I couldn’t help but smile as I drove home. Gerard always managed to bring a smile to my face that lasted all day.
The next two weeks went by like a blur as I got back into the swing of things for the spring quarter and covertly started packing things I would need in Mexico. I was itching to tell Nick about the surprise, but he’d been so busy with work lately, he kept putting off date night.
But tonight, I wasn’t going to let him get away that easy. If we couldn’t go out to dinner, I’d bring dinner to him. We only had a week at this point to be ready to go, and I had no idea if Nick would need to get swim trunks, or if he’d have to shuffle loan closings around to make it.
As soon as the final bell rang and all my students were safely off to their after-school activities, I packed up the grading I needed to get through over the weekend and took off as fast as I could.
Nick’s condo was in a new development just outside of the main section of Jubilee Falls, a gorgeous two-bedroom unit that was just a floor below the rooftop gardens, which draped ivy and flowers over the edge in the spring. I pictured moving in there with him and turning the balcony into an extension of the garden, if he’d just ask me.
Gerard probably would’ve helped me get one of my own if I asked him, but I hardly felt worthy of the small tokens he gave me. There was no way I’d ever be able to pay him back for a down payment on my own place, and even if there was, I’d seen the brochures for these condominiums. The only way I’d even manage a one bedroom would be to work three jobs and never sleep. And I didn’t need a place this big living by myself.
Instead, I just enviously moved around Nick’s kitchen, unpacking all the ingredients I’d need to make dinner. Initially, I wanted to try to make something authentically Mexican, to get Nick excited for our trip, but in the end, I settled on something more comforting, meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
While the potatoes boiled and the meat baked, I paced Nick’s condo nervously. What was I thinking, buying a trip like this? I didn’t even know for sure if Nick had a passport.
With a deep breath, I found my phone and called Gerard.
“Hey, Red. I was just thinking about you. I’m coming back to Jubilee for a few days tomorrow.” I could hear his infectious grin through the phone, and it immediately made my anxiety lessen a little.
“You are? Does that mean I get to have a coffee date or something with you?”
“Coffee. Wine. Food. But you didn’t call me with a sixth sense I was thinking about you, did you?”
I sighed. “You’d tell me if I was being stupid about this trip with Nick, right?”
I didn’t like the stretch of silence.
Finally, he replied, “Cora, he’d be an idiot not to want to go to Mexico with you. Where’s this fear coming from all the sudden? You got those tickets weeks ago.”
I sunk down into Nick’s couch and crossed my legs as I let my eyes close. “He’s been busy with client events and stuff. I haven’t had the chance to tell him.”
“Relax, Red. Any man would be damn lucky to go with you.”
I let out a long, slow breath, trying to believe Gerard. “You have to say that, you’re my best friend.”
“I say it because it’s true. You’re intelligent, fun, great sense of humor and you’re beautiful.” He cleared his throat. “Now, take another deep breath, and let all this negativity go. You’re amazing, and Nick would be a fool not to love you as much as I do.”
I followed his instructions, feeling a little better with him on the phone. “All right, I’ve got to finish dinner. Promise me you’ll call tomorrow, so we can hang out before I head off to Mexico?”
“I swear.”
I hung up and put my phone away in my purse just before the keys in the door rattled.
Nick was home.
I ran for the kitchen, pulling the now soft potatoes off the heat so that I could mash them, and then popped open a bottle of beer I brought just for him. When Nick came through the door, I beamed at him. “Hi, honey.”
“Cora?” He set his briefcase down next to the door and walked further into the condo. “What are you doing here?” His furrowed brow and downturned mouth caused me to pause and my smile to falter.
“You said we could have dinner tonight. I know you’ve been busy at work, so I thought I’d cook. Take your mind off things.”
He stared at me, his mouth hanging open. “You let yourself into my house, with the key I gave you for emergencies? And just thought you’d make a huge mess of my kitchen for a while.” Nick picked up the beer and took a long swig. “I think you should probably go, Cora.”
I blinked a couple times, trying to understand what he was saying. “What did I do wrong? Why are you mad at me?”
“You don’t get it, do you? You’re smothering me. I gave you a shot. You’re pretty, and you’re easy.” He gestured around at the kitchen, that was spotless except a couple dishes in the sink. “But you never relent. You always want to talk. You can’t take a hint. If I wanted to see you, I would see you. Leave the key and get out.”
My hands balled into fists, and I was tempted to grab the beer from his hand and smash it against his blonde cabinets. It wouldn’t have been as epic as if it were the bottle of red wine I wanted to bring, but it’d still feel damn good.
How dare he say I was smothering him? I made him dinner. It wasn’t like he came home to a surprise dinner party with our parents.
I grabbed my purse and my coat and stormed out of the condo before he could say anything else. Before the tears clouding my vision had a chance to fall.
3
Gerard
I barely set my suitcases down when I heard keys in the lock on my door. Or, more accurately, scraping around the metal of the lock. I turned and pulled the door open. Only three other people had my keys, and I knew the landlord would’ve knocked first and Kelly had already been by to make sure I had food in the apartment.
