Layover (Open Skies #1) - Becca Jameson Page 0,58

was.”

Jason blew out a breath. Kraft was right. He was so screwed.

Kraft continued, his voice calmer. “I think you need to talk to her. Let her tell her side. At least do that before you toss her into the lake.”

Jason groaned as he tipped his head back. The second beer was doing its job. He might feel like shit tomorrow, but he didn’t care right now.

“Why did you come here?” Kraft asked.

“So she couldn’t find me.”

“That’s what I figured, which means you think she will try to find you, which tells you she has something to say. You’re hiding.”

Jason laughed out loud, manically. “Yep. That’s me. Hiding. It’s in both our best interests that I remain in hiding for tonight. If I don’t, I’ll end up saying things I can’t take back.”

Kraft smiled. “See? If you’re also worried that you might stick your foot in your mouth, that tells me you care.”

Jason downed the rest of his beer and grabbed Kraft’s second one. “For now, I just want to get drunk. It doesn’t matter if I care or not. I’m done with conniving women who only keep me around as some kind of side toy.”

Chapter 25

Libby was a mess by the time she rushed into her condo a few hours later.

Christa was on the couch watching TV. She jumped up when Libby entered. “Oh my God. What happened?”

Libby knew she looked awful. She’d been crying. Her face was streaked in tears. Her eyes had to be puffy and red. She dropped onto the sofa next to Christa and started crying yet again. “I fucked up.”

“Oh shit. Did Jason find you? He came here looking for you. Said he wanted to go to your parents with you. I gave him their address. I’m so sorry if I overstepped.” Christa’s voice wobbled.

Libby shook her head and wiped at her tears. “Not your fault. This is on me. He could have tracked me with the GPS anyway. He asked me to tell my parents about us repeatedly. I was weak and chicken, so I didn’t do it. I was going to tonight. I meant to. But then my mother sabotaged my evening with another one of her blind dates.”

“Oh no.” Christa winced.

“Yeah. He must have gone to my parents’ house first. I bet my mother was more than happy to tell him in her flourishing way that I was on a date and where I was.” Libby grabbed a pile of tissues from the end table and wiped her eyes.

“Why would you go out with someone else even if you were blindsided?” Christa cautiously asked.

Libby groaned. “It’s complicated. Javier was in the same boat as me. We decided to commiserate together and share our stories. It was harmless.” Libby sat up straighter. “And I’m furious with Jason for not even letting me explain. He just took off. I ran after him, but he wouldn’t listen.”

Christa cringed. “Can you blame him?”

Libby shook her head. “No. But I’m still angry. He didn’t trust me.”

“What happened next? Why are you here instead of groveling?”

“Because I couldn’t find him. He didn’t go home. I waited for a while outside his house, but he never showed up.”

“He can’t stay gone forever,” Christa pointed out tentatively. “It’s his home. He probably needed to cool down somewhere before he spoke to you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m exhausted and pretty angry with myself now, so he can have all the time he wants to cool down. I’m going to bed.” Libby shoved off the couch and stood. She leaned down and hugged Christa. “Thanks for listening. I’m sorry to dump on you.”

Christa smiled. “Any time. You know that. We’re friends.”

Libby swiped at another tear. “I know, but…well, thank you.” She turned and shuffled toward the stairs. This was not how she’d imagined her evening ending. Not by a long shot. She’d spent the day imagining arguing with her parents and possibly being kicked out of her childhood home by an irrational mother. In that scenario, she’d pictured ending up in Jason’s bed at the end of the night, probably crying on his shoulder until he calmed her down.

Libby stripped out of her clothes and pulled on an old T-shirt before turning off the lights and climbing into bed. She curled onto her side and let another wave of tears fall. She was mad at herself for not being more assertive with her mother. She was mad at her mother for being so intolerant and putting Libby in this position in the first place.