Page 34 of An Unexpected Encounter

I laugh because I wish I would’ve thought of that myself. Heading to the counter, I take a cup off the dish rack and pour some coffee.

“No, I think I will too. It’ll also be a good way to learn about her piece of shit boyfriend.”

“He’s going to be her ex-boyfriend if I have anything to do with it. Why would he go on a vacation without her, Zeke? It makes no sense to me.”

Stepping over to the table, I take a seat across from him.

“I don’t know. But I’m fully with you on him becoming her ex. We need to decide when we want to talk to Dad. He needs to answer some questions, and we need to make sure he’s aware of how we feel about Selena and our intentions.”

I lift the cup to my lips, blowing on the hot liquid before taking a sip.

“No better time than the present. I’ll message him now.”

Me: Hey Dad, what are you doing?

Dad: Going to play some tennis with Julia, then look at some homes.

Me: She’s really going to sell the house, instead of leaving it to Selena. At least offer for her to buy it.

Dad: It’s Julia’s house to do with as she pleases. Selena has not been exactly the best daughter to her. Maybe you boys can spend some time with her and your respect will rub off on her.

Is he for fucking real!?

Me: Yeah we can spend time with her. But me and guys want to meet with you, maybe for lunch.

Dad: Sure. Let’s do this Saturday. We can go for brunch then play a round of golf.

Me: Sounds good.

Dad is handled. He’s going to know the truth. Now we just need to win the heart of the woman taking over ours.

Chapter 16

Elijah

Like an idiot, I took a detour to the coffee shop. It isn’t until I pull up in front of it that I beat my forehead on the steering wheel. She’s sick as a fucking dog and you want to bring her coffee? Real smart Einstein. You’re a damn idiot.

Thankfully, there’s a gas station two buildings down and I rush in and get her one of every variety of Gatorade they have and an extremely overpriced pack of saltines.

Six dollars for one tiny package. Are they insane?! Got to love price gouging.

When I step into her apartment building and see that her fucking elevator still isn’t working, the anger in me builds. When Zeke told us it was broken the first day we came over, we discussed contacting her landlord and doing a little fire safety inspection, but still haven’t gotten around to it.

I need to remind him about it. This place is a fucking death trap. Why in the hell is she still living here? Why does Sam allow her to? Does he even notice the state of the building? Not only Sam, but her mother, Julia. I wonder if the bitch has even been here to visit her daughter.

We had to go over to her house two days ago for yet another family dinner. But Selena wasn’t in attendance. When we asked her about it, she blew it off, ranting about how upset she was at the drama her daughter created at the last meal.

At this point, I don’t even know how she can call herself a mother.

I make my way up the steps, one at a time, excitement overwhelming me at seeing her and spending one-on-one time with her. I plan to make myself useful and stay as long as I can today, maybe even until we have to go to work.

Stepping onto the landing of her floor, I make my way down the hallway straight for her apartment. I lift my hand and knock once on her door.

There’s no sound on the other side, but when she doesn’t answer, I knock again. My heart races as sweat beads on my forehead. I close my eyes, as all the possibilities of why she’s not answering flood the forefront of my mind.

Did she fall? Is she sick in the bathroom? Did she choke on her own vomit during the middle of the night? She lives in a crap building. Did someone break in and she’s bleeding on the floor?

The door swings open just as I’m about to knock, and I stumble forward into Selena. Instinct takes over and I wrap my arms around her, cradling her close to my body.

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