Page 15 of The Sweetest Surrender

“Madison…” Claudia snapped her fingers. “Girl, that’s that dingy blonde so-called debutante. She’s passed around from one elite person to the next, attends all the ritzy and glamorous parties, and is always connected to someone with an extensive bank account. Watch out for that girl. Whenever she’s around, she comes to win.”

That hadn’t made Selena feel better about this Madison girl calling Jordan. After that conversation, Selena searched Google for more information on Madison and found a slew of it.

Madison Santari, socialite and all-around mean girl, had had a thing for Jordan for years. There were pictures of them from the Jan’s Roses event in which Madison appeared to be Jordan’s date. That was only a few months ago, but it gave Selena the impression that Jordan and Madison had history. To this day, Selena never questioned him about it. She didn’t consider herself the jealous type, but the more she saw Madison’s name pop up on Jordan’s phone, the more her lip would twitch, and her gut would knot. It didn’t make it any better that Jordan never answered the call.

Like now as he glanced down at his device and silenced the incoming song.

Selena turned her face away from him to look out the window at her one-bedroom townhouse.

“I should probably let you go and call it a night,” she said.

Before Jordan could respond, his phone lit up again, and although Selena tried with all her might, she couldn’t help but turn and sneak a peek at his screen. It was her, again. Selena caught herself getting ready to question him. But she couldn’t. It wasn’t her place. Despite the many dates they’d been on, he didn’t belong to her and vice versa. Selena cast her sight back out the window.

“Let me walk you to your door,” Jordan said.

“No.”

The car became quiet, and Selena closed her eyes and bit down on her jaw then silently opened her door.

“Selena…”

The profoundness of his plea gave her pause, and Selena couldn’t explain the reason for her palpitated heartbeat.

“You should go. Looks like there’s an emergency of some kind.”

She exited the car before Jordan could say anything more and scurried up her sidewalk to her front door. Selena opened the screen door, and it closed against her backside as she fished through her purse for a set of keys. She’d just pulled the metal keys out when the screen door opened and a festering heat crawled up her back. Selena’s motion slowed as she figured Jordan was standing behind her.

“Selena…”

Her eyes dropped then closed as her pulse accelerated, and her flesh roasted from his nearness.

“Look at me,” he said.

Selena’s hand trembled, and she hurriedly stuck the key in the door and turned the lock. Who was she kidding? Fairytales were for kids. If her parents were any indication that love never lasted, then she should just save herself the drama and embarrassment.

Opening the door, she stepped inside then turned to him.

“Thank you for making sure I got in safely. Thank you for bailing me out of jail. Like I said before, you didn’t have to.”

Jordan raked his eyes over her face.

“You’re upset,” he said.

“I’m not upset.”

“Now you’re lying.”

Selena sighed. “Will you stop doing that?”

“What, calling you out when you lie?”

Her voice elevated. “I’m not lying.”

“Then what do you call it?”

“I call it tired and not in the mood to talk to you about it.”

Their showdown was intense and profound. Just like at the hospital, Jordan wanted to press her on the subject, but he didn’t.

Instead, he tipped his head, deciding to bow out of this fight. “Have a good night, Selena.”

She watched him take a step back and remove their splintering connection by turning and marching down her porch and walkway. Selena shut the door and blew out a heavy breath, coming out of her clothes all at once for a hot shower. She would pray to God that tomorrow was a better day. But Selena could already tell that would just be too good to be true.

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