But of course, that was crazy, just like it was crazy to think that I might love him, too. After watching my mom fall in and out of love for so many years, I wasn't even sure I believed in love, at least not this quickly.
When the silence stretched out, I asked, "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong? Or do I need to guess?"
"Alright. You wanna know what's wrong?"
From the look on his face, I wasn't so sure. Still, I nodded and then braced myself for whatever he meant to say.
But when he spoke, his words – just four of them – made no sense at all.
Chapter 53
Allie was still staring. "Were those his exact words?"
I nodded. "Swear to God."
"You're too fucking beautiful?" She frowned. "What does that even mean?"
At the memory of those four maddening words, I sank deeper into the sofa. "Got me."
"And then, he just left?"
"Yup."
Sitting in the nearby armchair, she asked, "Did he at least kiss you goodbye?"
At the memory of him striding to his car and driving off into the night, I almost wanted to cry. "Nope."
She hesitated. "How about a hug?"
"Cripes, I barely got a 'see you later'."
She was still frowning. "What an asshole."
I couldn’t quite agree, not after everything he'd done. Still, I wasn't thrilled. It was the morning after our date, and I'd just spent the last hour telling Allie everything that had happened.
There was only one detail I'd glossed over, and that had to do with Allie herself. But I did need to address it.
As if reading something in my expression, she said, "Go ahead. Get it over with."
"Get what over with?"
"The yelling. Or whatever you're gonna do."
"Well…" I sighed. "If you're talking about the thing with my mom's message, I guess I am a little curious."
She made a scoffing sound. "You are not."
"What?"
"You know why I did it, so you can't be curious. If anything, you're just ticked off." She paused. "On second thought, you're not even that."
I gave her a look. "Oh, really?"
"Really," she said. "You just feel like you should be."
"Yeah, because you lied to me."
"I did not," she replied. "Name one thing I said that wasn't true."
I tried to recall exactly what she'd relayed after talking to my mom. Only two details came to mind. Dominic was in the hospital, and my mom wanted me to call her. Technically, both of these things were true, but that was hardly the point.
"Okay," I said, "so maybe you didn't lie-lie, but there was still a ton you left out."
She looked entirely unrepentant. "Yeah. No kidding."
I tried again. "I'm just saying, it didn't really help, not in the long run, anyway."
"Why?" Allie laughed. "Because your mom caused a big ol' scene?"
"Yes, actually."
"Trust me, she would've done that anyway."
"Oh come on," I said. "You don't know that."
"Wanna bet?" Allie said. "The only difference was, she caused it after the date instead of before." She smiled. "So you're welcome."
Against all logic, I wanted to smile back. And I wanted to argue. In the end, I settled on muttering, "Oh, shut up."
But Allie wasn't done. "Wanna know the only thing I regret?"
I was almost afraid to ask. "What?"
"That I didn't realize that she'd just show up like that." Allie gave me an evil grin. "Because if I had, I would've slashed her tires."
Surely, she was joking.
But the joke was on her. I gave her a smug smile. "She doesn't have tires. She took a cab, remember?"
"Fine, whatever. I would've slashed the cab's tires."
Whether it was a joke or not, I was determined to make my point. "Look, I know you think you were doing me a favor—"
"I was doing you a favor."
"Yeah, I know you think that. But all I'm saying is, I can handle it on my own."
She practically snorted, "Oh yeah?"
"Yes. Definitely."
"That's such a crock," she said. "If you could 'handle' your mom, we wouldn't be living in this stupid place at all."
I sat back, surprised by her words. I wasn't even sure what she meant. I paused for a long moment before saying, "What, you don't like it here?"
Her only answer was a loose shrug.
My stomach sank. So she didn't like it? If so, that was news to me. I tried to think. What, specifically, didn't she like?
The apartment?
The city?
The state?
What?
I honestly didn't get it.
She adored the apartment. I'd seen the look on her face when we'd first gone through it. Regardless of what she was saying now, she loved it as much as I did.
As far as the city, she'd mentioned more than once how much she enjoyed living near the water. And, she'd been having a blast discovering a new town – or so I'd thought.
As far as the state, just last week she'd mentioned that she was trying to lure her parents down here from Alaska, and not just for a visit.
You didn't do that when you hated a place, did you?
Allie still hadn't answered, and for the first time, I noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Last night, I'd heard her come in, but I'd stayed in my room, mostly because I hadn't wanted to burden her with my sob story just before bed.
Now, I was wondering what I'd missed.
And she still hadn't answered my question.
I studied her face. "Do you? Hate it, I mean?"
She frowned. "Well, I hate him. Does that count?"
"Who? Jaden?"
Her only answer was another shrug.
I felt my gaze narrow. "What did he do?"
"Nothing."
Oh, it was something, alright. I could see it all over her face. And now, I was kicking myself for not noticing it sooner.
Desperate for some clue, I said, "He's not as bad as your last boss, is he?"
"I dunno." Now, she looked almost ready to cry. "It's just different, that's all."
My heart clenched, and I felt awful for yapping so long about myself when Allie had problems of her own, serious problems the way it looked. "Tell me," I said, "what did he do?"
