A week ago, I’d lost him. JP had ruined the best thing that ever happened to me, and I was certain I’d never see him again. That I’d never find myself again because I left a huge part of my heart in Chicago when I drove away in tears.
Standing in front of him right now, looking into his chocolate-brown eyes, I can see our future again. It’s bright. It’s exciting. Most of all, it’s possible.
“Justine, is this okay with you?”
“Of course. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
“Good, because I’m full of surprises today.”
Raising an eyebrow at him, I ask “There’s more?”
“So much more,” he teases, pulling me to his chest and wrapping his arms around me. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”
Before I can reply, Ally’s stealing the show.
“Are we done being all romantic and shit now? I’m not sure I can take much more of this. I might have to unfriend all of you.” The serious tone she’s taking is a contradiction to the smile on her face. She raises her shot glass. “Bottoms up, bitches.”
Devon and I lie facing each other. Looking into his eyes, I’m reminded of our first night together. Here, at Ryder’s. We had only met, and yet I knew I never wanted that night to end. Neither of us did. We talked all night, the conversation flowing from one topic to another effortlessly.
Tonight, lying next to him feels different. There’s so much I want to say, but the words won’t come. I’m enjoying the comfortable silence between us. That is, until Devon breaks it.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, reaching out and stroking my cheek.
“You. Us. Everything that’s happened today. What are you thinking about?” I counter.
“Tomorrow. The future.”
“I can’t believe you’re moving here. I still don’t understand.”
“It was my mom’s idea, actually.”
Sitting up, I look down on him, waiting for him to explain himself. He matches my moves and pushes up on the bed, patting the space between his legs. Crawling over, I relax back against his chest and let him hold me as he tells me everything I’ve missed the last week.
“I should have known he was baiting me.” The comments on my post. “I was so angry, though, so I engaged him. That was my first mistake. When you texted me about lunch, I stopped, took a minute and decided I needed to talk to you first before I jumped to conclusions. The drive to my house that afternoon was long. I got stuck in traffic and that gave me too much time to think. I replayed his words over and over in my head and instead of waiting to hear what you had to say, I let my emotions make up my mind for me.
“After you left, I didn’t know where to go so I started to walk. I circled the block a few times and then went to my mom’s house. When I told her what happened, she slapped me.” A giggle escapes me causing Devon to poke me in my side. “She tried to talk me down, but I was still convinced I had made the right decision.”
“What changed your mind?” I ask, interrupting story time.
“I got drunk that night and against my better judgment, stared at that picture for hours. I memorized your face, your smile. Then I started looking at other pictures you had posted. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was searching for him. For any indication that you were cheating on me. When I stumbled on a picture from a few weeks ago of you and Ally out for drinks, I realized he was lying.”
“A picture of me and Ally, at a bar, is how you knew?” I’m confused. There have to be a dozen pictures of us meeting up for drinks, hanging out with the girls, celebrating the fact that the weekend had arrived. You name it and Ally takes a picture to commemorate the occasion and tags me in every post.
“He’s in the background. I didn’t know it was him at first. There was something about the way he was looking at you in the picture that caught my attention. He had this smirk on his face. Once I realized who it was, I started looking at his profile and found a post he made from the same night. He was at the bar, and he was claiming to be with his future bride.
“It became pretty clear how one-sided things were after that. All his posts referenced you and they were creepy. He was stalking you, waiting to make his move.”
A shiver runs up my spine at the thought. I knew he was becoming more aggressive, but I never realized he was actually stalking me. I joked about it, but to know he was following me…
“So, I called my mom and asked for her advice. She was so happy to know I wasn’t giving up on you she suggested I make a grand gesture. Show up and beg for forgiveness. Flowers and candy and jewelry. All things I knew didn’t matter to you at all. What she didn’t know is that I had an interview on Wednesday. I had already planned a grand gesture before our fight. When I told her, she cried. Happy tears for a change.
“Over the weekend, I called Tyler and talked to him, asked him a million questions about the guy. He had all the right answers, told me everything I already figured out but needed to hear. Then I called Ally back, put my plan in motion, and prayed you’d forgive me for being an asshole. I’m not proud of the way I acted, but I’m thankful you’re giving us a second chance.”
“So that’s it?”
“Were you expecting something more elaborate?” he chuckles.
“No, but I feel like I should be the one apologizing to you.”
“For what?”
“I lied to you, Devon. By omission, but it was still a lie. I didn’t tell you about JP because I didn’t want to rehash what I went through with him. I’ll be honest with you. There was a time I was in love with him. He was a different person back then, or maybe he was the same and I didn’t see it, but regardless, he broke my heart. When he walked into Tyler’s office, I felt my heart shatter again. Just seeing him brought back all the devastation I felt. Not because I was still in love with him or longing for him, but because I had hoped never to have to think about him again. It was painful to know I had been so oblivious to everything.
“When we broke up, I felt like I had been living a lie I wasn’t a part of. I had been in love with someone who hadn’t existed. I planned a future with a man I thought I knew, yet he wasn’t that man at all. Every dream I had disappeared in that moment, and my future was a blank slate. It was scary, not knowing what was next.”
