"You're not late," Jaz said.
"Yes, he is," Ruby chimed in. "And what are you even wearing, Matthew? Have you forgotten your age?"
We all rolled our eyes.
"I think he looks fine, Mom. Give the man a break," Freya chirped.
Ruby huffed, but stayed silent.
"I'm just glad I could make it to dinner with all my favorite gals. And guys," he nodded at me and then looked at Eric questioningly.
"This is my boyfriend, Eric." She introduced them, and Matthew gave him a warm welcome. I could tell that his first impression was one of approval, much to the relief of everyone in the room. I had never seen Matthew get particularly angry, and I didn't really want to, either.
Eric was full of surprises. He was a biologist in Chicago with a Ph.D. from the same university that Freya had graduated from.
“I have no idea how we never crossed paths then,” she said, placing her hand over his.
My parents, as well as hers, were gushing over the guy, and I was happy to have that attention away from me for once.
After everyone had eaten, Matthew suggested all of "the guys" take a trip to the basement to throw some darts. I smiled good-naturedly at Eric, who would soon learn that this was a holiday tradition with Matthew, as I got up to follow him downstairs. In reality, I think he did it more for the women than he did for the men, knowing how much his wife and daughter liked to gossip. I wasn't sure if Jaz would be happy with the prospect of being left alone with her mother up there, but at least she had Freya, and I was sure they had plenty to catch up on.
I glanced at her, making sure she would be ok, and she nodded slightly. I think she was happy to see Freya's new boyfriend getting a chance to bond with her father. She could probably tell that I was happy with the situation, too.
Once Eric, Matthew, myself, and my father were settled downstairs, Matthew handed out beers from the fridge and proposed a toast.
"To endings that lead to beginnings," he said, and we all raised our cans and touched them together. Matthew smiled at my father, and then at me.
"You had me wondering about you for a minute there, Blake, but I'm not worried anymore. I've got to say that I have never seen Jaz looking as happy as she does now, and I think that you may have something to do with you." He took a sip of his beer. "Hell, I should know as well as anybody that sometimes things in relationships just don't work out, but you and Jaz have given me hope that maybe happiness is waiting just around the bend. I mean, you two being together was quite a turn, but it's working out for you. Maybe it'll all work out for me, too. And even Ruby," he added.
"Thanks for your kind words, Matthew. Thanks for everything."
"Don't mention it, son." He then turned to Eric. "And you know what? I think I like you, too, son. You're going to have to get used to me calling you that. I always wanted some boys and never got any of my own, so you two will have to do." Matthew laughed. "So how did you and Freya actually meet for the first time?"
Eric was starting to loosen up, and he seemed happy to have been asked a question that was easy to answer. "Actually, it's kind of a funny story. I was visiting a friend that lives in the same building as Freya and was just leaving the elevator, when she steps on, looking like she has the devil in her. I mean, she was fuming mad, smashing her fingers into the buttons, steam coming out of her ears, the works. I didn't dare say anything to her right then, but I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, even when angry. I figured if she looked that good when she was mad, she must be stunning when she was happy, and I was right. I conveniently started visiting my friend much more often, until I finally ran into her on the elevator again. The second time, she was in a good mood, and I got the nerve to ask her out for coffee. The rest is history."
I followed his story with interest. "How long ago was that first encounter?" I asked, just curious.
"Oh, about two months ago. It was the end of September. A rainy day."
I nodded, smiling. I knew exactly why Freya was so pissed that day. It had to have been the same day that I’d driven to Chicago to tell her in person that I was in love with her sister. I decided to keep my mouth shut about that, for now. Maybe once Eric and I became friends, it would end up being a humorous thing to share, but we weren't there yet. Definitely too soon.
Matthew nodded. "Well, I'm happy for you, son. Both of my daughters are amazing women. I hope it all works out."
"Thank you, Mr. Ashman," Eric responded.
"Call me Matthew, please."
Eric smiled and nodded.
"How about a game of darts?" I asked him, handing him the chalk to get his name on the board.
"For sure."
Matthew and my father had already gotten into a conversation about the economy, which I wanted no part of. I didn't think Eric did, either.
He seemed like a cool guy, and as we played, it turned out that we had more than a few common interests. We talked and laughed like we were old friends, and I even started to lament the fact that he lived in Chicago. By the time we finished up our game, I had to take a break and run upstairs for the bathroom. As I left the basement, I realized how friendly I had been with Eric, my ex's new man. That wasn't like me, to be honest. Not that I was proud of it, but I tended to be a bit territorial when it came to women. The fact that I liked Eric so much just proved what I already knew - that I really had moved on from Freya, and my heart belonged to Jaz now.
When I came out of the basement and rounded the corner, Jaz caught my eye.
She nodded to the kitchen and I followed her in.
“What do you think?” She said lowly, her hand on her waist.
I shrugged.
“Seems good for her. I like him a lot, actually. We got to talking downstairs a bit. What do you think?”
“I don’t know what I think,” she shook her head. “As long as it lasts and she’s happy.”
I put my arm around her shoulders and she looked at me lovingly.
“Thank you,” she said.
“For what?”