"Nothing," she repeated. "He's just an ass, that's all."
"Well, he had to do something if you're about to cry."
She stiffened. "I'm not about to cry. I'm just mad, that's all."
It was a lie, and a big one, too. This was Allie. She might yell, but she almost never cried.
Wondering if she needed a hug, I made a move to get off the couch. "Allie, seriously—"
She held up her hands. "Sit. I’m fine, okay? The guy's just a jackass, like I said."
"Yeah, I know. But can you give me an example?"
She gave a shaky laugh. "I dunno…like he's always stealing my pens."
I paused. Yes, that would be irritating, but it was nothing to cry over. Was it? Still, I said, "That does sound pretty annoying."
"And he's totally rude."
I tried to laugh. "Now, that I can believe."
"Do you know," she said, "he's always leaving stuff on my desk?"
"Like what?" I asked.
"I dunno." She sighed. "Snack wrappers, socks…"
"Socks? Seriously?"
"Oh yeah," she said. "And do you wanna know what it was last night?"
So that's where she'd been last night? Working? No wonder she was tired. More concerned than ever, I asked, "What?"
"A freaking ski mask. Can you believe it?"
I froze.
No. I couldn’t believe it.
Not at first.
But then, when I thought about it – seriously thought about it – everything made a lot more sense.
And this is why nine hours later, I was heading to a certain beachfront mansion, intending to get some answers – or kill someone
trying.
Chapter 54
I said to the driver, "It's coming up on the left."
"I know," he said, sounding slightly peeved. "I've got a GPS."
Right. He had said that. And even from the back seat, I could see the display with my own two eyes. "I know. I'm just giving you a heads-up."
"Well, don't," he said. "It's distracting."
Back in Nashville, I knew lots of people who used ride-sharing services. I almost never did. And why? Because I had the worst luck with drivers.
All the time, my friends would be telling me about getting drivers that were perfectly nice and normal. But me? I was totally cursed.
Of course, today I might've cursed myself by looking like a bum or maybe even a bag lady. Probably, the guy was worried I wouldn't pay him. He definitely thought I was crazy.
On this, he wasn't wrong. Obviously, I had lost my mind. But seriously, was it any wonder?
Today had totally sucked, and the worst part hadn't even happened yet.
After that ski mask comment, I'd tried like heck to pretend that everything was fine, which of course, it wasn't.
Still, I'd been determined to not upset Allie further, which meant that I'd stewed silently all morning and then all afternoon while waiting for her to leave so I could make this little trip on my own.
No matter what happened, I vowed, I wasn't going to drag her further into my drama. Hell, I'd already dragged her halfway across the country. That was bad enough.
Finally, a couple of hours before nightfall, she'd left to run a few errands. And that's when I'd gone into action.
I'd thrown on shabby sweatpants and a paint-splattered T-shirt. I didn't even bother with the makeup. As far as my hair, I'd washed it, but that's about it.
And now, here I was, almost at my destination.
I gave the GPS a nervous glance. Was the driver even watching? Apparently not, because he passed the house without even slowing down.
I said, "You missed it."
"I didn't miss it," he said. "I'm just looking for a place to park."
"You don't need to park. They have a driveway."
"I don't do driveways.
Good Lord.
Finally, he stopped like five houses away and pulled off to the side. "That'll be nineteen dollars," he said.
"But wait," I protested, "I'm not even at the house."
He made a sound of annoyance. "What, you want me to back up?"
"Yes," I told him. "And you promised to wait."
"Waiting's extra."
"I know," I said through gritted teeth. "You already told me."
"And I'll need the money now," he said, "in case you don't come out."
"Oh, I'm coming out."
He turned to look at me. "Yeah. In a police car."
I was glaring at him, now. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Look around," he said. "This is a fancy-ass neighborhood. If you think they're not calling the cops, you're nuts."
I gritted out, "They're not calling the cops."
Or, at least, I sure hoped not.
Ignoring me, the guy said, "And remember, I'll need the waiting money, too."
"Fine," I snapped, digging out the bills and tossing them over the seat. "And don’t bother backing up. I'll just walk."
He made a scoffing sound. "Yeah, good luck with that."
Okay, so I was wearing flip-flops. But people walked in flip-flops all the time. They were shoes, after all.
As I shoved open my car door, I reminded the guy, "I'll be back in an hour, maybe less."
When he grunted out some sort of acknowledgement, I grabbed my plastic grocery-bag full of clothes, got out of the car, and slammed the door behind me.
And then, I started walking.
It was still light outside, but just barely, and I felt incredibly self-conscious as I strode – making flip-floppity noises all the way – toward the front door of that all-too familiar mansion.
Today was Sunday, and it was nearly nightfall. I was almost certain that he'd be here. If not, I vowed, I'd just wait on his front steps like any other crazy person.
No matter what, I was determined to see him. Unfortunately, there was one thing I hadn't counted on – seeing someone else first. And who was that someone?
It was Morgan, that psychotic ex-girlfriend I'd met at his party.
