Me: I know, Mother. I’m trying.
Mother: That’s all I ask, Harry. Remember our deal. I’ll make that reservation for you
Me: How could I forget? Thank you
I suddenly couldn’t wait for Friday.
Chapter 18
Nicolette
After my interview, Henry and I had lunch at a fantastic place not too far from his aunt’s office. The atmosphere was chic but not too stuffy, and the food was amazing. He was a little distant, not as quick to respond to my questions, and seemed to have a lot on his mind.
“Any new leads on the job front?” I asked his as we shared an appetizer.
Henry shook his head, staring into his glass of water as he pushed his bruschetta around on his plate.
“It’s pretty great your dad offered to help you find something.” I was digging deep, trying to get him to open up again. Something was definitely off.
I was happy to see that he hadn’t even glanced at the drink menu, but I didn’t bring it up in case his mood was related to that. Instead, I kept the conversation light: excitement for my new job, weekend plans, and having lunch with my dad on Saturday. But Henry kept giving me one-word answers.
By the time we were finished eating, I could tell he was ready to leave.
“I have a lot to do,” he said vaguely as we walked out of the restaurant.
“Oh, okay. Just call me when you get a chance then,” I said weakly.
He gave me a slight wave, where previously he would’ve hugged me, before heading down the sidewalk to hail a cab. I watched him go, dumbstruck by the sudden change in his demeanor. What had happened between this morning and now to spark that change? Feeling defeated, despite having just landed my dream job, I decided to walk home while my mind whirred with thoughts about Henry.
A thought struck me as I approached my block. Why was I obsessing over him? That was the exact thing I had been trying to avoid when I’d met him. A sudden chill, though I wasn’t sure it was from the November breeze, made me pull my coat closer around me. It was time for me to start worrying more about myself than everyone else. The only problem was, I had no idea how to do that.
* * *
My phone vibrated on my nightstand and I snatched it up, disappointment filling my chest as I realized the text was from my dad. Two days, that was how long I had been glued to my phone. Two days was how long it had been since I’d had that disastrous lunch with Henry where he barely spoke to me. Two days had passed since we last spoke.
I needed a distraction.
Tossing my phone onto the bed next to me, I sat up, closing the book I wasn’t really able to focus on anyway and tossed that aside as well. Liza had been moping, too. Every day after work she came home, changed her clothes, and spent the better part of the evening in her room. I kept trying to talk to her, to knock and see if she was okay—she always said she was—but she wouldn’t tell me anything. I was tired of skirting around our love lives. I needed some time with my best friend.
I stood up, stretching the kinks out of my back before heading out into the hall and towards Liza’s room. The door was closed, as per usual, but I knocked loudly, just to be sure she couldn’t ignore me. I was going to be as annoying as possible until she opened the door.
“Liza!” I yelled, pounding the door so hard with my first it began to ache.
I heard her moving around in there, but she didn’t answer, so I pounded the door harder.
“Open the door!”
“Dammit, Nicolette!” Liza yelled. She yanked the door open so unexpectedly that I almost fell into her room.
She pivoted away from me before I could say anything and flopped back onto her bed, face down, refusing to look at me. As I perched on the bed next to her, I sighed, loudly and obnoxiously.
“Is this about Jackson?” I asked, softening my tone despite my earlier promise to be a pain in the ass.
Liza turned her head to look at me. “I’m exhausted from work,” she mumbled.
I raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yup,” she grumbled into the mattress.
“Fine, be stubborn.” She was making it difficult to be a good friend.
I turned on my heel, stomping towards the door like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Liza was so stubborn and never let anyone help her. I wasn’t even sure why I was trying after the mood she’d been in this week. With every intention of going back to my room to try to finish that book, I grabbed the door handle. But then I remembered how Liza and I never let each other wallow in self-pity. I remembered all the other times when we picked each other up, dusted each other off, and brought each other back to life. I couldn’t give up on her now.
I turned back. “Wanna go out?”
Liza chuckled weakly, lifting her head to look at me again. “Last time you convinced me to go out, you ditched me, and that’s how I ended up here.”
She wasn’t wrong, but since then, I hadn’t had the urge to hook up with a guy to drown my sorrows. Not since the awkward kiss.
Shaking my head to dismiss that thought, I answered her. “True, but we’ll go together. I promise not to ditch you.”
She eyed me with doubt.
“Please, Liza. I need to blow off some steam.” I was done wasting time thinking about Henry. I needed a girl’s night.
“Fine,” she grudgingly agreed, sitting up on the bed.
I squealed, clapping my hands. “I’m gonna go get ready!”
Chapter 19
Henry
“Make some noise!” The DJ yelled as Jax and I walked into the crowded club.
Everyone in the club screamed, and my ears instantly regretted agreeing to this. Then I remembered the alcohol and that I had an appointment to check into rehab the next day. Suddenly, it wasn’t so loud anymore. I looked around for a waitress as I followed Jax to the area in the back he always reserved for us. It was excessively crowded for a Friday night with people clogging the dance floor as we shimmied by, avoiding elbows and arms. The strobe lights made me squint, and I closed my eyes for a second, wishing for a moment that I was with Nicolette in my apartment, on the couch, watching a movie.
