JASON DRAGGED HIS fingers through his hair as he paced the kitchen and stared at the message from Owen. He couldn’t imagine what must be going through Erin’s mind, knowing she’d seen that.
Obviously, Owen hadn’t called or texted Erin. That had to be what had upset her.
And why the hell was Owen asking him how Erin was doing? If he wanted to know he should find out for himself by going directly to Erin.
He was still so damn mad at his best friend that he wanted to kick his ass. He grabbed his phone and typed out an angry reply, then immediately deleted it.
“Shit.” He tossed the phone back on the kitchen island.
He was torn, felt stuck in the middle between his two best friends, one of whom he’d slept with last night.
He needed to hear Owen out, figure out why Owen had done what he had. But doing so felt like a betrayal of Erin.
He didn’t know what to do.
So, instead, he went to grab a cup of coffee. The rest of it he’d figure out later.
CHAPTER
seventeen
WAIT. SO HE texted Jason but not you?”
Erin nodded, taking two very long sips of her margarita, so happy that Alice Weatherford had called her today and asked if they could have dinner. She needed a night out with someone she could be honest with and sort her feelings out with, and Alice was the perfect friend for that.
“But why?” Alice dug a chip into the guacamole.
“I have no idea.”
“Did you ask Jason if he’d been in contact with Owen?”
“I didn’t. I was so shocked and pissed off I ran out of there like my hair was on fire.”
“And this was after the night of hot sex?”
“Yes. And now I’ve let an entire week go by without talking to him. I was so embarrassed after what happened that every time I picked the phone up to call or text him, I just couldn’t do it. And now he probably thinks I’m not worth the trouble.”
Alice tilted her head and gave her a sympathetic look. “Oh, honey.”
“I know. It was stupid. But just seeing Owen’s name come up on Jason’s phone made me . . . I don’t know. Temporarily lose my mind, I guess.”
“And you haven’t talked to Jason at all this week?”
“No. He called and texted several times. I just felt so idiotic after running out of his house I didn’t know what to say.”
Alice tilted her head. “You have to talk to him. If nothing else, to find out what Owen had to say.”
“I don’t care what Owen has to say. I do care that I probably hurt Jason’s feelings. We had such a good night, Alice. And I ruined it by bailing.”
“I doubt you ruined anything.” Alice took a sip of her drink. “But you should still talk to him.”
“I will.” As soon as she developed some courage. She ate some chips and dip, then polished off her margarita, signaling her server for a refill. “Anyway, enough about me. Tell me what’s going on with you. How was your trip to LA?”
“It was good. I picked up a new client and I’ve already got him set up to meet someone.”
“That’s fabulous.”
“Thanks. I think the two of them have so much in common. They’ll make a great match.”
“When’s the date?”
“Saturday night. He’s a musician and she’s a graphic artist.”
Their server brought her margarita, and she ordered more chips and salsa along with guacamole. Erin turned her attention back to Alice. “Okay, so they’re both creative types. That gives them something in common.”
“Exactly. They both work very hard, sometimes too hard. Neither of them have taken enough time to work on their personal lives. So I think the idea of both of them looking for someone at this time is kind of like . . .”
“Kismet?” Erin asked.
Alice smiled. “Yes. I mean, even on paper I could feel it. It’s like I know they’re going to hit it off right away, that their match is going to be like lightning in a bottle.”
“I see that Clay has convinced you of that chemistry thing you used to object to.”
She offered up a serene smile. “Don’t tell him he was right. I’ll never live it down.”
Erin shrugged. “I saw the chemistry between the two of you from the first day you met.”
“He proposed last weekend.”
Erin’s heart did an excited flip. “Wait. What? Oh my God, Alice. He did? Why didn’t you tell me that first thing?”