“Cora? What are you doing here?” I took in the sight of her purse hanging haphazardly off one shoulder, her hair a mess, and the mascara streaked down her cheeks. I plucked the coat out of her arms and set it on the back of the chair.
She stumbled into my arms and I tried to steer her to the sofa, not wanting to indulge in the way she felt pressed against me. But she didn’t move; she stayed in my arms as she spoke.
“He’s an ass.” She sniffled as her hand balled up a chunk of my shirt, gripping it as if to hold me close.
I pushed the door shut behind her and gently steered us toward the living room. At the couch, I scooped her up and sat, letting her curl into me. “Who’s an ass? Nick?”
“He kicked me out. For making dinner. The ass.” Her words were muffled as she spoke into my chest. “I didn’t even get to tell him about the trip.”
I rubbed her back, letting her get the tears out while I pictured ripping the man’s head off. “Fuck him then. He doesn’t deserve you.”
She reached blindly out to the end table where I always kept a box of tissues and dabbed at her eyes before she wiped her nose. Even all red and puffy, Cora was fucking beautiful.
And I wanted to punch Nick. I knew he was a fucking idiot.
As the tears slowed to a trickle rather than a downpour, she looked up at me and gave me a watery smile. “I didn’t know if you’d be home. I just couldn’t go back to my apartment yet.”
“I just got in. I was still standing in the doorway when you got here.” I kissed her temple and grabbed another tissue to wipe away more of the tears. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I want to get drunk. And maybe order pizza. I’m starving. All my hard work and money went to a meal that he probably just threw away.” She slid off my lap, but kept her legs draped over mine as she reached over and took my hand. It was a simple motion, one I never shied away from with her.
“I’ll have to run out and get booze. I didn’t ask Kelly to restock my booze.”
Something flashed in Cora’s eyes, but I didn’t know what it meant.
It had been a long time since I couldn’t read Cora like a book.
Her eyes welled up again, threatening more tears, but they didn’t quite fall. “I can’t believe I was so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid, Cora. You want to be loved. You deserve to have an incredible man who loves everything you are, who loves everything about you.” I rubbed her back again, fighting the urge to kiss her anywhere but the forehead or temple. “Besides me, of course.”
She chuckled a little and squeezed my hand. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. My best friend.”
And there it was. The phrase that I was likely to never get away from, no matter how badly I wanted to. Cora had only ever seen me as a friend, a confidant. “Why don’t you order a pizza and pick a movie, and I’ll run down the street and get drinks?”
I knew I’d been playing it safe, skirting around my feelings, never being fully honest with her, but she’d been in my life so long, I couldn’t see what it would be like without her.
She nodded and wiped her eyes. “You might want to change your shirt. I think I got snot on it.”
I laughed. “I can handle a little snot, Red.”
Cora was curled up on the couch when I got back with a couple bottles of wine and a bottle of scotch, snuggled into the quilt she made of band t-shirts from years of summer concerts together. The craftsmanship wasn’t expert by any means, and a couple of the t-shirts were so worn it looked like the fluff in the blanket might ooze out at any minute, but I loved that blanket, every last wobbly stitch of it.
The thing about Cora was she was incredibly real. She did everything with heart. And that mattered a great deal to me, when this world was losing heart day by day.
“Is tonight a wine night or a scotch night?”
She shrugged. “Probably wine. As good as scotch sounds, I need to be able to function tomorrow. I’ve got to see if there’s any way to get my money back for this stupid trip.”
“Why don’t you go anyway? You haven’t been out of the country in years, and you’ve already got the time off.”
She pursed her lips. “I’ll think about it. But going on vacation alone just makes me sound like a lonely old spinster, one glass of merlot away from becoming a crazy cat lady.”
“Hey, I like merlot. And I travel alone all the time.”
“For work. That’s different.” She got up and grabbed a couple of wine glasses before she pulled out the corkscrew and a couple of stashed paper plates that I didn’t even remember that I had.
Cora knew my apartment better than I did sometimes.
“Still, it’s not so bad. I could take you shopping for a few novels to read on the beach, and if you still feel like a crazy cat lady when you get back, I’ll take you to the shelter and we’ll pick you out the orneriest kitten there is.”
She handed me the corkscrew and headed back to the couch with the rest of her finds. “I already said I’d think about it. That’s the best you’re going to get from me right now.” She cuddled up in the quilt again and then held up one side. “Now open up that wine and get your ass over here. It’s movie time.”
We snuggled together and watched all three of the Lord of the Rings movies, until both bottles of wine were empty, the pizza was almost completely gone, and Cora was asleep on my shoulder.
Carefully, I carried her into my bedroom and tucked her in before I returned to the couch to try and sleep without thinking about the woman I’d do anything for.
Although Jubilee Falls would always be home, it was strange to be back here and not have an immediate flight to catch, another out waiting for me. I felt like I lived for those outs sometimes, for those moments when I could get away from Cora, from all the places that haunted my memories. Not that I really wanted to stay away from her. If I did, I’d move out of Jubilee and get an apartment in New York or Milan, somewhere that the fashion world recognized as civilization.
It was just nice to know that when I couldn’t stand it anymore, there was somewhere else to be.