I’m choked up by the time I finish. The room falls silent as Devon soaks up my confessions.
“Do you still feel that way?” he finally asks.
“What way?”
“Like your future is still unknown?” Shaking my head against his chest, Devon tightens his hold around me. “Good, because I have big plans, and when I think of the future, the one thing I’m certain of is you’re by my side.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Walking into my apartment Sunday after Devon leaves, the smell of freshly baked cookies causes me to frown. I was hoping Audra would be feeling better by now, the time with her family being therapeutic. The fact that she’s baking is concerning.
Rounding the corner into the kitchen, I almost drop my phone when I catch sight of Audra. She’s half naked, her hands massaging a bowl of cookie dough, wearing an apron.
My swift intake of breath draws her attention. My shock is evident. I’m sure my face says it all.
Audra laughs. “You act as if you’ve never seen me in my underwear before, Justine.”
“I’ve never seen you in just your underwear and an apron before. That’s a first.” She’s covered but somehow bared at the same time.
“Sorry. I didn’t think you would be home until later tonight. I figured Devon would still be in town.”
Not wanting to change the subject, I ignore the fact that she somehow knew Devon was in town. I didn’t even know he was going to be there yesterday, and I haven’t spoken to her since I left for my parents’ house on Wednesday.
“Do you always walk around like this when I’m not home?” I tease, reaching for a freshly baked cookie. Audra swats my hand before I can steal one. “Who are these for?”
“For me, I hope,” a voice says from behind me. A very deep, masculine voice. One I’m not familiar with.
Turning slowly, I come face to face with a tall, fit man. Sans shirt, he’s in socks (thankfully) and a pair of jeans that sit dangerously low on his hips. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a five o’clock shadow. I’d remember if I’d met this man before. He’s handsome and has a face that would be hard to forget.
“Jason,” he says, extending his hand to me.
“Justine, Audra’s roommate. It’s nice to meet you,” I reply, looking over my shoulder at Audra. Her cheeks are bright pink as she stares past me. Her eyes are locked on Jason’s chest, clearly liking what she sees.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” he replies, moving around me and into the kitchen. When he wraps his arms around Audra’s waist and kisses her cheek I almost swoon for her.
“Really? I feel at a disadvantage right now.” My confession catches Audra’s attention.
“Sorry, Justine. You’ve been a little busy the last few weeks. I wasn’t trying to keep him a secret or anything.”
Audra’s dirty, little secret. Even thinking it sounds wrong.
“We met a few weeks ago at a conference I had to attend. Jason teaches for another school district. It was right before Keegan and I broke up.”
“His loss, my gain,” he chimes in.
“Anyway, we hit it off and have been hanging out since then.”
“Dating,” he corrects her. “We’ve been dating since then.”
Smiling at Audra, she ducks her head, the fire in her cheeks burning brighter than I thought possible. Realizing I caught her in a compromising situation, I excuse myself. I was about to send Devon a text when I smelled Audra’s cookies. He’s going to get a kick out of this.
Monday brings with it a new perspective on things for me as well as a new set of challenges. Challenges I plan to dominate and overcome with ease. This includes my new schedule for my new position.
I’ll be working mornings with Tyler and afternoons with Emerson until my replacement is hired. Mr. Dixon has interviews lined up all week with prospective candidates. He needs to hire a new assistant for Tyler as well as an assistant that will work under me and Emerson.
Speaking of Emerson… her replacement started this morning. She’s a petite blond named Kimmie. Kimmie seems sweet but a little too perky for me. Every time Emerson and I make eye contact, I can tell she wants to pull her hair out.
Emerson’s mornings are spent helping Kimmie get acclimated so she can spend the afternoons with me. When she strolls over to my desk, her purse clutched tightly to her chest, and proposes we work from the cafe, I chuckle and look over to where Kimmie is. She’s smiling, thumbs swiftly moving across the screen of her phone.
“Is she at least picking up on things?” I ask Emerson after she rants about Kimmie the entire ride to the lobby.
“She seems smart, she’s just not focused. Every time I show her how to do something, she gets it. The problem is she likes to talk about everything not related to work. Did I tell you she asked me about Ryder?” Blowing out a frustrated breath, Emerson plops down at the table.
Yes, she told me that. Twice. I don’t think it would have bothered her if Kimmie hadn’t referenced his bedroom eyes or the fact she’d like to climb him to the top of the corporate ladder.
Thankfully I was able to hold back my laughter because Emerson didn’t find it amusing.
“She’ll figure out how it works around here. Let her spend a day with Ally. She’ll be put in her place in a matter of minutes.” My suggestion seems to spark Emerson’s interest for a moment before fading away. “So what’s on the agenda for today, boss?”
“I’m not your boss, Justine. We’re partners,” she states.
“I know, but in a way, you kind of are. You know what you’re doing, I’m still learning but happy to be along for the ride.”
Emerson pulls out a stack of paper and hands me half. We spend the rest of the afternoon sorting through clients, picking and choosing who we want to contact. I’ve worked with a handful of the people in my stack and remember some of the campaigns. The successful ones are pulled, the rest will be recycled.
