laugh.
"Jackson, you're
supposed to hang up!"
"So are you."
"Okay, I'm really
hanging up now. It feels too junior high to argue about who's going to hang up
first."
"Okay. Sweet
dreams."
"Sweet dreams to
you too."
I hung up before I
could be tempted to stay on the phone to see if Jackson was still on the line.
It was as if we were reduced to puppy love teenagers reluctant to hang up the
phone and break the connection.
I steeled myself
against the giddy emotions rising in me. I really needed to be careful and not
get my emotions too tangled up in this. When our fling ended, I wanted to be
able to be friends with Jackson. Although I didn't know how any woman could
just be friends with Jackson.
I left my bedroom to go
to the bathroom to wash up for bed and saw that Claire had come home. She was
sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine.
"Hey. I didn't
hear you come in."
Claire looked up.
"I just got in a few minutes ago. I met Nathan and Mia for a few drinks at
Max's. What have you been up to?"
"Not much. I got
home late and then I talked to Jackson on the phone for a while. I'm ready for
bed, I'm beat."
"How's Jackson
doing?"
"Good," I
said as I walked into the bathroom. I left the door open so that Claire could
still hear me. "How's Nathan and Mia?"
"The same. Nathan
wanted me to remind you about his art show on Sunday."
"Oh yeah," I
said as I started wiping off my makeup with a cotton ball. "I'd love to
go."
Claire stood and leaned
against the doorjamb of the bathroom, watching me. "Great. We'll all go
together. It starts at six."
I smiled at Claire in
the reflection of the mirror. "Sounds good."
Claire twirled a piece
of her hair around her finger, looking thoughtful. "Nathan asked Jackson
to come meet us out tonight, but he said that he couldn't because he was
busy."
I felt a little bubble
of happiness that Jackson had apparently wanted to stay home for my call, but I
just shrugged. "I'm not sure what he was up to before I called him."
"Did he know that
you were going to call?"
Claire questions seemed
odd and I began to wonder if she had been entirely truthful about her lack of
feelings for Jackson.
"He asked me to
call him tonight when I got home from work."
Claire suddenly smiled
widely at me. "I never thought I'd see it."
"See what?" I
turned around to look at Claire.
"I think Jackson
Reynard has it bad for you!"
I laughed, shaking my
head. "We're just having fun together, that's all."
Claire looked
thoughtful. "I've never known Jackson to wait around for a girl's call.
This is something more."
"I doubt it,"
I said, trying not to feel excited by her words. I reminded myself that I
wasn't looking for something more. At least I didn't have to worry about Claire
and her feelings. She looked positively ecstatic at the possibility that
Jackson saw me as more than a fling.
"Hmm," Claire
said noncommittally but her eyes were dancing.
"Enough," I
said with a laugh, holding up my hand. "You're going to make me all
confused about what's going on between me and Jackson."
"Okay," she
said in a singsong voice, clearly not convinced. She went back to the couch and
her magazine.
"I'm going to
bed," I said when I was finished washing up, flicking off the bathroom
light switch. "Are you staying up?"
Claire nodded. "I
can never go to sleep right after I come home. I'm too wired. I need time to
unwind."
"Okay,
goodnight."
"Goodnight. Sweet
dreams." Claire winked at me and I just smiled. It seemed like everyone was
wishing me sweet dreams tonight.
Friday dragged even
though I had plenty to do during the workday. I couldn't help checking my watch
every half hour, willing the time to go by faster as I excitedly anticipated
seeing Jackson tonight.
I was checking my watch
again, happy that it was almost time to leave, when my intercom buzzed.
"Hi, Janet,"
I said, picking up the phone.
"Can you come in
here for a minute, Emma?"
"Sure." I
grabbed my pad and pen, hoping that this wasn't something that
"Jackson, you're
supposed to hang up!"
"So are you."
"Okay, I'm really
hanging up now. It feels too junior high to argue about who's going to hang up
first."
"Okay. Sweet
dreams."
"Sweet dreams to
you too."
I hung up before I
could be tempted to stay on the phone to see if Jackson was still on the line.
It was as if we were reduced to puppy love teenagers reluctant to hang up the
phone and break the connection.
I steeled myself
against the giddy emotions rising in me. I really needed to be careful and not
get my emotions too tangled up in this. When our fling ended, I wanted to be
able to be friends with Jackson. Although I didn't know how any woman could
just be friends with Jackson.
I left my bedroom to go
to the bathroom to wash up for bed and saw that Claire had come home. She was
sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine.
"Hey. I didn't
hear you come in."
Claire looked up.
"I just got in a few minutes ago. I met Nathan and Mia for a few drinks at
Max's. What have you been up to?"
"Not much. I got
home late and then I talked to Jackson on the phone for a while. I'm ready for
bed, I'm beat."
"How's Jackson
doing?"
"Good," I
said as I walked into the bathroom. I left the door open so that Claire could
still hear me. "How's Nathan and Mia?"
"The same. Nathan
wanted me to remind you about his art show on Sunday."
"Oh yeah," I
said as I started wiping off my makeup with a cotton ball. "I'd love to
go."
Claire stood and leaned
against the doorjamb of the bathroom, watching me. "Great. We'll all go
together. It starts at six."
I smiled at Claire in
the reflection of the mirror. "Sounds good."
Claire twirled a piece
of her hair around her finger, looking thoughtful. "Nathan asked Jackson
to come meet us out tonight, but he said that he couldn't because he was
busy."
I felt a little bubble
of happiness that Jackson had apparently wanted to stay home for my call, but I
just shrugged. "I'm not sure what he was up to before I called him."
"Did he know that
you were going to call?"
Claire questions seemed
odd and I began to wonder if she had been entirely truthful about her lack of
feelings for Jackson.
"He asked me to
call him tonight when I got home from work."
Claire suddenly smiled
widely at me. "I never thought I'd see it."
"See what?" I
turned around to look at Claire.
"I think Jackson
Reynard has it bad for you!"
I laughed, shaking my
head. "We're just having fun together, that's all."
Claire looked
thoughtful. "I've never known Jackson to wait around for a girl's call.
This is something more."
"I doubt it,"
I said, trying not to feel excited by her words. I reminded myself that I
wasn't looking for something more. At least I didn't have to worry about Claire
and her feelings. She looked positively ecstatic at the possibility that
Jackson saw me as more than a fling.
"Hmm," Claire
said noncommittally but her eyes were dancing.
"Enough," I
said with a laugh, holding up my hand. "You're going to make me all
confused about what's going on between me and Jackson."
"Okay," she
said in a singsong voice, clearly not convinced. She went back to the couch and
her magazine.
"I'm going to
bed," I said when I was finished washing up, flicking off the bathroom
light switch. "Are you staying up?"
Claire nodded. "I
can never go to sleep right after I come home. I'm too wired. I need time to
unwind."
"Okay,
goodnight."
"Goodnight. Sweet
dreams." Claire winked at me and I just smiled. It seemed like everyone was
wishing me sweet dreams tonight.
Friday dragged even
though I had plenty to do during the workday. I couldn't help checking my watch
every half hour, willing the time to go by faster as I excitedly anticipated
seeing Jackson tonight.
I was checking my watch
again, happy that it was almost time to leave, when my intercom buzzed.
"Hi, Janet,"
I said, picking up the phone.
"Can you come in
here for a minute, Emma?"
"Sure." I
grabbed my pad and pen, hoping that this wasn't something that
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