Jilted Jock - Rebecca Jenshak Page 0,26
and he placed a hand at my hip in a decidedly uncharacteristically possessive move. I lifted my gaze to him and smiled, placed a hand on his chest reassuring him. “I’ll be right there.”
He lingered a moment longer before nodding.
When my bedroom door closed, I brought my gaze to Finn’s. His lips twisted into a half smile.
“Do you want some help boxing everything back up?”
“No, I got it. Go enjoy time with your man.”
“Alright. Well, good night, Finn.”
“’Night.” I let out a shaky breath and reached out for the door handle.
He said my name quietly. “Adele?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know your ex, hell, I barely know you, but I know that if he didn’t see you – if he made you feel like you didn’t deserve to be seen or protected, then he was blind. I saw you the first time we met – drunker than I’ve ever been. A woman like you… she doesn’t disappear for a temporary high.”
Adele
Richard and I went out for breakfast at his favorite little café in Hermosa Beach.
“Have you given it any more thought?” he asked after we’d placed our orders.
All I’d done was think. Thoughts were overrated and I was hoping the biscuits and gravy I’d ordered with a side of cheesy grits were going to put me in a food coma that made thinking impossible.
“Yes.”
“And?” He looked so hopeful.
“It’s a big decision. Can I have a few days to think about it?”
“Of course,” he said, but then he dove right into all the amazing things about New York and us living together.
My head spun with indecision when the waitress finally delivered my food. My plan for the food coma was thwarted by a loss of appetite.
“What do you want to do today?” I asked and then an idea came to me. “Hey, let’s spend the day walking around town like tourists.”
“Actually, I need to go into the office for a few hours.” He grabbed the check. “But tonight, I was thinking we could rent a room at the Hilton, order room service, and stay in bed all night. What do you think?”
A night in with overpriced food at the touch of a button sounded amazing and I told him as much.
After breakfast, Richard went to the office and I bypassed home and went to my brother’s house instead. I might have been avoiding Finn. I needed a clear head and to only allow myself to think about Richard and the amazing proposition he’d made. Also, I needed some girl time.
“I wondered when you’d sneak over so we could talk.” Aubrey brought a plate of muffins to the table after forcing me into a chair and putting a mug filled with coffee in front of me.
“Chance gone?”
“Yeah, he took CJ to the park.”
“What did he say?”
Aubrey gave me a puzzled look.
“Don’t give me that, I know you two talked about it after we left last night.”
She smiled uneasily. “We might have chatted briefly about it.”
I raised an eyebrow and pursed my lips as I brought the mug to my lips.
“Okay fine we stayed up until two in the morning and then CJ got up an hour early so we’re both basically zombies today.”
I snorted.
“Is my brother freaking out?”
“Actually, no. He was surprised. We always assumed Richard would move back here.”
“That was the plan.”
“But he’s a nice guy and you seem good.” She reached out and squeezed my hand. “But our opinion doesn’t matter. What do you think? Do you want to move to New York?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Richard thinks he can help me find a job there and I have been thinking more and more about becoming a bookkeeper or even going back to school part time to become an accountant. Even with my bachelor’s degree, I’d need some more accounting-specific coursework before I could take the CPA exam.”
Aubrey smiled. “That’s great.”
I nodded. “But I could have done that here and haven’t.”
“Better late than never.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s not really about the job. I always pictured my life here. I love how close I am to you guys, watching CJ grow up, girls’ night with you, seeing how insanely in love you and my brother are. It fills a part of me that I thought I lost after my parents died.”
“You already know how much I love having you close by, but we’d find ways to make new traditions. You could come back and visit, we’d visit you, we’d Facetime… if it’s what you want then we’ll make it work. The question is, do