My phone chimes exactly at five o’clock, bringing a smile to my face.
“Devon?” Emerson asks, picking up the smaller of the two stacks and clutching them to her chest.
“Yep. He’s meeting with his real estate agent tonight.”
“How long does he think it’ll take to sell his house?” she asks as we walk toward the elevator bank.
“He’s planning on pricing it to sell. He doesn’t want to rent for long.”
“Smart man. There’s no investment in renting a house. Renting will give him time to find something he likes and to get settled.”
“When are you moving in with Ryder?” I ask, changing the subject as we step in the elevator. I don’t want to think about house hunting right now. Devon’s already searching and as excited as I am for him, the price tag on the houses we’re looking at this weekend gives my heart palpitations. Not in a good way.
“Saturday. We’re going to load up the entire apartment and move Angela in with Tyler at the same time. Ryder has a friend and he called in a favor.”
Of course he does. The Dixon brothers know everyone somehow.
When the doors slide open, Helen pops up from behind the desk and smiles at us as we head down the hall to our office. It’s still crazy to think we have our own office. It’s twice as big as Tyler's, perfect to share. It’s also empty, aside from a plant in the corner Emerson brought in with her this morning and the single, folding chair that’s been in the corner since last week.
Placing my stack next to Emerson’s on the floor against the wall, I glance around the empty room. We ordered furniture this morning. That was fun. Two desks with cozy chairs, two filing cabinets, a couch, coffee table, and four additional chairs, two for in front of each of our desks. Mr. Dixon ordered laptops and printers that should be here tomorrow, and I have an order form for office supplies I still need to fill out and file with Helen before I leave tonight.
“What are you and Ang doing with your lease in the meantime?” I ask, my focus shifting back to my conversation with Emerson when an idea pops into my head.
“I’m not sure what she had planned. Why?”
Sharing my idea with her as we fill out the order form, she promises to talk to Angela when she gets home. Speaking of going home, Ryder pops his head in our office and laughs at us sitting on the floor.
“You know, there are extra chairs around the office. I can have someone bring some in here so you don’t have to sit on the floor,” he says, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk on his face.
“Help me up,” Emerson says, extending her hands in the air. Ryder pulls her off the floor with ease before extending his hand to help me up as well.
Always a gentleman. All of the Dixon brothers are. Their mama raised them right.
“So should I be expecting Devon this weekend?” Ryder asks as we load into the elevator.
“Maybe for a night if that’s okay.”
“Only one night?” His shock is evident.
Everyone knows he can’t stay with me. It’s not a secret my roommate wouldn’t approve. With Devon officially moving to Sunnyside this weekend, he’s going to need somewhere to stay. That’s when we fill Ryder in on my idea.
Angela has three months left on her lease. It’s not a house and it’s not very big, but it’s a place for Devon to live while he searches for a new home. Buying a house will take time. There are inspections and financing and paperwork. It’s not a quick process.
Calling Devon on my way home to let him in on my plan, he picks up on the first ring, sounding distant.
“Hey, babe. What’s going on?”
“Just leaving work. I have a funny story to tell you.” I forgot to tell him about Audra when we talked last night. He was worried about his meeting today and having to tell his boss about
his new job. “Audra had a friend over last night when I got home,” I say, my emphasis on the word friend causing me to grin.
“Oh yeah,” he teases.
“Yep. A very half-naked friend.”
“Please tell me it was a girl,” he says, his voice taking a serious tone.
“Nope.”
“How naked are we talking?” he shoots back immediately.
“Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice?” I tease.
“Depends how naked he was.”
“He’s got nothing on you, babe. Promise.” Devon grumbles but doesn’t reply. “How did the meeting with the realtor go?”
“Not as interesting as your evening from the sounds of it. She’s not happy with me. I want to price the house to sell and she wants to make money.”
“So meet in the middle,” I suggest.
“We did, but it’s still a steal for the buyer.”
“Well, I found you a place to live in the meantime if that alleviates any stress.” I smile even though I know he can’t see me. I’m proud of how clever I was today, helping out my friends and finding Devon a place at the same time.
“Perfect. I’ll take it,” he says before I can tell him any details.
“Just like that? You don’t want to know anything about the place?”
“Is there room for a bed?”
“Of course. It has two bedrooms.”
“Then I don’t care. It’s only temporary. As long as I have somewhere to sleep and you’re there with me, I’m happy with it.”
He hasn’t asked me to move in yet, but I feel it coming. I’m not ready and I’m almost positive that’s why he hasn't asked yet. It’ll happen eventually. Things are moving fast right now, too fast, and if we move in together, we’ll continue at this pace.
I want to slow down, relax, and enjoy each moment. Once he’s here and settled, that’s something we’ll be able to do. Whether I sleep at his place one night a week or seven.
“What did your boss say when you told him?”
“I’m really good at pissing people off today.” He starts. “He says he understands, but I could tell he was angry with me. I told him I’d work through the holidays, and that seemed to lighten his load.”
Rumors: Justine & Devon Page 16