Page 11 of Touch Me (Complete Collection)

“Coop!”

He chuckled. “You’re happy to hear from me.”

She smiled. “I’m glad you called. I was worried about you.”

“Yeah, I got your email.”

“Why is your phone off?”

“I've been busy, Jenny. I- ” The doorbell rang on the other side of the phone and he paused.

“There’s someone at the door. Can you hold on?” Jenny asked. She ran to the door and he heard her footsteps clatter on his hardwood floor.

Jenny didn’t want to make him wait. He was calling from freaking Australia to talk to her. She wasn’t that special. She opened the door and paused, her heart jumping up and beating erratically in her throat.

“Jason?” she whispered and he smiled, walking inside. She surfaced from her shock instantly and pushed him right back outside the doorway. She grunted as her hands pushed at his chest.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“No. I don’t want to talk.”

“Just give me a minute and I’ll explain, all right? Can I sit down?” With that he scurried past her and made himself comfortable on the couch.

Jenny was reeling. He had some nerve to expect a conversation after doing what he had done. “How did you find me?”

“I called Annabel and she told me about your new job. I followed you from there to here.” He seemed very proud of his creepy stalking.

“You called Annabel on her honeymoon to enquire about me?”

“It’s not important. Here.” He handed her a brown envelope and she pursed her lips.

“I don’t care what’s in there, Jason. Really. You really need to leave.”

“Just open it!”

“Will you leave if I do?”

He swallowed. “If you want me to.”

She snatched a slip of paper out of the envelope, in a hurry to make him leave, and realized it was a check.

“It’s the money I withdrew from your account. I should have asked you before I withdrew it, but I needed it to settle some matters of my father’s estate. I was going to get it back and return it, but I forget to tell you. I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

Jenny stared at the check. Wow. She had run off out of her place, leaving her boyfriend behind…over nothing.

“The check clears in three weeks. I hope that’s alright,” he added unhelpfully.

Great. Now I feel like the scum of the earth.

She should’ve been rejoicing, but she felt…Oh, my god! Cooper! She slipped off the chair and yanked the phone receiver up to her ear.

“Hello?” she cried but it was dead. Cooper had hung up. Had he heard? Had he heard Jason and I talking?

“What happened, Jenny?” Jason reached for her shoulders from behind and she lurched as if lightening struck her.

“Get out, Jason. I mean it.”

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