Chasing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 4)

by Jayne, Kris

  Guys she dated before had seen other women, and a handful of times, she ran into them at restaurants or events. Typically, it rolled off her back. Graham was different.

  Her anger bubbled and flowed like lava, slowly cooling to hard rock.

  “I don’t want to think about how pissed I am because it doesn’t matter. He and I are done.”

  “He made a mistake, but that doesn’t have to end everything if you like him. Where would I be if Kyle had written me off because I dumped him to chase Chris? As someone who’s benefited from forgiveness, I can tell you I’m a big believer.”

  “Kyle loved you, and you loved him. Graham and I are not in love.”

  “Maybe not. I’m going to save you a lecture on how do you know you’re not in love if you don’t focus on the person and give them a chance to be the one.”

  “That’s saving it?”

  “Stay strong and hydrate, sister.”

  “I’ll try. Talk to you later.”

  As usual, Melissa gave Alexa much to consider, but allowing Graham back into her good graces wouldn’t happen. He had to go.

  * * *

  “I’ve done some stupid shit in my life, but I’ve never been caught in the midst of it like last night, man.”

  Graham sat across from Jonah at a popular brunch spot near his house. They had a carafe of Bloody Marys on the table along with a hot pot of coffee. Graham needed both this morning.

  “Why don’t you try talking to her? In the light of day, she may have calmed down.”

  “You didn’t see her. The look in her eyes screamed, ‘Done.’ She’s a stubborn woman.”

  “Then, be done with her. Didn’t this all start out because you wanted to get New Year’s Eve out of your system? Mission accomplished.”

  Jonah popped a mini muffin in his mouth and chewed enthusiastically.

  “It did…But I kind of started to like her. She was fun until the yelling started.”

  “So then, try to explain things to her.”

  Graham snorted. “Was my advice to you a few months ago this shitty?”

  “Come to think of it, yes. It was. You told me exactly what I’m telling you now. And then you tried to get me to sleep with my ex-girlfriend or some random woman as if that would change how I felt about Shannon. I loved her, and no woman was going to change that. But you’re not in love with Alexa, right?” Jonah snatched another muffin and jabbed it toward Graham. “Move on.”

  Graham nodded. Alexa, while interesting, was no more than a passing phase in his life. Last night had been embarrassing more than anything else. He’d get over it. “I still have to have another conversation with Trista. I probably fucked things up for her at her new job before she even started.”

  “Women can be vindictive.”

  “I don’t think Alexa would take it out on her. She’s very hard-core about her business, and if she hired Trista, it’s because she was impressed.”

  “Your squeezing her employee’s ass was probably also pretty impressive though.”

  Graham’s head fell back, and he groaned. With his eyes closed, he could see the aura of rage around Alexa when she walked into the bar and saw him. Hadn’t she promised not to fire Trista? Or, hell, Trista might just quit? Except that Trista had already quit her old job. If things didn’t work out at Alexa’s, Trista would be unemployed. How utterly moronic he had been.

  “I’ll fix it.”

  “How?”

  “Floods of apologies in every direction.”

  “If you can get either woman to stand still long enough to listen to you.”

  “I’ll manage it. Alexa and I were supposed to meet with that couple I told you about—the ones with the diabetic little girl. We’re fundraising for them. She’ll have to talk to me at some point, and Trista...I’ll just have to call her.”

  “You really started to like her?”

  “Trista?”

  “No, Alexa.”

  Graham rubbed his fingers over his stubbled chin. Thinking he would work his way through his feelings by sleeping with her was a miscalculation. Spending time with her was more addiction than catharsis. Every obstinate look and snide remark triggered the need for more. The woman was so much trouble—maybe too much—but he couldn’t get enough.

  The thought of admitting as much out loud gave him indigestion.

  “We were having a good time.”

  “You keep saying that she’s a good time. There are other women who offer good times. Less complicated women.”

  “And you’re a big fan of less complicated?”

