Jayson: A New Adult / Coming of Age Romance by Nicole Hughes Page B

it.
    “I knew the only cure for a shitty night was cheese curls. I bought the big bag.”
    “You’re a life saver. I so love you right now.”
    “Speaking of love,” Grace says in a sing-song voice. I roll my eyes, knowing exactly where she’s heading with the rejoinder. I grab up a handful of bags, and she takes the other, slamming the trunk closed. I notice a neighbor next door and wave, but the elderly woman doesn’t wave back. I shrug.
    “Uh-uh, not speaking of love,” I say to Grace. “Right now all I want to do is eat junk and rant.” We head back into my house and spread my blanket from last night over the middle of the floor. Grace busts open the bag, and I tear paper towels from the roll she brought over. “You know she had the nerve to tell me I wouldn’t make it? I was so mad last night. It took everything in me to keep cool and just pack my bags.” The first cheese curl crunches between my teeth, and my eyes flutter shut at the overly cheesy flavor. I lick my fingertips, groaning in pleasure. I didn’t realize I was so hungry, but without a microwave or any groceries, I skipped breakfast.
    “What happened, Kit? I mean, you guys fight a lot, but it’s never gone this far.”
    “She was talking about Jayson like he was some kind of bum.”
    “Pushed some buttons, did she?” Grace asks with a grin. She tosses me a bottled water, and I take a sip.
    “Admittedly, she ruffled some feathers, but it was the principle of the matter, Grace. I come from a very privileged background financially. That makes it all the more important for me to recognize the advantages I’ve had over others like Jayson. It’s clear he’s not Ivy League material, the type of guy Mom seems to think I should be panting after, but that doesn’t mean he’s less of a man. He’s smart and focused. I can’t stand when she gets all high and mighty like that.”
    “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. Your mom said something about the future Mr. Zephyr-Schneider, and you freaked out and packed up? That was the straw that broke the camel’s back?”
    “Ugh! You’re not helping, Grace,” I chuckle. Marriage? In a decade maybe.
    Grace belly laughs, rolling back on the floor and sitting back up with tears in her eyes from laughing so hard. “I’ve been trying to convince you to move out forever. I should be stung by how easy it was for Jayson to get you to go through with it, but I’m not. Jayson Zephyr is amazing! I totally get why you’d snip the umbilical cord for him. It’s about damn time, too.”
    “I’d feel so much better about the move if I didn’t think Mom was right to some degree. I have to find an apartment since this place has to sell so I can pay Mom back for the renovation expenses.”
    “Wait a minute, you’re not staying here?”
    “Nope.” Grace looks like she doesn’t approve, but I don’t have a choice. I’ve already made plans to sell. Mom’s expecting me to follow through. “I still have money in my savings from my long defunct acting career, but that won’t last forever. The fact of the matter is, if I want to pay my mortgage, my rent and all my bills without her help, I’m going to have to take on more hours at Devil in the Details, which could very well compromise my grades. You might think it was Jayson who got me to move out, but the truth is I now have even less time for romance than I had before. It’s time for me to focus on my needs…not my wants.”
    “So you admit you want him.”
    “You saw him with his shirt off! Who wouldn’t?” I think back to yesterday evening when Grace and I stopped by to see if Jayson was here, and he was in the downstairs guestroom shirtless, trying to draw my attention to the wallpaper he picked out. Sweet merciful lord, it took willpower not to simply stare at the wall of his chest. I peer into my chip bag, wondering how I got through it so fast. Grace continues munching on a bag of her own.
    “Personally, I’m kind of partial to his