I'd done fine for myself. I had a great job at a very successful company. What good was that doing though? I'd never have that time back with Gabe. I had no family left. It was just me against the world.
Tears ran down my cheeks the entire day. I had no idea that it was even possible to cry so much. I hadn't cried that much any other time in my life. I thought I hurt in high school when Doug had crushed my heart. I'd cried when I lost each of my grandparents. None of that even came close to comparing to the loss I was feeling. My brother was gone.
When I felt a hand touch my shoulder, I jumped in my seat. I knew who it was. There was something in his touch. Even after all those years, I still felt a weird jolt when he touched me. I jerked my shoulder away from him and didn't look up. I felt him lean down next to me and shivered.
“I'm sorry, Gabby,” Doug whispered. “If you want to see Gabe, you have to do it now.”
I shook my head no.
“Gabby,” he said with emotion in his voice, as he reached for my chin and moved it so he could see my eyes. “Everyone is gone. You need to see him.”
Our eyes connected, and I could see how hard that day had been on him too. Don't feel sorry for him, I thought. He's the reason you haven't seen Gabe. He's the one with your memories. He doesn't care.
“No,” I snapped.
“Fuck,” he whispered, as he let go of my face and stood.
I looked up through my lashes to see Doug standing at the casket. His hands were on top of my brother's. I watched his shoulders shake. Then I heard his sniffles and saw one hand move up to his eyes. Then I started crying harder. I couldn't take it anymore, I had to get out of there. I couldn't accept that my brother was in that casket. He was gone. The entire time I'd hoped he'd sit up and it would all have been one of his jokes, but he never did it. He was really gone. I looked up one last time to see Doug saying goodbye to Gabe before turning in a daze and moving my feet as fast as I could away from there.
A Love Rekindled (The Game of Love #1)
Chapter 1
Jessica
Jessica stood as she looked at herself in the mirror. It was Friday night, and she had been invited to a Christmas party. Her friend Linda, from work, was having all of her friends over for an evening celebration. Jessica had not been out in months. Her friends from work tried to get her to go out with them often, but she always turned them down. She liked being at home with her son. He was her everything. That was what she had always told them.
Her sister Renee talked her into going to the party. She knew Jessica needed to get out and have a little grown up time. Renee was two years younger than Jessica, and they had been best friends their entire lives. Anytime Jessica needed her little sister, she was there. Renee volunteered to watch her favorite nephew for the night, so that that Jessica would go out and be with her friends. Jessica didn't want to hurt her friend Linda's feelings, so she agreed to go to the party. She figured if she stayed for a few minutes, she could leave without anyone noticing.
The doorbell rang and snapped Jessica from her thoughts. She ran and opened the door. It was her sister Renee. She had her hands full of pizza boxes and bags.
“Where is my favorite nephew?” Renee called out.
“I'm right here,” a cute, little, brown haired, blue eyed boy shouted, as he ran up to hug her.
“I brought pizza, soda, popcorn, and candy,” she said. “We are going to have some fun.”
The little boy laughed and ran back into the living room.
“You better not feed him all of that stuff,” Jessica snapped.
“We are going to have fun. I don't get to spend as much time with him now,” Renee said. “Go get ready for your party.”
“I am ready,” Jessica said.
“You are wearing jeans a sweater to a party with your work friends?” Renee asked.
“I am not staying long. This is fine,” Jessica said.
“No,” Renee said, as she put the boxes and most of the bags down.
There was a dress bag wrapped around her arm. She held it out with another bag toward her sister.
“This is what you are wearing,” Renee said. “Go get dressed.”
Jessica blew out a sigh, took the stuff from her sister, and headed to her bedroom. What did it matter what she wore, she thought? There was nobody she needed to impress. She wasn't even planning to stay. Aggravated, she took off her clothes and pulled out the dress. It was beautiful, she thought. The dress was knee length and a very pretty red. Jessica put it on and looked into the mirror. She smiled at herself. It did look much better than jeans. The front was a little lower cut than she would have liked. Her sister always wore things more revealing than her, so she was not surprised. In the bag was a pair of heels, necklace, and very cute little round earrings. She put everything on and finished getting ready.
As she looked at herself, she started to feel a little better about going out. She decided to do her hair and put on a little more makeup. By the time she was done, she had a huge smile on her face. Maybe it would be a fun night after all. She would do her best to have a great time. It was the first time she had been out in months, and she was actually looking forward to it. She felt pretty.