Who am I?
“I need a drink,” I shouted into Jax’s ear as we reached the table.
He nodded, flagging down a waitress. She approached us with a notepad, eyes wide when she saw Jax. From the corner of my eye, I saw her hike her skirt a little higher, rolling it at the waist and pushing her breasts up through the neckline of her tank top so they were practically falling out. Jax had that effect on women, whether they knew who he was or not. Sometimes it was funny. Tonight, it was disgusting.
Ignoring the urge to roll my eyes, I threw myself down in the seat, crossing my foot over my ankle and sitting back against the plush purple banquette.
“Can I have a whiskey, neat?” I asked the waitress though she was still eye-fucking my cousin.
“Huh?” she asked, finally looking in my direction. She looked surprised that there was someone else there.
“A whiskey, neat,” I repeated. This time I did roll my eyes.
“Oh, right.” She scribbled on her notepad before turning back to Jax. “What about you, Mr. Radcliffe? The usual?”
Ah, she knew Jax. That always made it worse.
“Yes. Thank you, Trina,” Jax said. He hadn’t even glanced at the girl after calling her over. He was too busy staring at his phone.
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. “I thought you were off the clock tonight?” I had to speak at the top of my voice, so he could hear me.
He dismissed my comment with a scowl. “I’m never off the clock, Harry.”
“It’s not like you’re a fucking brain surgeon,” I snapped. I was tired of how condescending he and my mother were about fashion.
He ignored me, continuing to type furiously on his phone. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe what he was doing wasn’t work related and was possible Liza-related.
“Have you talked to her?” I asked him a
s the love-struck waitress set my glass down in front of me. There was ice in my whiskey. I closed my eyes for a moment, resisting the urge to be the rich, entitled asshole everyone said I was, before picking the drink up and tossing it back all in one gulp. “I’ll have another, this time without ice,” I said to her as she continued to make googly eyes at my cousin.
“Sure,” she answered, not even bothering to write it down.
Jax finally looked up, smiling at the girl. “Trina, just bring us a few bottles. Whiskey and tequila, top shelf, of course.” He passed her a handful of bills as he spoke. Her eyes widened, and I thought she would pass out as his hand brushed hers.
“Of course, Mr. Radcliffe. Right away.” She scurried out of sight.
I relaxed back against the seat, looking at Jax. “You didn’t answer my question.”
He met my eyes again, the scowl now a permanent fixture on his face. “I don’t have to answer to you.”
I rolled my eyes at him this time. “Did I say that? I wanted to know if you talked to Liza, cousin.”
“Why? So you could feel better about not calling Nicolette? Trust me, you don’t want to treat women the way I do. Don’t feel good about being lumped in with me.” He pounded back the gin and tonic in front of him before he glowered at me.
“Jesus Christ, Jax. This is me we’re talking about. The only person who knows all your hang-ups. The only person who knows you actually married Natalie and are stilled married to her.”
“Keep your voice down.” He practically snarled the words at me.
I shrugged. “It’s just us back here. No one can hear me. What are you so worried about anyway?”
Jax’s dark brown eyes turning black with irritation. It was then that I realized what he was so worried about. The revelation hit me like a ton of bricks, deflating my anger.
“You’re falling for her, aren’t you?” I asked him, unable to keep the shock out of my voice. This I did say quieter, but still loud enough for him to hear me over the music and the din.
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” he bit back, looking down at his phone where it lay on the table. He picked it up and pretended to be engrossed, but I knew better. Jax was rattled.
“Fuck, Jax. Just when I thought you were the heartless bastard everyone said you were.” I snorted just as the waitress reappeared with the bottles of liquor.
Both of us clamped our mouths closed until she was gone. I reached for the bottle of whiskey immediately, pouring three fingers into my glass. The liquid had barely settled before I tossed it back, finishing it almost in one gulp. I was drinking for the first time in almost a week and the alcohol was getting to my head faster than I was used to. I almost regretted drinking it.
Almost.
“Your problem is that you think you know me or your mother, or any of us. But you don’t know shit. All you care about is yourself and getting shit-faced every day. I’m glad she’s making you go to rehab, Henry, because if she didn’t, you’d probably fall off the wagon quicker than you did tonight.”
I jumped up, knocking into the table, and the liquor in his glass sloshed over the rim of the glass. He was pissed, but I wasn’t going to sit here and take the abuse. I was used to it from my mother, but Jax and I had always had an understanding.
“Fuck you, Jax. Don’t get mad at me because you actually care about someone other than your fucking business for once.” I started to walk away, turning towards the open-arched doorway where the dancefloor was located, but stopped and turned back to him. “I expected this from Mother, but you?”
I turned back away from him but Jax crossed to where I stood in two strides and grabbed my arm, pulling me back. “Shit,” he said, running hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Harry. I didn’t mean it. Sit down, and I’ll get some women to take our minds off the ones we can’t be with.”
