t say another word or you’ll be late.

  I grabbed my cellphone and my bag and opened the door.

  “Where are you going?” Dennis asked.

  “Out,” I said.

  “But it’s almost lunch.”

  “So? You’re a big boy. I’m sure you can find something to eat.”

  “You never left me alone when we were dating,” he said.

  “We are not dating,” I said angrily, turning towards him. “We haven’t dated for a year now, and I will never date you again.”