  Graham raised an eyebrow, and Jonah cackled. He’d chosen the most complicated of women—a recovering addict, with a child, and two ex-husbands.

  “Less complicated isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but I thought that’s what you were all about.”

  “Me too, and Alexa isn’t…She’s just...Alexa.”

  He roved a hand through his hair and gripped the back of his neck, having lost his ability to describe the woman or how he felt about her. Jonah’s grin only irked him more, chasing Graham to another topic.

  “How’s the moving and shaking?”

  “I’m making good contacts in support of my Congressional bid and raising a decent amount of money. My father is still angry about my party affiliation. Coming out as a Democrat may have been as horrible to him as my sister coming out as gay.”

  “Poor guy. He’s had a rough couple of years.”

  Jonah’s deeply conservative father had his daughter come out of the closet, his son marry a woman he couldn’t stand, his wife file for divorce, and, now, his son goes public as a liberal.

  “He has actually. I’ve never seen him as despondent as he’s been about my mother moving out. I think he’s still hoping he can lure her back.”

  “Maybe they’ll work it out. Your parents belong with each other. It’s hard to imagine one without the other.”

  “My mother doesn’t feel that way. She’s never been happier. She got back from a vacation in the Mediterranean with her friends and bought a house in my neighborhood ‘to be near the baby.’ Shannon is worried she’ll be camping out in our nursery. I keep saying at least she’s excited.”

  “That is progress.”

  Jonah’s father wasn’t the only one who didn’t cotton to his wife in the beginning. The prospect of finally getting a grandchild worked wonders on the older woman.

  “I enjoy having my mom around more, but don’t tell Shannon I said that. I’m supposed to be creating ‘healthy boundaries.’” Jonah curled his fingers into air quotes.

  “As long as your mom plays nice, Shannon will come around.”

  “Don’t say that. I’ve been optimistic!”

  “Your mom’s a nice woman.”

  Jonah chuckled, then tipped his head in consolation. “She can be—when she wants to. I think she’s motivated. Now, if I can only get her to stop dropping hints about names for our baby boy.”

  Graham’s eyes widened in horror. “What names?”

  “Francis is a family name on her father’s side—as is Cornelius.”

  “Nice,” Graham laughed. “Classics.”

  “Yeah, like Ambrose,” Jonah sniped, referring to his own middle name.

  “Do you have a name picked out?”

  “We do. I’m not supposed to tell anybody, so you have to promise not to say anything.”

  “No offense, Jonah, but your baby is only a topic that comes up when I talk to you.”

  “Funny.” He threw a balled-up mini muffin wrapper at Graham. “Benjamin.”

  “Oh. That’s nice and normal.”

  “It is.”

  A wide smile lit up Jonah’s face, signaling his thorough domestication. Over the years, he and Jonah spent many a Sunday recounting wild sexual details of their weekend. Now, here they were talking baby names—and Graham’s discontent over a woman.

  He slumped in his chair. They were both getting domesticated. And that wouldn’t do.

  Chapter Twent
y-Three

  Alexa left Trista a voicemail to assure her that she still had a job at Starlight Fitness and to schedule a meeting after her new hire’s first early morning classes. Locked in the employee bathroom, Alexa stared into the mirror and gave herself a pep talk.

  Professionalism. That’s how she would get through today and the few weeks it would likely take for her to get over the weekend’s events. You put on your game face and be professional.

  Trista sat in front of her desk, back straight and arms to the side facing upward as if she were in a contemplative yoga pose. Alexa relaxed.

  “Good morning.”

  Trista jumped, and she whipped her head around. “Good morning.”

  “Thanks for stopping in.”

  Alexa rounded her desk and sat down. “This is incredibly awkward, so I’d rather just acknowledge that than pretend this is a perfectly normal conversation to have on your first day of work.”

  The corner of Trista’s mouth twitched, almost smiling, so Alexa continued.