Jessica walked into the kitchen and her sister let out a whistle.
“Now, you are ready,” Renee said, as she laughed. “You look beautiful. That dress was made for you. It shows all of your amazing curves, and your ass looks juicy.”
“Thank you,” Jessica said, as she laughed. “I am glad you approve of my ass. It is a beautiful dress. You have such good taste.”
“Of course I do,” Renee laughed. “Go have a great time. We will be here having fun. Please try to enjoy yourself.”
“I will,” Jessica said. “I feel weird that I don't have a date. I don't want to be the only single woman there.”
“I'm sure you won't be the only one without a date,” Renee said. “Maybe there will be a super sexy hottie there for you. If not you can always go home with John from work. He has been into you forever.”
“That's not funny,” Jessica replied. “You know I don't feel that way toward him.”
“Get out of here,” Renee said. “Don't do anything I wouldn't do.”
They both laughed as Jessica hugged her son and left for the party.
Chapter 2
Jessica
Jessica pulled up to her friend Linda's house. She parked her car as she thought about her life. Since high school, she had accomplished so much and was proud of herself. She had gotten a job in an office as a scared teenager. Seven years later, she had worked herself into management. She had become strong and confident. That scared little girl was gone. She owned her own home and had taken care of her and her son. Surely, she could get through a tiny party.
She let out a deep, nervous breath as she got out of her car. Only stay for a little while, and then you can leave. She had no idea why she was so nervous about going alone. Her friends at work knew she was single. It was not a big secret. She still felt weird about going into the party without a date. Jessica walked up the steps to the front door and froze. Maybe she should just go back home, she thought. Before she could turn around, the door swung open, and Linda reached out and grabbed her arm.
Linda pulled her into the house. There was music playing and laughter everywhere. Linda had her house decorated for the holiday, with cute things everywhere. Jessica was surprised at how many people were already there. The party had just started. Linda walked her to the bar area so she knew where to get her drinks. Then, she pulled her off to meet people. Jessica had no idea how she was going to remember all of the names Linda was throwing at her. She met so many new people. Linda was so proud of her party, and she was having such a great time.
Jessica laughed as she walked over to her group of friends from work. She was the manager in their department, but nobody would ever know watching them. They all got along really well. Tammy, Leslie, and John were already there. Their friend Heather would be there lat
er with her date. A few more people were supposed to be going also. They were surprised to see her all dressed up. She felt beautiful for the first time in a long time. John ran off and came back with a drink for her. He made sure to tell her how beautiful she looked. She took the drink and thanked him. He was very nice to her. She did not know why she had not given him a chance. He really liked her and was always concerned with her and how she was doing. It was not that he was not attractive. Many of the ladies at work liked him. He was tall and muscular. His hair was dark and his eyes were blue. He was very attractive. No matter how many times she turned him down, he still tried to get her to go out with him. He would laugh and joke about it, but she knew he was serious. She thought he was super sweet. Her sister thought she was crazy for not going out with him. Renee would joke about how good he would be in bed. Jessica would always tell her to be quiet. Jessica caught him looking at her several times during the party as they all talked. There was nothing wrong with him. If she was going to date, he would be her first choice. Jessica didn't care how many times he asked her out, she would always say no. Love was not in her future. She saw no reason to put her heart out there for someone to tear it up and throw it back at her. Her life was just fine the way it was.
Leslie grabbed Jessica's arm and pulled her off to dance. Tammy and John joined them as well. They all danced like crazy. Every few songs, they would stop to grab a drink and talk. Jessica was having an amazing time. It was nice to not think about stress for an evening. She was happy her sister had talked her into going. The night was turning out to be so much fun. A slow song came on, and John pulled her toward him. They laughed as he spun her and pulled her back in. She felt so pretty and confident. It was the first time she had really let herself go around her friends from work. They were shocked by how well she could dance. She agreed to let them take her out to a club one day. Jessica was actually looking forward to it. She continued to dance with John. Jessica heard the door bell and saw Linda bring Heather and her date in as John dipped her. She felt her body freeze as she heard Heather's date laugh. Jessica would know that laugh anywhere. He came into view and their eyes connected.
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Hacked by Love, Part 1 Page 5