Except, apparently this week.
Cora and I had dinner or drinks almost every night since her breakup. Tonight was no exception.
My phone buzzed with a text message.
Kelly: Do you think it’s weird that when I started an online dating profile and my unrequited discovered me on there, he got mad me?
Gerard: Mad at you? For what?
Kelly: Apparently online dating is for desperate losers.
Gerard: Is this guy a friend of yours?
Kelly: I thought so. But I’m starting to think he’s a jerk.
Gerard: What else did he say?
Kelly: He asked me if I did a face shot only, so no one would know how fat I am…
Gerard: All right, Kelly, please dump him.
Kelly: I’m not dating him.
Gerard: You shouldn’t be friends with him either. You’re gorgeous and if he’s jealous, he’s handling it really badly.
Kelly: I am fat.
Gerard: Kelly, you’re gorgeous. He’s a moron. Please be better than Cora. And me.
Kelly: That’s not going so well, huh?
Gerard: The banker boyfriend dumped her. I’m trying to convince her to go on her Mexico trip without him. Maybe she can get some clarity and stop being so dumb when it comes to men.
Kelly: And maybe see you?
Gerard: I’m taking my own advice. It’s time to move on.
Kelly: Or you could just stamp her down.
Gerard: Stamp her down?
Kelly: Push up against the wall and kiss her.
Gerard: I’ll consider it.
Honestly, it was getting to the point where I didn’t know why I was resisting and her being with a douchebag like Nick was bound to ruin our friendship eventually anyway.
Kelly: No, you won’t. That’s okay. I didn’t either. But it looks like maybe I’m better off.
Gerard: You are. Any guy who talks to you like that deserves to be hit in the junk.
Kelly: Noted.
Cora’s face filled my screen. I answered it.
“Hey, Red.”
“Come over, Ger. I’m packing for this trip you convinced me to go on, and I need company.”
“You wouldn’t go if you really didn’t want to. You’re going to have a blast.”
“I was thinking about that. You said you’re between jobs right now, right? No pressing photo shoots you have to go on?”
“Yeah, why?” I looked around my apartment for where I’d dropped my keys.
“The trip is for two people and going to Mexico and drinking margaritas on the beach alone just seems sad. So, I made some calls. You’re going with me.”
“What?” I froze, halfway out the door.
“Please? I know it’s a lot to ask, but it’s already paid for, and I couldn’t get the second ticket refunded, and I would really love having someone else with me. Not just anyone. My best friend.”
Cora was rambling. She rambled when she was nervous. Why should she be nervous?
“You want me to drop everything I have going on and go to Mexico?” I felt like I could hardly breathe. Five days with Cora, alone on a beach, could’ve been the start of a hundred different fantasies. Except she wasn’t asking me to go with her as her boyfriend or even a fuck buddy. She wasn’t asking me to go on a romantic getaway.
She was asking me to be a stand-in for her ex-boyfriend.
“Please, Ger? You love Mexico.” Her voice wavered a little, and I worried she was about to cry again.
“I’m on my way over. We can talk about it when I get there.” I hung up and headed for the car. I didn’t need to talk about it anymore. I already knew what I was going to say.
I was a sucker for Cora Reynolds, and I would’ve followed her anywhere. And maybe I should’ve done as my friend suggested and stamp her down.
4
Cora
Cora: Nick dumped me.
Colton: Wanker.
Cora: You know you’re not British.
Colton
: Seemed appropriate.
Colton: Are you okay?
Cora: I don’t know. Yes. No. Maybe. My biggest problem has been trying to decide if I should go to Mexico without him.
Colton: The answer to that is, of course, yes.
Cora: Won’t I look pathetic?
Colton: No. But if you’re uncomfortable with going alone, take a friend. Weren’t we just talking about your friend? The one who didn’t like your boyfriend?
Cora: It’s not weird to ask a friend to go to Mexico with you?
Colton: Depends on the friend. Might be a little awkward to ask me to go to Mexico with you, but not Tru or even the mayor.
Cora: I see your point.
Cora: What if he says no?
Colton: Cora, I’m going to be honest here, as a friend should be. I think you need to examine your friendship with Gerard. It might surprise you.
Cora: Thanks, Colton.
Colton: Any time.
I put my phone down and stared at my coffee table. I wasn’t sure what Colton meant. Did he not think I had a good friendship with Gerard? Or was it something more?
I let out a long, frustrated sigh. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I was exhausted from thinking and overthinking everything that had happened with Nick. And whether or not I was going to go on this vacation. I needed to give my brain a rest.
I wanted to go to Mexico with Gerard. And that was that.
By the time Gerard pulled up to my apartment building, Chinese food was on the table, beers were open, and all that was left to do was somehow convince him to get on a plane with me in two days.
I could’ve taken the trip alone. And any other time of the year I probably would have. I just didn’t think I could handle being at a resort with families and couples on the most romantic weekend of the year, alone.
A rap on my door brought me to my feet, confused. Gerard had a key, and he’d never been shy about using it before. But if it wasn’t Gerard, who would be at my door?
Love Struck Page 3