“For pushing me to start writing a book.”
“Psst,” I rolled my eyes. “That was your sister’s idea.”
“Sure, but I never would have done it if you hadn’t encouraged me.”
I kissed her on the cheek, and squeezed her for as long as I could.
“Blake, you’re going to break my bones one of these days, hugging me like that,” she whined and laughed at the same time. “But that’s fine, just don’t break my heart.”
I chuckled, placing my finger under her chin and turning her face toward me.
“I wouldn’t dare. You’re my whole world.”
“And you are mine.”
Epilogue: Jasmine
I just couldn’t think today. My brain was like a thick, creamy soup and I couldn’t sift through the murkiness to make any more words come out. I aimlessly scrolled through my manuscript, as if looking at the words whizzing by my screen would suddenly make me understand the whole thing on a new level and I’d be struck with inspiration and the mental fog would clear. After that I would suddenly have the ability to write an award-winning novel, all before dinner tonight.
Yeah. That wasn't happening. I sighed and leaned back in the chair, staring at the ceiling of my home office. Why the hell didn't I just go to college and get a degree so I could go get a normal job, with normal people, who showed up at a building every day, and clocked in, and spent the day dodging their boss and trying to look busy?
Why did I have to listen to the advice of my well-meaning sister, and my encouraging husband, and decide to be a damn writer for a living? It was the most absurd thing I had ever done in my life. I continued to stare at the ceiling, drooping down in my seat and slowly sliding down into a slumped position, hoping that the new perspective might give me an idea on what to do with the rest of this chapter.
The manuscript was due to my publisher in a week, and I still had way more than a week's worth of writing to do. I had more like a month's wo
rth, and at this rate, I was definitely going to be late. Again. In fact, my publisher was probably going to just boot me. This was only the second book I had ever done for them and the first one wasn't anything spectacular. I was paying the bills by writing for a content mill on the internet and even that was starting to really drain my creative juices.
I needed a break.
As if on cue, my phone rang, and I greedily snatched it up when I saw Freya's name on the screen.
"Hey sis," I said eagerly, overly grateful for the distraction. "I was just thinking of you."
"You were?" She asked. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason, just wondering how your job was going," I said with a smile, not telling her that I pictured her face when I thought of all the people clocking in at their regular jobs and doing nothing but trying to get out of getting any actual work done all day. I was envious of that. If I didn't write, I didn't get a paycheck. There was no boss breathing down my neck, which was a blessing and a curse all at the same time.
"It sucks," she announced. "I am taking the rest of the day off. Do you want to meet up?"
I sighed again, looking at the open document on my laptop. The cursor blinked at me tauntingly and I slammed the thing shut. "Sure," I said. "I have the attention span of a damn gnat today. What do you have in mind?"
"Good," she said. "I feel a little off today too. Maybe a little lunch and retail therapy will help us get our heads straight."
"That sounds great," I agreed. "I'll meet you at the mall in an hour then? Park by the food court, I'm hungry."
"Will do," Freya chirped. "You're the best."
I stood up and stretched after tossing my phone in my purse. It was noon, which meant that I had plenty of time to hang out with Freya before Blake got home. I ran a brush through my hair and headed to the living room to grab the rest of my things before heading out.
I paused at the mantel, looking at the picture from our wedding. The four of us - Blake, me, Freya and Eric had a joint wedding and it was a blast. Blake was skeptical about doing it at first, but I begged him to just do it, and he finally gave in. He pretty much gave in to anything that I wanted if I really tried, which came in handy quite often. He and Eric had become best friends anyway, so it wasn't too hard to convince him that a double wedding would be a blast.
Freya and I had our hearts set on it ever since we’d both become engaged within the same week. First it was her and Eric, and then me and Blake a few days later. We thought that Blake and Eric had to have planned to ask us at the same time but they swore they didn't. They claimed that only girls did crap like that, and that they hadn't even mentioned to each other that they were going to propose to their respective girlfriends. Of course, Freya and I thought it was unheard of to propose and not tell all of your good friends that you were going to do it, months in advance, but they swore guys just didn't talk about that kind of a thing with their friends.
Whatever.
It had all worked out beautifully, and Freya and I had such a good time planning our wedding together and sharing the most special moment of our lives thus far. I was thankful that we did it together, because otherwise, I wouldn’t know how I’d have made all of those decisions on my own. Freya magically just knew what dress would look great on me, and what hairstyles would be the most flattering for us and for our bridal party. We absolutely looked like goddesses, and it was better than I could have ever imagined.
Besides our mother making her usual snotty comments about how Blake and I hadn't been together long enough to get married (even though Freya and Eric had been together for even lesser amount of time), everything had been perfect. Dad was overjoyed that both of his daughters were getting married to men that he thought so highly of, and he even shed a tear as he walked Freya and I down the aisle simultaneously.
It was a day I would remember with fondness for the rest of my life. All four of us would. I was so happy that we had all become so close. I smiled at the picture, then grabbed my purse and locked up the house to go see my sister.