  “That was an ugly scene on Saturday night, and I’m sorry to have involved you in some silly drama. It won’t happen again, and I’m hoping that you’ll join team and enjoy working here.”

  Having delivered the speech she practiced all day Sunday, Alexa held her breath and waited for Trista to respond. The other woman relaxed her grip on her knees and sat back in the chair.

  “I had no idea you and Graham were dating,” she blurted. “Nothing happened. He and I were together for a while, but that was a long time ago. Maybe I hoped we might reconnect, but trust me, not anymore. You and he…I wish you luck. Honestly.”

  “You don’t need to worry about that. That’s…over. The reason I wanted to have this meeting is to let you know that none of this is going to impact your work here. At least, I hope it doesn’t.”

  Even if Alexa didn’t mean it, she knew assuring Trista was her only option. She couldn’t very well fire the woman over personal issues. Beyond legalities, Alexa would never want anyone to find her that petty.

  “It won’t. I promise. The classes this morning went really well, and I’m excited.” Trista managed a sincere smile, and they both laughed. “How long exactly before this stops being weird though?”

  “I think this one goes down for the ages in weirdness, but how about we start now deciding to let it go?”

  “Sounds good. And I’m really, truly sorry for getting in the middle of all this.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  No, this was Graham’s fault. He’s the one who created this sticky situation. He was also next up for an awkward conversation.

  She texted him that morning, and asked if he could stop by in the early afternoon. Trista would be on the other side of the building teaching, so that time gave them the best chance to not have a repeat run-in as a threesome.

  * * *

  Even though he’d agreed to meet in Alexa’s office, Graham texted her at lunch to move the meeting to neutral territory. They met at a coffee shop halfway between her gym and Graham’s office.

  Graham stayed at the shop all morning working, so he could ensure she wouldn’t beat him there. His laptop and bag were strewn over the table next to his half-eaten sandwich and empty coffee cup. He got up to throw away his trash and saw Alexa walking through the doors. She noticed him and marched over.

  “I don’t have much time since we’re not in my office, and I have to drive back to meet with a personal training client. Where are you sitting?”

  The chill emanating from her could cool an outdoor patio in August.

  “In the back corner. You don’t want to get a coffee or sandwich or anything first?”

  “Nope.”

  She pushed past him and took a seat at the table he’d indicated. Graham dropped his trash in the bin and trudged back to the table at the speed of a man walking the plank.

  “Thanks for meeting me here.” He folded his computer closed and moved it to the side. His steepled fingers looked like a prayer.

  “Listen, I’m only here to talk about one thing. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t come around the gym. I talked to Trista this morning, and we’ve worked things out, but having you around will just make everything awkward all over again.”

  As she spoke, she folded her arms neatly in front of her and kept her face still. No flirtatious humor or teasing bravado. She gave him nothing.

  “I see. And you don’t want to discuss at all what happened on Saturday? I wanted to have the opportunity to explain again and apologize. I do apologize for creating an awkward situation for you and Trista. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “I appreciate the apology, but it’s not necessary.”

  She scooted back from the table and grabbed her purse.

  “That’s it?”

  “I don’t want to cover old ground.”

  “It’s not old ground when we haven’t even had the first conversation about it. Can you give me five minutes?”

  She tensed up, but swung her bag onto the neighboring chair and sat back down. “Go.”

  “I let things get out of hand on Saturday, but I had no intention of getting involved with Trista. I’m aware of how sleazy it would be to be involved with both of you. Not to mention the fact that anything between Trista and I died a long time ago. I hate that you walked in at that precise moment. It couldn’t have been worse timing.”

  “Yeah. That’s the problem. You got caught. Otherwise, you’re right. We wouldn’t have an issue. I’d be clueless. Trista would be hanging onto the idea that you were interested in her. No problem at all.”

  “That’s not true. I was telling Trista that there was no jumpstarting a new relationship. And there’s nothing going on for you to be clueless about.”