I stopped in mid-flop. I'd been walking with my head down and didn't even see her until I was nearly in the driveway.
From what I could tell, she'd just come out of the front door. Or maybe, or she'd been ringing the doorbell and had just given up. Either way, she wasn't facing the house. She was facing away from it.
And she was staring.
At me.
Of course.
Chapter 55
Our gazes locked, and I felt myself swallow. Damn it. It was too late to run, and I had nowhere to hide. The driveway was empty, and there was only a single car parked out front – hers, apparently.
Of all the things I'd planned for, this wasn't on the list. I'd been planning to see Jax. I'd even been prepared to see Jaden, if only to give him a piece of my mind for whatever he'd done to Allie.
But nowhere in my half-baked plans, had I ever envisioned showing up to find Morgan lying in wait, like some kind of redheaded spider.
Yes, I did realize that she wasn't waiting for me. But that didn't make it any easier when a slow, evil smile spread across her face.
I knew exactly why she was smiling.
I looked like absolute crap.
And she didn't.
She was wearing a lacy black mini-skirt and a cropped white T-shirt. The skirt was very short and showed off her long, tanned legs. As for the shirt, it was cropped obnoxiously high, revealing a taut stomach and a shocking amount of under-boob.
Obviously, she'd skipped the bra entirely. Even from a distance, I could see the outlines of her nipples – perky little bastards – poking up against the thin cotton of her shirt.
Comparing her outfit to mine, the only thing we had in common was the fact that we both wore sandals unsuitable for running.
But where my sandals were cheap and flat, and yes, too darn floppy, hers were high and sexy, with chunky heels and little white straps that wrapped around her ankles.
As I stared stupidly from the sidewalk, I asked myself the obvious question. What on Earth had I been thinking? When getting ready for this little adventure, I'd been looking to make a point, but not to Morgan.
Cripes, if I'd known she was here, I wouldn't've come at all.
I still hadn't moved. And neither had she. But I couldn't exactly turn back now, so instead, I squared my shoulders and marched forward, well, as much as I could march in flip-flops anyway.
Soon, she was moving, too, striding straight toward me. We met in the middle, somewhere on the private walkway that led to the front door.
She gave my clothes a long, derisive look. "Well, don't you look precious."
I gave her a look right back. "Not as precious as you." I glanced down. "By the way, your boob popped out."
She gave me a smug smile. "It's supposed to look like that."
I hesitated. "Actually, I don’t think so."
Finally, she looked down. "Oh."
I hadn't been kidding. While striding along, her shirt had hiked up on the left side, exposing a lot more than she probably intended.
As she yanked the shirt back in place, I looked toward the house and tried to think. What now?
Morgan said, "He's not home, you know."
Obviously, she meant Jax, but I'd be a fool to believe her. "I'll check for myself, thanks."
"Check all you want," she said, "but no one's gonna answer the door."
"Fine. In that case, I'll leave a note."
It was a stupid thing to say. I had no pen. I had no paper. Mostly, I was just stalling in hopes that she'd just leave already.
But she didn't.
Instead, when I sidestepped around her, she turned and followed af
ter me as I headed toward the front door. When I reached it, she was still on my heels, even as I rang the bell.
From behind me, she said, "I already told you, he's not home."
I ignored her and rang the bell again.
No one answered.
Morgan said, "Told ya." She edged closer until she was standing right beside me. She was so close, I could smell her perfume – something floral with a hint of musk.
I gave her an irritated glance. The way it looked, she wasn't going anywhere.
Well, this was just great.
How humiliating was this? Let's say Jax pulled up right now. What would he see? Not just one girl, but two.
One of those girls looked like sex on the beach.
And then there was me.
What did I look like? Diving in dumpsters?
Probably.
While getting ready, I'd been in the worst mood, especially after pretending for so many hours that everything was fine. I hadn't planned to dress like this, not at first. But then, I'd been so exasperated – not only by the thing with the ski mask, but also because of Jax's odd comment from the previous night.
Too fucking beautiful?
Seriously?
Oh, I'd show him beautiful alright. And maybe, if I goaded him, he'd tell me exactly what he meant – after I confronted him about that robbery.
I needed an explanation, but not in front an audience. I looked to Morgan and said, "Don't you have someplace to be?"
"Sure." She smiled. "And I'm already here."
Yes. She was.
I tried to think. What if I left now and came back in an hour? By then, it would be surely dark. Would that be better? Or worse?
And what if Morgan didn't leave? If Jax returned while I was gone, what on Earth would she tell him?
I could only imagine. So with a sigh, I sank down on the top step to wait.
To my infinite frustration, Morgan did the exact same thing. And then, she stretched out her long legs in front of her, as if determined to show them off to their best advantage.
Ignoring her, I pulled out my phone and checked the time. I'd left the car exactly fifteen minutes ago. Assuming that the driver was still waiting, and I only prayed he was, I had only forty-five minutes until I'd need to run back with more cash – cash I could hardly spare.
We sat in silence for several minutes before Morgan said, "Hey, do you wanna hear why we broke up?"
One Good Crash Page 22
