Page 9 of Jacked and Jaded

Calliope laughed against her mom’s shoulder. “Me, too. It’s time. Do you care if I move in while you’re away?”

“No. Not at all. I wish I wasn’t going on this cruise and I’d help you move your things.” Her mom pulled back, wiping at a stray tear.

“I can do it. You go on that cruise and you and Tom have a great time.” The last thing she wanted was for her mom to miss out on her cruise just to help her move. No. Calliope would do it herself. She’d gotten herself into this mess and she’d get herself out of it.

“Are you sure?” Her mom frowned, not totally convinced.

“Yes. Go have fun.”

It took her mom a minute, but she finally agreed. “All right, but ask Jan or Maverick to help you move. I’d feel better if you had someone with you.”

“I’ll think about it.” It wasn’t a complete lie, she told herself. She’d think about it, then she’d deal with it herself.

“Okay.” Her mom rose from the couch and headed for the kitchen. “How about some ice cream?”

“Yes. I would love some ice cream.”

Calliope followed her mom to the kitchen and watched her mom scoop out two bowls of Rocky Road ice cream. They took it to the kitchen table and enjoyed every last bite. After they put their empty bowls in the dishwasher, she helped her mom pick out clothes to take on her trip. They talked about everything like they used to do when Calliope still lived at home. The one thing they did not talk about was Jackson. Once she’d left home and moved to Boulder, it was an unspoken rule that her mom never talked to her about Jackson and she would never ask.

With ice cream in her belly and her mom’s suitcases packed, they headed off to bed. She got ready for bed, and realized she was really excited about spending the morning at the spa with her mom. She pulled the covers back, slipped underneath and rolled to her back. She took a deep breath and for the first time in a long time she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The thought of leaving Clint tomorrow made it easier to breathe.

It was going to be rough living in Redemption again knowing that it was a real good possibility that she’d be running into Jackson at some point. She wasn’t crazy about the idea, but staying with Clint was no longer an option. She’d have to take her chances and deal with it when it happened. She just needed to keep reminding herself that it would be okay.

Calliope settled into bed,mentally making a list of things she needed to get done. Looking around her old room, she came to the conclusion she was going to have to redecorate if she was going to be here for very long. The room was done in a black and white zebra scheme with red splashes here and there with throw pillows and curtains. When she first moved here, she thought it was the bomb. Looking at it now, she shuddered. What had she been thinking? And the posters of boy bands? Bleh.

She turned the lamp off on the nightstand and snuggled in under the comforter. The sound of bike pipes coming closer had her wondering if it could be Jackson coming back to his parents’ house. Her heart sped up until she heard the sound drive by and continue down the street. She released a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. Crap. If she reacted like that with just the sound of a motorcycle, how was she going to handle coming face to face with Jackson for the first time? She wasn’t stupid, living across the street from his parents’ house, it was only a matter of time before they ran into each other. Drifting off to sleep, it was inevitable that she would dream about the event that forced her decision to move to Boulder.

She’d gone to a party with her best friend, Zoey, despite not being in the mood. Why did she go anyway? Because that’s what best friends did for each other. They had each other’s backs through heartbreaks and breakups, through bitchy girls and hot guys. They shared their deepest darkest secrets and fears.

The two of them had met the first day of their junior year of high school in Redemption. Zoey had recognized that Calliope was “the new girl” and had instantly taken a liking to her. She’d been lucky Zoey pulled her under her wing and helped her navigate the highs and lows of high school in a small town. Otherwise, she would have ended up as the girl who ate her lunch all alone in the library.

Since that fateful meeting four years ago, they’d done everything together. That’s how Calliope ended up at this party at Zoey’s brother’s apartment. It hadn’t taken long for her to realize they were in over their heads. Her brother was in his mid-twenties and had just gotten a job with some high paying computer company and tonight they were celebrating. His friends were kind of hoity toity and made her feel uncomfortable. She felt like they looked at her as if she was less than them. She could care less, but she didn’t appreciate how they would talk about things they didn’t think she could possibly understand. What made matters worse was when everyone started pairing off. Even Zoey found herself making out with someone.

Calliope decided it was time for her to leave. She didn’t want to be there any longer. She’d arranged for an Uber, then texted Zoey she was leaving. She assured her friend she wasn’t mad, she was just tired and wanted to go home. She told her to have a good time and went outside to wait for her ride. Sitting in the backseat of her Uber ride, she leaned her head back and suddenly felt an overwhelming loneliness descend on her.

For as long as she could remember, since her dad’s death, her mom had taken the night shifts at the hospital because it paid better. She knew her mom was trying to provide for Calliope, but it also left her at home alone a lot of the time. She was dreading going home to an empty house. She wasn’t tired, so going to bed wasn’t an option. Recognizing the street they were on, she sat up and told the driver to slow down. It looked like Jackson was home. Should she stop? What if he had someone there? Then thinking about the empty house she was going home to, she thought fuck it and told the driver to pull over. She paid the man and slowly made her way to the door.

She took a deep breath, let it out slowly and shook out her hands before she knocked. She could hear him moving around inside and didn’t have long to wait until he opened the door. Holy shit! He was shirtless, barefoot and his top button on his jeans was undone. She swallowed hard around her suddenly dry throat.

“Calliope?” He stuck his head out the door, looking around. “How did you get here?”

“Uber.” At his puzzled look, she shrugged and explained. “Me and Zoey were at a party, things started getting weird and I wanted to leave, but I didn’t want to go home to an empty house. Again. I saw your light on and hoped I could hang out for a little while?”

“Yeah. Sure.” He reached for her arm and pulled her inside, locking the door behind her. “You want a soda or something?”

“Sure.” As she moved past him, she got a distinctive whiff of alcohol. “You been drinking?” she teased.

“Yeah. A little.” He closed the door behind her and followed her to the couch.

She made herself at home in the middle of the couch, folding her legs under her and sitting at an angle. The first thing she noticed was that the TV was off, but she could’ve sworn she’d heard it playing before she knocked on the door. The second thing she noticed was a half empty bottle of scotch on the coffee table. That would explain the smell of alcohol on him. Calliope wasn’t one to judge. She’d been around Jackson and Maverick enough to have an idea of what club life was like—booze, bikes and babes.

“What?” He took the seat next to her and caught her staring.

“You’ve been drinking more than a little,” she teased.

“Yeah,” he laughed, handing her the soda. “Maybe.” He reached for the beer sitting on the end table next to him and tipped it back. He frowned as if something just occurred to him. “What are you doing here at eleven o’clock?”

“I told you already. Why are you home on a Friday night, getting drunk all alone and not at your clubhouse kicking back with your brothers?”

---