  “Is that what you wanted to say to me?” She crossed her arms tightly through the handle of her purse, ready to bolt.

  “I suppose that sums it up.”

  “Thanks for understanding about coming to gym. I think this will be easier on everyone.”

  Alexa sprang from the chair and charged out of the coffee shop, her tight butt swishing side to side. Graham watched, missing it already.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Alexa paused with her hand poised on the car door. She wanted to crawl home and curl up under the blanket on her couch until the sun came up and she had to go to work again tomorrow. Instead, she climbed out of her car and walked toward the Tex-Mex restaurant on South Congress where she agreed to meet Adam for dinner.

  The days since her finale with Graham hadn’t removed the tight band of hurt and regret that made it hard for her to breathe easy. Shit. She couldn’t let a guy—especially a player like Graham—have a grip on her like this. She squeezed her eyes shut and clicked the button on her key fob to lock the door.

  She found Adam chatting closely with the bartender and sipping on a rocks margarita.

  “Hey.” Tapping him on the arm got his attention.

  “Hello. How are you? The bartender was just telling me where to go for salsa dancing. Have you ever been?”

  “I’m good, and I have.”

  Alexa loved salsa dancing. She hadn’t dated many guys who were interested in going. The image of Graham swaying his hips to the rumble of a Latin band made her giggle. Could you salsa in chinos and loafers?

  “You enjoyed it. We should go.” Adam smiled. “With your friends or whatever. I don’t want to be presumptuous.”

  He held his hand up in what Alexa interpreted as gallant concession to the fact that she was seeing someone else. She wasn’t ready to open the door to Adam, so she didn’t say anything about Graham.

  “No worries. Although, it is more fun in a group. I may have to recruit some of Melissa’s relatives. I went to a party at her place once, and the Navarro clan knows how to dance.”

  “You can invite Graham.”

  Alexa shook her head and shrugged.

  “What happened?”

  She examined the line of liquor bottles behind him, thinking abou
t her choice of cocktail. “What ever happens with these things. It’s not worth talking about.”

  “Absolutely.” Adam held up his margarita, grinning. “I’d toast to exciting new possibilities, but we need to get you a drink.”

  “I’ll get something when we get to the table.”

  His wide smile coaxed her into a better mood.

  Dinner rolled along with easy conversation that kept Alexa’s mind mostly off of the other man. She introduced Adam to chili rellenos—fried poblano peppers stuffed with spiced chicken, cheese, almonds, and raisins.

  “That was amazing. Now, what kind of dessert should we order? I’m in the mood for something sweet.” His licked his full bottom lip and drew it into his mouth as he perused the trifold dessert and cocktail menu on the table.

  “They have good sopapillas, but I say we close out and head up the street to Amy’s Ice Cream. It’s amazing and an Austin tradition.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Alexa motioned for the waiter to bring the bill, and when it arrived, she placed her credit card in the leather bill holder. “My treat this time.”

  “No way. I’m on an expense account. Let me get it.”

  She waved him off. “Nope. My treat. You can get it next time.”

  His white smile beamed. “Okay. If we are in agreement that there will be a next time, I’ll relent.”

  She signed the check when it came back, and they meandered up the street, past storefronts like a music store advertising “RECORDS” in red letters. She peered in at the tattered album covers shielded by plastic from further damage. “I thought about getting a record player to listen to old vinyl again.”

  “Really?”

  “It’s mostly nostalgia. I still have some of my albums from when I was a kid. Or my parents do at their house.”

  “Like what?”

  “Sesame Street Fever. Thriller.” She chuckled and kicked at bottle cap underneath her foot. “That’s kind of a big leap.”

  “Sesame Street? Like the puppets on television?”

  “Yep. I loved listening to Ernie sing to his rubber ducky.”

  Adam laughed, and they walked on. Alexa wiped her palms on her thighs. The thick night air threatened rain. A man with a mohawk rolled by in his classic car, reflecting the street lights off of its sleek lines in emerald and chrome.