Page 10 of Embers of Torment

Jarod glared at her, his cheeks turning red. His eyes lit with annoyance when he turned to face me and forced a smile. "I'm sorry. Can you please tone it down?"

"Fine." My voice was crisp, and I overly enunciated my one-word reply.

With his body tense, Jarod stepped to the lane and took his turn, bowling a strike. A colossal smirk covered his face when he turned around.

Okay, Mr. Smugass, two can play that game.I got into position and focused on the arrows.Come on, Louise. You can do it. Destroy those frigging pins.I made my approach and threw my ball, but this time, I bowled a split. On my second throw, I only knocked down one of the pins.

Jarod chuckled and appeared gratingly gleeful.

It was my turn to scowl.

I sat in our booth, staring at Jarod's back and willing him to miss the pins, when I heard a commotion next to us. Looking over, I gasped, spotting the black-haired woman of the trio lying facedown in the lane while her ball traveled down the gutter. She rolled onto her back and giggled uncontrollably, her whole body shaking. Her two friends had doubled over, crying with laughter. Unable to stop myself, I joined in the merriment, laughing so hard I snorted.

Jarod stood there staring at me in utter horror. Pulling himself together, he hissed at me, "My God! You snorted like a pig." His face was scarlet when he set his ball down on the rack. "Excuse me. I need to use the restroom." He slinked off, silently scanning the faces watching the three ladies and me.

I bent over, laying my head on my knees as I tried to get it together. It was a tremendous challenge because each time I closed my eyes, I could visualize the woman giggling on the ground and the other two laughing their asses off with her. It didn't help to hear the three of them losing it behind me. After several minutes, we all calmed down, and I sat up. Grabbing a tissue from my purse, I wiped my eyes and looked around.

Jarod wasn't back yet.

I waited. Then I waited some more. Becoming frustrated, I scanned the rental desk, bar, and what I could see of the billiard area. But I couldn't see Jarod anywhere. I was about to get up when the redhead from the booth next to me came over and took a seat. She gave me a sympathetic look and patted my leg. Floored, I stared at her in confusion.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I was returning from the ladies' room just now and spotted your gentleman friend walking out the door with his arm around that blond woman working the bar. I overheard her tell him that her shift had just ended. Was he your boyfriend?"

I felt my face warm as I stammered, "No. He was…umm…this was our first date."

"Well, you're better off without him. That's all I have to say. The guy wasn't worth your time. I'm Sherry, by the way. Those are my two girlfriends, Lucy and Peg. We're on a mom's night out while our husbands watch the kids. You're more than welcome to join us."

"I…umm…appreciate the offer, but I'm taking off. I don't feel like staying."

"I understand. But if you change your mind, come on over. Okay?"

I nodded, even though I had no intention of changing my mind. I was too humiliated, hurt, and shocked to stay. I'd never been ditched on a date before, and I was unsure how to handleit. All I could think about was going home, crawling into bed, and burying myself under the covers. Hiding from the world sounded appealing right about now.

Sherry patted my leg again, got up, and returned to her friends. I picked up my purse and headed for the exit.

Entering the parking garage, I hurried down one of the rows. I abruptly stopped when I spotted my date in a liplock with the bartender. They leaned against a dark Honda Civic with their bodies wrapped around each other. Jarod's hands roamed freely as he practically devoured her mouth. Mortified, I quietly backed away and skirted the structure to get to my car. The last thing I wanted was for him to spot me and see my face. If my expression was anything close to how I felt, it was an added embarrassment I didn't want or need.

My stomach churned as I drove home. After parking in my building's garage, I trudged to the elevator, thoroughly deflated. Reaching my apartment, I flung myself on my bed and covered my head with my pillow. Tonight had been one hell of a Friday night and a date I wished I could forget ever happened. Jarod's mean comments and blatant disrespect for my feelings had hit a raw spot, further opening the already cracked door to memories I preferred to keep buried.

It was as if I could feel the fear, embarrassment, and confusion all over again that had consumed me when I was a relentlessly bullied young girl. Back then, I'd felt cornered and threatened with no one at school sticking up for me. This time, I wasn't alone. I had assistance from the three ladies in the adjacent bowling lane.

Unable to breathe, I pulled the pillow from my face and rolled onto my side as my cell phone dinged. I reached for it, noticing I had a text from Adam. It was a picture of him and Jace in a joint selfie as they played Scrabble at Game Time Cafe. I read the message.

Adam: Hey! I hope you're having fun on your date. Although I wish you were at Game Time with us. Jace is ruthless at Scrabble, and I'd love to see you kick his butt. Trivia question: What is the world's top-scoring single Scrabble move ever? Answer: CAZIQUES.

The corner of my mouth lifted into a smile. Yeah, I wished I'd gone there too.

Chapter 4

Jace

Isilently counted the reps as I went through another of my weight-lifting exercises in my Saturday morning routine. I lost track of the count when I caught a brunette in a skimpy lavender sports bra and body-hugging shorts watching me while she performed a Kettlebell swing. She finished her set and moved to another station but kept her gaze trained on me the entire time. And to say it felt uncomfortable was an understatement.

She was obsessively irritating.

I thought about asking her if she had an issue with me but decided to keep my distance. This morning was only my second visit to the fitness center in my apartment building, and I didn't want to create a problem. I needed to get back into a workout routine, which I had slacked off on over the last few months, and I hoped coming here would help. Doing it without a ton of drama would be optimum.

Completing my set of dumbbell rows, I straightened from my position only to discover the woman was standing behind me. I placed the dumbbell on the weight rack next to me and turned toward her. She had a cute face and a nicely shaped body with two braided pigtails hanging down her back. But her strange obsession with watching me overshadowed all that, and now that she had made the first move, it was time to find out why.

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