“I don’t blame you,” he says. “Jessica Lee has grown into a beautiful young woman. Always smart, too. Do you know that she won a scholarship to Columbia? Graduated with honours,” he says, glancing over at Jess. My cheeks start to burn as I realise how obviously I’ve been staring at her. She looks over and nods at Howard when she sees him looking over.
“A scholarship to Columbia University? In New York?”
“Mmhmm,” Howard says.
I frown. “She never told me that.” All she told me was that she moved away to New York as soon as she could.
“She doesn’t talk about much, that one. Not about herself, anyway.” Howard lifts his beer to his mouth and empties it before pushing it towards Mary on the other side of the bar. “Get me another one, darling.”
I look at Mary and see her face completely clouded over. There’s a darkness in her eyes as she nods and turns towards the fridges full of beer behind her. I frown as I watch her, waiting to see the expression on her face as she turns around to give Howard his beer.
When she does turn around again, her face is completely placid. The anger in her eyes is gone and she has a pleasant smile on her lips. She pops the beer open and places it down in front of the old man. He grunts in thanks.
I almost jump when Jess’s hand touches my back. She slides in beside Howard and I, putting her arm around Howard and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“Howard!” She says. “I haven’t seen you in years. How are you? How are the kids?”
Howard smiles at Jess and they exchange pleasantries. I watch the way the dim light in the bar reflects off her hair, making it look like a million different shades of brown. She looks radiant, and she definitely looks like she doesn’t belong in a place like this.
I clear my throat. “So Howard was telling me you graduated from Columbia?”
Jess looks over at Howard and he shrugs. “What else have you been saying about me, Howard? Nothing too incriminating, I hope?”
Howard chuckles and shakes his head. Jess smiles and I see a warmth in her as she looks at the old man. He seems to love her, and I don’t blame him. There’s something about her that just makes her personality magnetic. She turns to me and finally swings her eyes up to mine. The breath catches in my lungs as her gaze focuses on my face and she smiles.
“Yeah, I left for college ten years ago.”
“Well it’s too bad New York couldn’t hold your attention longer,” Mary pipes up from behind the bar. She’s staring at Jess with fire in her eyes. Jess glances at her and I feel her body stiffen beside me. She stares at Mary for a few moments before speaking.
“Can I get two beers and a vodka soda? Thanks.”
Mary bristles and I see the cloud pass over her face again. She opens her mouth and then closes it again before starting to make the drinks. As soon as they’re on the bar, Jess gives her some money and nods to Howard and I.
“Excuse me, gentlemen.”
“You enjoy yourself,” Howard says with a smile. “Good to see you again, Jess.”
Jess smiles. “Good to see you too, Howard.”
I watch her walk back to her table and desperately want to follow her there, but I keep my feet glued where they are. People have already noticed me looking at her, it would surely cause a riot if they knew I’d had her in my bed a few hours ago.
Chapter 25 - Jess
“I might stay and watch the band a bit longer,” I say as Sam and Ronnie stand up to leave. Owen is leaning against the wall, talking to someone else in the back corner of the bar. Sam spreads her arms and gives me a hug.
“Good to see you, Jess. You seem really happy.”
“I am. And congratulations again, to both of you.”
Ronnie gives me a big bear hug and I watch them walk away, hand in hand. I sit back down at the table and within a few moments, Owen is sliding into the chair across from me.
I grin. “Are you sure you should be doing that,” I say with a raised eyebrow. “You’re starting rumours already.”
“I don’t give a shit about rumours,” he responds. He’s staring at me with half-closed eyes and he leans forward. I lift drink to my lips and take a sip. When I put it back down he speaks in a low voice, barely above a whisper. “You’ve been driving me wild all evening.”
“Me?” I answer innocently. My eyebrows shoot up towards my hairline. “What have I done?”
“Swanning around here with that dress and those eyes,” he answers with a grin. “I can’t stop thinking about this afternoon.”
“How long do you have to be here?” I ask, taking another sip of my drink.
“I was thinking of going to bed soon,” he answers with a grin.
I nod slowly, flicking my eyes towards his and trying not to smile. “That’s too bad. I thought we could spend some time together this evening. But if you’re tired…”
“I could be convinced.”
I laugh. “You go first, I’ll meet you up there in ten minutes.”
“Does it have to be this top secret? Surely no one would care?”
I glance over at the bar and see Mary staring at us. I shrug. “I’m not the one who’s living here, you’re the one who will have to deal with the fallout.”
He shakes his head. “You know these people better than I do. See you in ten.”
He stands up and I realise my heart is hammering against my ribcage. I force myself to not stare at him as he walks away, instead looking over at the band. The minutes tick by so slowly it hurts. All I can think about is Owen and what his body feels like when I was running my fingers all over it. Now that he’s gone, the room feels colder and darker than it did just moments ago.
I glance at my phone again and sigh. I look up my friend Rosie’s number.
You’ll never guess what’s happening right now.
I put my phone down and sip my drink slowly. Within a couple minutes it buzzes again.
???
I type away quickly and hit send.
Foxy new hotel owner. May or may not have had the hottest sex of my life this afternoon and may or may not be heading up to see him in a couple minutes.
This time it only takes a couple seconds to buzz in response.
Knocked Up... Again! Page 8