As I sat in traffic, waiting for the light to change for the third time, I cranked up the music in the car. A sudden wave of drowsiness overcame me and I fought against it. I didn’t know if it was the dreary winter weather, or what, but I’d been increasingly tired for at least the past week. I felt like I couldn't get enough sleep, no matter what I did. Maybe I just needed some food. I thought about what I might want to get at the food court but the annoyance of missing yet another light got to me before I could make a decision.
The one thing I missed about Hinsdale since moving to Chicago was the ease of travel there. Blake and I had been living in Chicago for the past year, ever since we’d gotten married. Shortly after the wedding, Dad, who was enjoying his newfound freedom from my mother's clutches, decided that he wanted to invest in an expansion of his grocery business - in Chicago. This was something that my mother never would have gone for, and he even said as much when he offered up the idea. I thought it was a wonderful idea, and when we sat down and did the math and the market research, it made sense. Blake would be making way more running the store in Chicago than he would by living in Hinsdale, staying on with the fire department and running the tiny little store there. Plus, I was secretly happy that he was not going to be on the fire squad full-time anymore. I would have never said that to him, since he had a passion for it and claimed it was "in his blood." He was still a volunteer firefighter here in Chicago on one weekend a month, and that seemed to be enough to appease that side of him. Since we’d been together, though, he was fully dedicated to making a nice life for us in whatever way possible, and running the new store was doing just that. We were both happy, and had recently bought a house in a nice suburb. The best part was that Freya and Eric were close and that allowed us to hang out as much as we wanted. The whole thing had just turned out so conveniently. I really didn't miss Hinsdale at all, except of course, when I was sitting in hellacious traffic like I was at the moment.
Finally, I was able to pull into the mall parking lot, although a lot of other people had the same idea as we did to ditch work for the afternoon because the parking lot was a nightmare. When I found a spot, exactly an hour had passed since I had talked to Freya on the phone. I rang her as I hurried toward the mall entrance.
"Where are you? I'm heading into the food court now," I said as soon as she picked up.
"Good, I'm starving," she replied. "I'm right in front on Yogurtific."
I liked the way she thought. Waving frantically, I caught her attention and slipped my phone into my bag as I made my way across the crowded square and she smiled when she caught sight of me.
We hugged when we caught up to each other. "Oh my," Freya said, eyeing me up and down.
"What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious. I looked down at my outfit, not noticing anything wrong with my cropped jeans and oversized knit sweater, paired with brown Uggs. I thought I looked fine.
"Your face…it's like, rounder. You look like you've been retaining water or something."
I frowned. Leave it to Freya to be blunt. It's a good thing that I wasn't easily offended by anything she said anymore. I knew she just had no filter on the truth, especially when it came to me. I knew she was just trying to help.
"I don't know," I shrugged my shoulders. "It's probably from all the ice cream I've been eating, coupled with sitting on my ass in front of a computer screen all freaking day, every day. I should probably get one of those fit desks or something."
"Yeah, maybe," she said, eyeing the menus of the various food services that surrounded us.
"Chicken?" She asked, pointing to one of the establishments.
"Sure," I agreed, still obsessing over my supposedly fatter looking face. "I guess I'll get a salad."
"Oh, stop," Freya rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean it like that. You're not huge or anything, I just noticed that you looked a little different. Eat whatever you want. It's not like Blake is going to leave you, even if you do put on weight. You're a married wom
an now, enjoy it. I know I am."
She ordered a fried chicken strip basket and an order of fries, along with a large milkshake. Freya had always been able to eat whatever the hell she wanted and still not gain a pound. I stuck with a grilled chicken Caesar salad and an iced tea.
We found an empty table in the middle of the seating area and started digging into our food.
"I was just dragging ass all morning," Freya complained. "I am so freaking tired this week. I have even been going to bed early, and still, I am exhausted. I know that Eric and I have been fucking like crazy before bed lately, but we've always done that. I don't see why all of a sudden it would be the reason for my fatigue." She took a long sip of her milkshake. "On top of that, I feel like I could eat enough for the both of us."
I laughed. "I know what you mean. Maybe it's the weather or something, because honestly, I feel the same way lately. Tired, extra hungry, and completely unmotivated to do any real work. I was about to throw my laptop out the damn window this morning, I was so frustrated. I couldn't focus to save my life."
"How is the book coming along?" Freya asked.
"Slowly." I chewed and swallowed a forkful of lettuce. "Much too slowly. How is your work coming along?"
"Ugh," Freya groaned. "I am happy there, but I wouldn't mind a break."
"Wouldn't we all?" I teased.
"Touché," Freya toasted her milkshake to my iced tea, and we scarfed down the rest of our lunch. "Let's hit the stores and buy a new outfit to make us forget our troubles."
"Sounds like a plan," I nodded, throwing away the contents of my tray in the trash can and placing the red plastic square neatly on top. My days as a grocery store clerk made me cognizant of other service industry workers and how much crap they had to clean up after. I always made sure to never leave a mess anywhere that I ate out. Freya always made fun of me for it and said that I should be getting a pay-check for the meal instead of paying for it, after I would bus the whole table at a restaurant when we were done.
Forbidden Neighbor: A Contemporary Romance Boxset (Forbidden Saga Book 2) Page 14