that. Not even for you.”
Chase backed away, his eyes dark, fathomless chasms. “Message received, Jay. Loud and clear. I won’t bother you anymore.” And then he turned away again.
He walked back into the building, shoulders tense, palm scrubbing frantically over his scalp. Jamie let him go, the hurt she could feel from him as powerful as the hurt inside herself.
He’d called her “Jay.” No one but Anna ever called her that.
After Chase was gone, Jamie texted Lane, begging him to get her home. Lane appeared a few minutes later with Dale’s keys and drove Jamie to her car. He didn’t ask her any questions, didn’t say a word the entire drive from Harpo’s to Lane Bryant. He just drove, one hand on her knee. When he pulled up next to her car, he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to hug her. She clung to his neck and choked back her tears, focusing on breathing until she had control over herself again.
“Thanks, Lane.”
He nodded and kissed her cheek. “You know I love you, sweetie, and you know I’m here for you.”
“I know.” She pulled away and opened the car door, swung a leg out. “I’ll call you later and we’ll talk, okay?”
Lane smiled. “No worries, kitten. Just take care of yourself?”
She made it home without breaking down, somehow. She made it into her bed before unleashing a torrent of tears that didn’t stop until she was simply too exhausted to weep anymore.
Anna showed up. “Jay?” she called from the kitchen. “Something told me you needed company.”
Jamie didn’t answer. She felt Anna’s weight on the bed next to her, then fingers brushing curls away from her eyes.
“What happened, Jay?”
Jamie could only shake her head. “Just…life sucks.”
Anna sighed, an irritated huff. “Jamie. Why aren’t you talking to me? There’s something big going on with you, and you’re holding out on me. I’m starting to get mad.”
“I can’t tell you, Anna. It’s complicated.”
“Meaning you’re afraid.”
“Shitless.”
Anna didn’t answer right away. When she did, her voice sounded distant. “Okay, well, I can’t make you talk to me. You know I love you. You know I’d never judge you.”
Jamie sat up and faced Anna, working her feet beneath her into a cross-legged position. “Anna, please. Listen. It’s not that…I don’t know…it’s not that I don’t trust you or that I want to keep things back from you. You know I tell you everything—”
“Except the one thing that I’ve ever seen make you cry on a regular basis.” She gestured at the bed they both sat on. “I’ve found you here, in your bed, bawling, more times over the last few months than in all the years I’ve known you. And we’ve been friends forever.”
Jamie didn’t know what to say. She fidgeted with a loose thread on her comforter. “Anna—god. I want to tell you. You’re my best friend. You’re the only one I’ve ever been able to tell everything to. But this is…it’s fucked up, Anna.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just…”
“What? Just what?” Anna jerked the ponytail holder out of her hair, untangling her blonde locks with her fingers before smoothing it back and retying it. “I’m not gonna ask again, okay? If you won’t tell me, fine. I get it.”
Jamie flinched at the hardness in Anna’s voice. “Why does this feel like a turning point between us? Like if I don’t tell you, things won’t be the same between us?”
Anna shrugged, a tiny lift of one shoulder. “I’m not trying to make demands or ultimatums or whatever. I just…I guess I sense this somehow has something to do with me, and I’m worried.”
Jamie sighed, a frustrated expulsion of breath. “God. I need vodka.”
“Me, too.”
“No, I mean for real. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to need vodka.” Jamie wiggled off the bed, wiping her face.
“Do what?”
“Tell you all of this.”
Anna twisted
Chase backed away, his eyes dark, fathomless chasms. “Message received, Jay. Loud and clear. I won’t bother you anymore.” And then he turned away again.
He walked back into the building, shoulders tense, palm scrubbing frantically over his scalp. Jamie let him go, the hurt she could feel from him as powerful as the hurt inside herself.
He’d called her “Jay.” No one but Anna ever called her that.
After Chase was gone, Jamie texted Lane, begging him to get her home. Lane appeared a few minutes later with Dale’s keys and drove Jamie to her car. He didn’t ask her any questions, didn’t say a word the entire drive from Harpo’s to Lane Bryant. He just drove, one hand on her knee. When he pulled up next to her car, he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to hug her. She clung to his neck and choked back her tears, focusing on breathing until she had control over herself again.
“Thanks, Lane.”
He nodded and kissed her cheek. “You know I love you, sweetie, and you know I’m here for you.”
“I know.” She pulled away and opened the car door, swung a leg out. “I’ll call you later and we’ll talk, okay?”
Lane smiled. “No worries, kitten. Just take care of yourself?”
She made it home without breaking down, somehow. She made it into her bed before unleashing a torrent of tears that didn’t stop until she was simply too exhausted to weep anymore.
Anna showed up. “Jay?” she called from the kitchen. “Something told me you needed company.”
Jamie didn’t answer. She felt Anna’s weight on the bed next to her, then fingers brushing curls away from her eyes.
“What happened, Jay?”
Jamie could only shake her head. “Just…life sucks.”
Anna sighed, an irritated huff. “Jamie. Why aren’t you talking to me? There’s something big going on with you, and you’re holding out on me. I’m starting to get mad.”
“I can’t tell you, Anna. It’s complicated.”
“Meaning you’re afraid.”
“Shitless.”
Anna didn’t answer right away. When she did, her voice sounded distant. “Okay, well, I can’t make you talk to me. You know I love you. You know I’d never judge you.”
Jamie sat up and faced Anna, working her feet beneath her into a cross-legged position. “Anna, please. Listen. It’s not that…I don’t know…it’s not that I don’t trust you or that I want to keep things back from you. You know I tell you everything—”
“Except the one thing that I’ve ever seen make you cry on a regular basis.” She gestured at the bed they both sat on. “I’ve found you here, in your bed, bawling, more times over the last few months than in all the years I’ve known you. And we’ve been friends forever.”
Jamie didn’t know what to say. She fidgeted with a loose thread on her comforter. “Anna—god. I want to tell you. You’re my best friend. You’re the only one I’ve ever been able to tell everything to. But this is…it’s fucked up, Anna.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just…”
“What? Just what?” Anna jerked the ponytail holder out of her hair, untangling her blonde locks with her fingers before smoothing it back and retying it. “I’m not gonna ask again, okay? If you won’t tell me, fine. I get it.”
Jamie flinched at the hardness in Anna’s voice. “Why does this feel like a turning point between us? Like if I don’t tell you, things won’t be the same between us?”
Anna shrugged, a tiny lift of one shoulder. “I’m not trying to make demands or ultimatums or whatever. I just…I guess I sense this somehow has something to do with me, and I’m worried.”
Jamie sighed, a frustrated expulsion of breath. “God. I need vodka.”
“Me, too.”
“No, I mean for real. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to need vodka.” Jamie wiggled off the bed, wiping her face.
“Do what?”
“Tell you all of this.”
Anna twisted
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