to watch Jamie scrub the smeared makeup off her face at the en suite bathroom sink. “You’re going to tell me?”
“I guess I have to. It does concern you. And…if I’m going to lose him over you, I might as well tell you, right?”
A pregnant pause, and then the question, in a low, tense voice: “Him?”
Jamie shook her head. “Vodka first.” The two women went into the kitchen, and Jamie pulled a bottle of Grey Goose from her freezer. “I’ve been saving this for an emergency. I think this qualifies.”
She poured two generous measures into a pair of juice glasses, then a hint of orange juice over them. She knocked hers back immediately and poured a second while Anna sipped hers more slowly.
“Jeez, Jay. Don’t get drunk without me.” Anna tried to laugh, but the worry in her eyes had Jamie swallowing the last of her second shot and pouring a third.
Jamie poured juice over the third measure and leaned back against the kitchen counter across from Anna. “Not drunk. Just tipsy enough to be able to get this out.” She sipped, and then set the glass next to her. “Just remember when I’m telling you this, that nothing actually happened, okay?”
Anna frowned. “Okay…?”
“In Vegas, when you left the casino…the Six Foot Tall show. You gave me the backstage pass. I’m not sure what I intended to do, but…I ended up in Chase’s dressing room. You should have seen him, Anna—well, I guess I’m glad you didn’t. He was so broken up. I just…I hated seeing him hurt. I mean, you could see how upset he was from the audience. I just wanted to make sure he was okay, you know?”
“What happened , Jay?”
“It was like…being hit by a bus. Something about him just struck me, deep inside. You know? It was more than his looks or charisma. I remember how you talked about him. Like he’s got this magical presence. You just can’t help yourself when he’s around—he just takes over a room.”
Anna’s voice was quiet. Too quiet. “I remember.”
“Well, this was more than that. It was…something totally different.”
“Are you in love with Chase, Jamie?”
Jamie sucked down vodka, coughing before answering. “Maybe. I don’t know. I haven’t let myself think that far.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “We kissed. In Vegas, backstage. I’ve never felt anything like it in all my life, Anna. I’m sorry. I can’t even pretend to know how this is making you feel, but you wanted the truth.”
“I’m not sure this is what I was expecting.”
“Yeah, how could you, right?”
“How could I expect it? Or how could you do this to me?’”
Jamie shrugged, looking at Anna over the top of her glass. “Both?”
“I honestly don’t know. Maybe I am thinking both. Keep going.”
“Well, it was like that one kiss was more…I don’t know…more intimate, or meaningful than any thing I’ve ever shared with another guy in my entire life. Like that one kiss was…a promise of everything he and I could have, and god…it was like an earthquake, it was so intense.”
“Damn, Jay.”
“Yeah. Damn. But then I remembered who it was I was kissing. I ran. I mean…of all the people in the world for me to finally feel a real connection with, it had to be him ? Of course it did.”
“So that was it?”
Jamie snorted. “Not hardly. I told him I couldn’t do it, couldn’t let anything happen between us. You’re my best friend, and he’s your ex. No way. Taboo, right?”
“Right.” Anna’s voice was oddly strained.
“So I managed to get away from him, which was like ripping out a chunk of my heart. We had your wedding and went home, and I worked my ass off, got the promotion. I tried to forget.”
“And then you got drunk and had an accidental threesome with a pair of neanderthal potheads.”
“Yeah. Fucking awful. Especially since it didn’t help. It just made it worse. And not just because they weren’t Chase, which was bad enough, but because even
“I guess I have to. It does concern you. And…if I’m going to lose him over you, I might as well tell you, right?”
A pregnant pause, and then the question, in a low, tense voice: “Him?”
Jamie shook her head. “Vodka first.” The two women went into the kitchen, and Jamie pulled a bottle of Grey Goose from her freezer. “I’ve been saving this for an emergency. I think this qualifies.”
She poured two generous measures into a pair of juice glasses, then a hint of orange juice over them. She knocked hers back immediately and poured a second while Anna sipped hers more slowly.
“Jeez, Jay. Don’t get drunk without me.” Anna tried to laugh, but the worry in her eyes had Jamie swallowing the last of her second shot and pouring a third.
Jamie poured juice over the third measure and leaned back against the kitchen counter across from Anna. “Not drunk. Just tipsy enough to be able to get this out.” She sipped, and then set the glass next to her. “Just remember when I’m telling you this, that nothing actually happened, okay?”
Anna frowned. “Okay…?”
“In Vegas, when you left the casino…the Six Foot Tall show. You gave me the backstage pass. I’m not sure what I intended to do, but…I ended up in Chase’s dressing room. You should have seen him, Anna—well, I guess I’m glad you didn’t. He was so broken up. I just…I hated seeing him hurt. I mean, you could see how upset he was from the audience. I just wanted to make sure he was okay, you know?”
“What happened , Jay?”
“It was like…being hit by a bus. Something about him just struck me, deep inside. You know? It was more than his looks or charisma. I remember how you talked about him. Like he’s got this magical presence. You just can’t help yourself when he’s around—he just takes over a room.”
Anna’s voice was quiet. Too quiet. “I remember.”
“Well, this was more than that. It was…something totally different.”
“Are you in love with Chase, Jamie?”
Jamie sucked down vodka, coughing before answering. “Maybe. I don’t know. I haven’t let myself think that far.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “We kissed. In Vegas, backstage. I’ve never felt anything like it in all my life, Anna. I’m sorry. I can’t even pretend to know how this is making you feel, but you wanted the truth.”
“I’m not sure this is what I was expecting.”
“Yeah, how could you, right?”
“How could I expect it? Or how could you do this to me?’”
Jamie shrugged, looking at Anna over the top of her glass. “Both?”
“I honestly don’t know. Maybe I am thinking both. Keep going.”
“Well, it was like that one kiss was more…I don’t know…more intimate, or meaningful than any thing I’ve ever shared with another guy in my entire life. Like that one kiss was…a promise of everything he and I could have, and god…it was like an earthquake, it was so intense.”
“Damn, Jay.”
“Yeah. Damn. But then I remembered who it was I was kissing. I ran. I mean…of all the people in the world for me to finally feel a real connection with, it had to be him ? Of course it did.”
“So that was it?”
Jamie snorted. “Not hardly. I told him I couldn’t do it, couldn’t let anything happen between us. You’re my best friend, and he’s your ex. No way. Taboo, right?”
“Right.” Anna’s voice was oddly strained.
“So I managed to get away from him, which was like ripping out a chunk of my heart. We had your wedding and went home, and I worked my ass off, got the promotion. I tried to forget.”
“And then you got drunk and had an accidental threesome with a pair of neanderthal potheads.”
“Yeah. Fucking awful. Especially since it didn’t help. It just made it worse. And not just because they weren’t Chase, which was bad enough, but because even
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