I sighed, more exhausted than angry. The rage I’d felt moments before towards my cousin dissipated. Sitting back in the booth, I ran a hand through my hair, staring at the whiskey in the glass in front of me. It didn’t taste the same. It was bitter, almost disgusting. I didn’t even want to finish it. Jax walked across the dance floor towards two blondes in tight short skirts as I pushed my full glass to the center of the table. He didn’t have to say much to get them to come back to the table with him. They followed like lost puppies waiting for a treat. The one thing that struck me about them was that they looked nothing like Liza or Nicolette. I wondered if that was deliberate on his part.
“Henry, this is Dana, and this is Stacy.” Jax pointed to a shorter and tall blonde as the women approached the table.
Stacy, the taller one, slipped into the booth next to me, resting her hand on my thigh in what I could only assume she thought was a seductive move. I scooted away from her touch, gently removing her hand. She frowned at me and tried again. I didn’t have the energy to rebuke her again.
“Hi,” she said, in a voice that was meant to be sultry but came out sounding like a bad impersonation of a man.
“What’s up?” I said, eyeing the drink I’d pushed to the middle of the table. Though I didn’t want it anymore, I was going to need it to get through this.
In a swift move, I reached for it, tilting it back to finish off what was left in the glass.
“Can I pour you another?” Stacy asked in the same man-ish voice. Maybe that was her real voice?
“Whatever floats your boat,” I said, passing her the glass.
She furrowed her brows, giving me a sideways glance but pouring the drink anyway. My gaze met Jax’s across the table as I turned away from Stacy. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I shrugged. I didn’t want this woman, and if I was being honest, I didn’t want to be here any longer.
“Look, I have to take a leak,” I declared ineloquently to the table. Jax grimaced and the women looked on in horror.
“Henry, just have a drink with Stacy,” Jax pleaded.
I shook my head. If Jax wanted to fuck up his life and everything he felt for Liza, that was his business. But what I wanted to do was go see Nicolette, apologize for being an asshole, again, and say goodbye before I went to rehab in the morning.
“I’m good, Jax. I’m gonna head out. I have some things to do before tomorrow.”
His eyes went wide and there was desperation in his voice when he said, “I thought we had a plan, Harry.”
I wasn’t sure why it meant so much to him that I stay and hang out with these awful women.
“Jax, can we talk over there for a moment?” I asked him, motioning with my thumb behind me.
“Fuck,” he muttered before he could answer me.
He was staring into the distance, over my head, at someone or something. I turned and followed his gaze across the crowded dance floor and out into the bar area. Liza was sitting on a bar stool, eyes locked on Jax, face red with fury.
“Fuck!” Jax yelled, hopping over the woman named Dana and out of the booth.
But Liza was already on the move, turning to flee.
Until she was stopped by Nicolette.
“Fuck.”
I pushed past Stacy, not caring that she and Dana were looking at us like we had lost our minds. They didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting to Nicolette.
“Nicolette!” I yelled, but I knew she couldn’t hear me over the pounding of the dance music.
But unlike Liza, Nicolette didn’t turn to run away. She walked straight towards me, through the thick crowd on the dance floor, both drinks still in her hands. I saw her yell something but couldn’t hear what she said.
“What the fuck, Henry?!” she screamed at me over the music, slamming the full glasses down on the table. They slopped over the top, spilling everywhere. The women at the table, jumped up to avoid getting it all over them but Dana was not successful. They both walked away, mumbling “crazy bitch” as they went and mopping the front of Dana’s dress off.
“Nicolette . . .” I started to explain, to tell her it wasn’t what it looked like
, to tell her I didn’t give a shit about those women or even the alcohol, but I paused. She didn’t need to hear my excuses. She needed to hear my explanation. I sat back down in the booth, hanging my head in my hands in defeat. “She’s making me go to rehab.”
“What?” The rage had left her voice.
“My mother. She told me she would only interview you for the job if I went to rehab for a month,” I explained, my head still bent over.
“Henry—” she began but I cut her off.
“I leave tomorrow, Nic. I couldn’t tell you. I didn’t want to burst your happy bubble after you got the job. I didn’t want you to feel like this was your fault or anything. I wanted to pretend it wasn’t happening, which is why I’m here. But I don’t even want to fucking be here anymore. I was about to leave when we saw you.”
“Henry, why? Why did you do that for me? I could have found another job.”
I looked up at her. She was standing in front of me, arms folded over her chest. She had on a tight red dress and black boots that went all the way to her knees. She looked sexy as hell, but more than anything, just her presence made me feel like I wasn’t free-falling anymore.
I shook my head. “Want to get out of here? Go watch a movie? I just want to be with you before I have to leave.”
Nicolette should have told me to fuck off. She had every right to turn and walk away from me. It would have made more sense than what she did next.
“Okay.” She reached for my hands, pulling me up to stand with her, and wrapped her arms around my waist.
I was getting one chance to make it right. This time I wouldn’t fuck it up.
Chapter 20
Nicolette
My mind was still reeling from Henry’s revelation as we rode the elevator to his apartment. We hadn’t talked much since we’d left the club, but I held his hand on the way over in the cab. As soon as he mentioned rehab and his mother’s blackmail, I forgot about the booze and women at the club. It had all faded away because I was worried about Henry. How could his own mother do that to him?
One Chance Page 11